Driven by demand for refrigerated and dry vans, the number of loads posted on DAT boards was up 5.1% compared to the previous week. Highlights:
Reefer Loads Up 11%: The number of posted reefer loads increased 11%. Truck capacity gained 5%, pushing the load-to-truck ratio up 6% to 3.4 loads per truck. That means there were 3.4 available loads for every reefer posted on the DAT network.
Reefer Rates Surge: The national average spot reefer rate was up 11 cents to a national average of $1.90 per mile.
Florida Producing: Outbound freight volumes and rates surged in Florida, with Lakeland up 29 cents to an average of $1.91 a mile and Miami adding 23 cents to an average of $2.32 a mile. Miami-to-Baltimore jumped 41 cents to an average of $2.62 a mile.
Vans In Demand: Van load posts rose 11% and the number of available trucks was virtually unchanged. That pushed the van load-to-truck ratio up 11% to 1.8 loads per truck.
Van Rate Jumps 7 cents: The national average spot market rate for vans added 7 cents to $1.57 per mile, including a 2-cent rise in the average fuel surcharge.
Hot Van Markets By Region:
- South Central: Houston, $1.49/mile, up 5 cents
- Southeast: Charlotte, $1.77/mile, up 2 cents
- West: Los Angeles, $1.89/mile, up 3 cents
- Northeast: Allentown, Pa., $1.76/mile, up 4 cents
- Midwest: Chicago, $1.73/mile, up 1 cent
Flats Hold Steady: Flatbed load volume was unchanged while capacity increased 12% from the previous week. That led to a 11% decline in the load-to-truck ratio, from 21.1 to 18.8 loads per truck. The national average flatbed rate added 1 cent to $1.91 a mile.
Rates are derived from DAT RateView, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.
Load-to-truck ratios represent the number of loads posted for every truck available on DAT load boards. The load-to-truck ratio is a sensitive, real-time indicator of the balance between spot market demand and capacity, DAT notes. Changes in the ratio often signal impending changes in rates.
DAT Trendlines is a weekly report on spot market freight availability, truck capacity, and rates.