Spot Truckload Rates and Demand Slip

Available truckload capacity on the spot market increased while load availability and national average rates declined across all three equipment types during the week ending July 11, according to DAT Solutions.

The average spot van rate fell 2 cents to $1.87 per mile last week and the van load-to-truck ratio slipped 17% to 2.0 loads per truck, meaning there were 2.0 available van loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.

Available van capacity increased 25% largely because last week had five workdays and the previous week had only four. A 20% to 25% increase in load board activity is typical during the first week following a holiday.

The volume of refrigerated load posts was stable (up 0.5%) while truck posts increased 28%. The national average reefer load-to-truck ratio dropped 22% to 5.0 loads per truck while the average spot reefer rate dropped 3 cents to $2.19 per mile.

Flatbed load posts rose just 3.9% while truck posts increased 22%. The load-to-truck ratio lost 15%, falling to 14.2 loads per truck, and the average spot flatbed rate dipped another 2 cents to $2.16 per mile.

Category: Featured, General Update