Spot Rates and Volumes Drop

Seasonal trends continued to hamper truckload freight availability and rates on the spot market during the week ending July 25, according to DAT Solutions.

The total number loads posted fell 4.4% while the number of available trucks also declined (-6.5%). This sent load-to-truck ratios up across all three equipment types despite lower national average spot rates last week.

A decline in load volume is typical for July, DAT said. Volume typically picks up again in August.

The average rate for vans fell 2 cents to $1.83 per mile as van load availability dropped another 4.7% and truck capacity slipped 3.0%. The van load-to-truck ratio dipped 1.7% to 1.6 loads per truck, meaning there were 1.6 available van loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.

The number of refrigerated load posts fell 3.1% while truck posts decreased 8.0%, pushing the national average reefer load-to-truck ratio down 5.3% to 4.1 loads per truck. The reefer market remains soft, which is reflected in the average spot market rate of $2.15 per mile, a 2-cent decline compared to the previous week.

Flatbed load posts decreased 4.8% while truck posts fell 16%. The load-to-truck ratio jumped 14% to 13.2 loads per truck—not a strong number for flatbeds—and the national average rate slipped a penny to $2.14 per mile.

All reported rates include fuel surcharges. Notably, the national average price of diesel declined 6 cents to $2.72 last week.

Category: Featured, General Update