Spot Freight Volume Down 5.3%

The number of available loads on the spot truckload market fell 5.3% during the week ending July 23 as freight volumes settled into in a mid-July lull, reported DAT Solutions.

The national average van and reefer rate each slipped slightly while the average flatbed rate made a small gain for the third consecutive week.

VANS: The van load-to-truck ratio fell slightly to 2.5 loads per truck on a 5% decline in the number of posted loads. The national average van rate lost a penny to $1.65/mile after peaking at $1.70 two weeks ago. Regionally, markets with highest average rates all recorded losses:

– Southeast: Charlotte, N.C., $1.95/mile, down 10 cents
– West: Los Angeles, $2.11/mile, down 3 cents
– Midwest: Chicago, $1.88/mile, down 1 cent
– South Central: Dallas, $1.58/mile, down 2 cents
– Northeast: Allentown, Pa., $2.00/mile, down 4 cents

REEFERS: The number of reefer load posts dropped 8% last week while truck posts held steady, causing an 8% drop in the reefer load-to-truck ratio to 4.3 loads per truck. The national average spot reefer rate dipped again to $1.96/mile after a high of $2.02 two weeks ago.

Major western markets lost ground, including Los Angeles (down 6 cents to $2.51/mile) and Fresno (down 6 cents to $2.05/mile). Reefer prices were down in the Southeast last week as well, with Lakeland, Fla., dropped 9 cents to $1.33/mile. And markets in the Northeast slumped, including a 5-cent drop to $1.67/mile out of Elizabeth, N.J., and a 10-cent fall to $2.18/mile out of Philadelphia.

FLATBEDS: The number of flatbed load posts dipped 5% and capacity declined 7% last week; the flatbed load-to-truck ratio increased 3% to 13.7 loads per truck. Flatbed rates increased 2 cents to $1.91/mile.

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