Rates Steady, Spot TL Freight Volumes UP

The number of available loads on DAT load boards jumped 10% compared to the previous week while capacity tightened 1.5%. Load-to-truck ratios increased for all three equipment types:

– Van ratio: 3.6 loads per truck, up 11%
– Reefer ratio: 6.7, up 2%
– Flatbed ratio: 47.8, up 20%

VAN TRENDS

The national average van rate was unchanged at steady at $1.68/mile. Lanes with rising rates continue to outnumber falling lanes on a week-to-week basis but not enough to bump up the national average.

The average rate on each of these lanes hit their highest marks in the last six weeks:

Philadelphia-Boston jumped up 27 cents to $3.34/mile
Memphis-Columbus hit $1.89/mile, up 14 cents
Dallas-Denver rose 11 cents to $1.94/mile
Stockton-Seattle added 15 cents for $2.18/mile

Buffalo and Denver are the only markets where outbound rates are down more than 1% for the month.

The top five markets for van load posts were all in the South:

1. Atlanta, $1.94/mile, up 2 cents
2. Charlotte, $1.91/mile, down 1 cent
3. Houston, $1.66/mile, down 1 cent
4. Dallas, $1.64/mile, up 5 cents
5. Memphis, $1.95/mile, unchanged

REEFER TRENDS

Last week reefer load posts held steady while truck posts declined 2%. One market where freight patterns are shifting: Florida. Volumes were down and wildfires and evacuations made it more expensive to move freight:

– Miami-Boston reefer rates were up 23 cents to $2.14/mile
– Lakeland, Fla.-Baltimore climbed 26 cents to $2.00/mile

The largest drop last week was on the lane from Chicago-Philadelphia, which fell 23 cents to $2.37/mile.

FLATBED TRENDS

The flatbed load-to-truck ratio jumped 20% to 47.8 loads per truck. That’s the highest weekly flatbed load-to-truck ratio in years. Flatbed load posts increased 14% while truck posts declined 5%.