SoCal aside, spot freight slips

As the West Coast feels ripple effects from the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping Co., nationally the number of loads fell 5% during the week ending Sept. 24 while capacity was up 3%, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards. 

Those conditions helped send average van and refrigerated load-to-truck ratios down 10% last week: vans to 2.8 and reefers to 5.5. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio was 13.2, unchanged from the previous week.

The ratios are back on par with August levels but spot truckload rates didn’t move much:
Vans: Unchanged at $1.64/mile
Reefers: Unchanged at $1.91/mile
Flatbeds: Down 1 cent for an average of $1.88/mile

Los Angeles jumped to the No. 2 spot for the market with the most available outbound loads (behind Chicago). Spot van freight volume and rates surged there last week ($2.01/mile, up 2 cents). Los Angeles-Phoenix, up 4 cents to $2.61/mile, was the highest outbound rate, but rates on eastbound, long-haul lanes market made greater gains compared to the previous week.

KEY LANES

Several van lanes showed strength last week while two Los Angeles-inbound lanes created opportunities for carriers looking to position trucks in that market:

Columbus-Buffalo, $2.75/mile, up 6 centsAtlanta-Lakeland, Fla., $2.37/mile, unchangedPhiladelphia-Boston, $3.15/mile, down 3 centsChicago-Los Angeles, $1.29/mile, up 9 centsDallas-Los Angeles, $1.08/mile, up 2 cents Spot reefer prices were higher in the Los Angeles market, where the average outbound rate was up a penny to $2.36/mile. The highest-paying reefer lane in the West was Ontario, Calif.-Phoenix, up 2 cents to $2.90/mile.

TOP SPOT: TWIN FALLS

Twin Falls, Idaho, held onto the top spot last week for available reefer loads, due in part to strong potato harvests. The average Twin Falls-Chicago rate was up 24 cents to $1.89/mile. Midwest reefer rates were mostly down, but Green Bay-Minneapolis paid 20 cents better last week at $2.10/mile.

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. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.

Get the latest rate trends at DAT.com