Spot Load Availability Up 5.7%
The number of posted loads jumped 5.7% while available capacity fell 4.5% on the spot truckload freight market during the week ending Oct. 3, according to DAT Solutions.
Demand for trucks rose as shippers rushed to move inventory before the end of the quarter.
A one cent decline in the average fuel surcharge helped keep spot rates in check. The national average truckload van spot market rate dipped 1 cent to $1.74 per mile, although line-haul prices actually rose outbound from Los Angeles, Dallas, and other key markets.
Van load availability rose 11% while truck capacity fell 2.9% compared to the previous week. The resulting van load-to-truck ratio increased 14.3%, up from 1.7 to 2.0 loads per truck, meaning there were 2.0 available van loads for every van posted on the DAT network.
Refrigerated load volume increased by 2.7% and available capacity fell 5.5%. As a result, the national reefer load-to-truck ratio increased 8.7% from 4.3 to 4.6 loads per truck. The national average reefer rate was unchanged at $2.01 per mile compared to the previous week.
Flatbed load availability rose 3.1% and truck posts were down 7.9%, pushing the load-to-truck ratio for flatbeds up 12% to 11.5 loads per truck.
The national average flatbed rate was unchanged at $2.03 per mile.The national average price of diesel increased 1 cent to $2.49 per gallon last week.
Category: General Update