Spot market activity picked up during the week ending April 21, 2018, as the number of posted loads increased 3.1% and truck posts rose 4%. National load-to-truck ratios fell for all three equipment types, which put downward pressure on national average rates for spot refrigerated and van freight:
•Reefer—$2.42/mile, down 2 cents
•Van—$2.16/mile, down 5 cents
•Flatbed—$2.64/mile, up a penny
After a 15% drop the previous week, the national load-to-truck ratio for reefers fell 11% from 9.4 to 8.4 loads per truck the week ending April 21. Reefer load posts slipped 5% while truck posts advanced 6%. As is typical for this time of year, reefer freight is highly affected by regional trends. Lanes to watch:
—Grand Rapids MI–Philadelphia, $3.85/mile, up 44 cents
—Elizabeth NJ–Boston, $4.32/mile, up 13 cents
—Ontario CA–Phoenix, $3.26/mile, up 18 cents
—Atlanta–Lakeland FL, $3.25/mile, unchanged
The van load-to-truck ratio dipped from 6.6 to 6.4 as load posts decreased 1% and truck posts were up 3%. Overall van trends were balanced with rates moving higher on 47 of DAT’s Top 100 van lanes and lower on 48 lanes with five lanes neutral. Key markets:
—Denver: $1.42/mile, up 3 cents. The average Denver outbound rate is up 5.3% over the past four weeks
—Stockton CA: $2.07/mile, up 4 cents
—Atlanta: $2.39/mile, down 3 cents due a stronger Florida market and despite robust outbound volumes
The flatbed market remains solid. Flatbed load posts climbed 7% and truck posts rose 8% as the national average flatbed rate set another record high at $2.64/mile. The load-to-truck ratio fell 1% to 102.2 loads per truck to stay above 100 loads per truck for four weeks in a row.
This report is generated using DAT RateView, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. RateView’s database is comprised of more than $45 billion in freight bills in more than 65,000 lanes.
For the latest spot market load availability and rate information, visit www.dat.com/trendlines.
