Spot Truckload Rates, Demand for Trucks Remain High
The number of posted loads gained 2.5% while truck posts dipped 1.2% on the spot truckload market during the week ending June 24, according to DAT Solutions and its network of load boards.
Severe weather disrupted freight movement in the South but load-to-truck ratios were solid as shippers prepared for both the end of a quarter and the last full week before the July 4 holiday.
Vans increased 6.6% to 5.5 loads per trucks while reefers fell 14% to 10.4 loads per truck. The flatbed ratio declined 6% to a still extraordinarily high 41.8 loads per truck.
Overall spot truckload rates held steady even though surcharges are on the decline. On-highway diesel fell 2 cents to a national average of $2.47 per gallon.
Nationally, the number of posted van loads jumped 5% while truck posts fell 1%. The average van rate was unchanged for the second straight week at $1.79 per mile, 10 cents higher than the average for May.
Major markets in the Southeast saw a surge in rates last week, due partly to the weather. Van freight from Atlanta is drawing the nation’s highest outbound average spot rate at $2.29 per mile, up 10 cents compared to the previous week.
Average outbound rates from Chicago added 4 cents to an average of $2.08 per mile. Chicago-Los Angeles rose 22 cents to $1.31 per mile, a surprise given how the lane is rail-competitive.
St. Louis and Laredo, Texas, were also hot with thousands of daily load posts and a shortage of available trucks for all trailer types.
Reefer load posts increased 10% while truck posts fell 4%. The national average rate was up a penny to $2.12 per mile, and rates rose on 41 of the top 72 reefer lanes compared to only 27 in the previous week.
Atlanta was also a hot market for reefers thanks to …Read the rest of this story
