Spot Load Volume Up 8%

The number of available loads on the spot truckload market jumped 8% for the week ending March 18, reported DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards. Available capacity fell 3.4% as many truckers pulled equipment off the roads in anticipation of bad weather.

The week began with a push to move freight ahead of storms in the Midwest and East. Shippers rushed to catch up once the roads were clear, and load-to-truck ratios rose for all three equipment types:

– Van ratio: 3.4 loads per truck, up 23% to its highest point this year
– Reefer ratio: 6.6, up 16%
– Flatbed ratio: 37.4, up 5%

Only the van rate increased as a national average compared to the previous week, gaining 1 cent to $1.64/mile. The reefer rate ($1.87/mile) and flatbed rate ($2.01/mile) were unchanged.

VAN TRENDS

The storm affected van activity in and out of East Coast markets. The average van rate gained 20 cents or more in one week on three lanes in the region:

– Buffalo-Allentown, Pa., was up 22 cents to $2.80/mile
– Allentown-Boston also paid 22 cents better at $3.19/mile
– Philadelphia-Boston rose 21 cents to $3.27/mile

The average Allentown outbound rate gained 9 cents to $1.93/mile, while Philadelphia averaged $1.59/mile, up a penny.

REEFER TRENDS

Reefer load posts increased 16% last week. A number of markets in the Southwest saw higher freight volumes and rates, led by Los Angeles ($2.27/mile, up 4 cents). Central California remains soft: in Fresno, volumes declined and the average rate fell 2 cents to $1.81/mile.

Other key reefer markets:

– Green Bay: $2.63/mile, up 4 cents
– McAllen, Texas: $2.08/mile, up 16 cents
– Dallas: $1.73/mile, up 2 cents
– Elizabeth, N.J.: $1.70/mile, up 6 cents

FLATBED TRENDS

The flatbed load-to-truck ratio increased for the seventh week in a row as outbound load volume held steady and available capacity declined 5%.

Big rate swings were likely due to weather:

– Charlotte-Roanoke, Va., was up 37 cents to $2.95/mile
– Harrisburg-Buffalo plunged 76 cents better to $2.44/mile
– Cleveland-Grand Rapids, Mich., fell 67 cents to $2.27/mile

Freight volumes and rates there continued to climb in Houston, and flatbed freight averaged $2.13/mile, up 3 cents. If you look at all load posts on the DAT network of load boards, with all trailer types combined, Houston is No. 1 so far in 2017.

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