Spot Rates Fall as Available Truck Capacity Rises 11%

| April 18, 2018

rates

Spot truckload rates moderated during the week ending April 14 as more trucks returned to the spot market. The number of trucks posted to the DAT network of load boards jumped 11% compared to the previous week while the number of loads fell almost 1%.

The national average rate for van and refrigerated freight declined while the flatbed price held steady:
Van: $2.21/mile, down 3 cents
Flatbed: $2.63/mile, unchanged
Reefer: $2.44/mile, down 4 cents
VAN OVERVIEW: Van load posts decreased 1% and truck posts increased 1%, sending the van load-to-truck ratio 11% lower to 6.6 loads per truck. Overall, just 40 of DAT’s Top 100 van lanes recorded higher rates. Key van markets:
– Dallas: $2.05/mile, down 2 cents but the number of available outbound loads increased 8.4%
– Stockton: $2.03/mile, up 3 cents on an 18% increase in freight volume
– Los Angeles: $2.31/mile, down 1 cent on a 4% decline in volume
FLATBED OVERVIEW: Flatbed load posts increased 1% and truck posts gained 8% last week, causing the flatbed load-to-truck ratio to settle down 7% to 103 loads per truck. The national average flatbed rate of $2.63/mile remains the highest flatbed rate recorded on DAT Trendlines.
REEFER OVERVIEW: The national load-to-truck ratio for reefers dropped 15%, from 11.0 to 9.4 loads per truck as reefer load posts declined 6% and truck posts increased 11%. Florida is entering peak produce season with the average rate from Lakeland up 7 cents to $1.84/mile. Cold weather has hampered California production but the Central Valley is picking up: at $2.49/mile, the average rate from Fresno, Calif., rose 13 cents on higher demand. Midwest volumes were lower but winter conditions drove up rates on several lanes:
– Green Bay to Des Moines, $2.65/mile, up 41 cents
– Grand Rapids to Madison, $3.00/mile, up 35 cents

Category: General Update, News

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