Refrigeratedtransporter 3185 Spot Market 05052018

Spot market rates respond to freight volume’s strength nationally

May 14, 2018
Learn more about stronger shipper demand nationally, reflected in DAT Solutions' latest spot freight market tally.

The number of spot market loads on the DAT network of load boards rose 1.3% and truck posts fell 1.0% during the week ending May 5, 2018, reflecting stronger shipper demand. National average rates for all three equipment types responded, moving higher compared with the previous week:

•Reefer—$2.48/mile, up 6 cents. This rate is 5 cents above the April average and 51 cents higher than one year ago.

•Van— $2.18/mile, up 2 cents week over week and 48 cents higher than a year ago.

•Flatbed—$2.72/mile, up 7 cents. This is the highest flatbed rate ever recorded in DAT Trendlines.

Spot truckload freight availability during the month of April was 3.9% higher than March and 100% higher year over year. Available capacity was up 2.2% compared with March and 7.5% year over year.

Reefer load posts climbed 10% while truck posts declined 2%, which sent the national reefer load-to-truck ratio up 12% to 9.2 loads per truck. With produce harvests heating up, Los Angeles ($3.02/mile, up 11 cents), Miami FL ($3.06/mile, up 59 cents), and Lakeland FL ($2.43/mile, up 40 cents) were among major reefer markets with sizable gains in the average outbound rate.

Van load posts inched up 1% the week ending May 5 while van posts advanced 3%. That caused the van load-to-truck ratio to gain 1% to 6.2 loads per truck. Key markets:

—Los Angeles—$2.42/mile, up 7 cents on a 2.8% increase in volume

—Memphis—$2.67/mile, up 9 cents with a 3.3% volume increase

Several van lanes showed higher rates:

—Memphis to Columbus OH—$2.76/mile, up 19 cents

—Atlanta to Philadelphia— $2.95/mile, up 14 cents

—Charlotte to Buffalo NY—$2.94/mile, up 17 cents

Nationally, the number of flatbed load posts was unchanged while truck posts dropped 3%. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio was up 3% to 111 loads per truck, which ties the record set during the first week of April. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio has been above 100 loads per truck for six weeks in a row.

This report is generated using DAT RateView, a service that provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. RateView’s database is comprised of more than $45 billion in freight bills in 65,000-plus lanes.

For the latest spot market load availability and rate information, visit www.dat.com/trendlines.

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