Spot market update: van capacity falls, rates hold

The number of posted loads slipped 0.6% while available capacity declined 2.7% on the spot truckload market during the week ending Sept. 26, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards.

Van load availability held firm (up 0.6%) while posted van capacity decreased 3.6% compared to the previous week. As a result, the national average van load-to-truck ratio jumped 4.4% to 1.7 loads per truck, meaning there were 1.6 available van loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.

The national average van rate was unchanged from the previous week at $1.75 per mile.

Flatbed load availability rose 1.3% and truck posts were up 1.1% for the week, leaving the load-to-truck ratio for flatbeds virtually unchanged (up 0.1%) at 10.3 loads per truck. The national average flatbed rate dipped a penny to $2.03 per mile.

Refrigerated load volume dropped 4.7% and available capacity fell 2.5%. As a result, the national refrigerated load-to-truck ratio declined 2.3% to 4.3 loads per truck. The national average reefer rate fell 2 cents to $2.01 per mile as a national average. 

Falling fuel surcharges contributed to 1 cent of the decline. The national average price of diesel fell 1 cent to $2.48 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, and changes in the ratio often signal impending changes in rates, according to DAT.

For complete national and regional reports on spot rates and demand, visit dat.com/Trendlines.