Signaling the movement of holiday goods, the number of posted refrigerated and van loads on the spot truckload market increased during the week ending Nov. 7, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards.
The national average spot refrigerated freight rate was unchanged at $1.94 per mile as a 1-cent increase in the line-haul rate was offset by a 1-cent decline in the average fuel surcharge. Outbound rates rose in major markets in California and Florida, and reefer load availability increased 7.1 percent while available capacity declined 1.2 percent. As a result, the reefer load-to-truck ratio rose 8.4 percent to 3.9 loads per truck, meaning there were 3.9 available refrigerated loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.
Van load availability increased 4.5 percent and the national average truckload van spot market rate showed its first gain in weeks, rising a penny to $1.72 per mile despite a 1-cent decline in the average fuel surcharge. The average van rate showed life in key markets including Los Angeles (up 2 cents to $1.99 per mile), Memphis ($2.04, up 7 cents), Chicago ($1.96, up 1 cent), and Columbus, Ohio ($1.85, up 1 cent).
The van load-to-truck ratio rose 7.5 percent to 1.6 loads per truck but remains well behind the 2.8 mark at this time last year.
Flatbed load availability declined 10.4 percent while flatbed truck posts dropped 5.9 percent. The national flatbed load-to-truck ratio dropped 4.8 percent to 8.1 loads per truck, while the national average flatbed rate fell 3 cents to $1.97 per mile.
The national average price of diesel rose 2 cents to $2.50 per gallon last week. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.
Rates are derived from DAT® RateView, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. Load-to-truck ratios represent the number of loads posted for every truck available on DAT load boards. The load-to-truck ratio is a sensitive, real-time indicator of the balance between spot market demand and capacity. Changes in the ratio often signal impending changes in rates.
For complete national and regional reports on spot rates and demand, visit dat.com/Trendlines. DAT Trendlines is a weekly report on spot market freight availability, truck capacity, and rates.
