Spot Rates Fall as Available Truck Capacity Rises 11%

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