Spot Truckload Rates Rise as Volume Soars

Spot truckload freight volume jumped 17% for the week ending March 4 compared to the previous week while rates responded with the first week-over-week increase in national averages in more than a month, according to DAT Solutions and its network of load boards.

Load-to-truck ratios were up sharply for all three equipment types:

Despite several weeks where freight volume was up 100% year-over-year, spot truckload rates have been depressed by the number of trucks contract carriers were putting onto the spot market, particularly in the Southwest and West, according to DAT. The overall number of available trucks fell 4% last week while the national average cost of diesel was unchanged at $2.58 per gallon.

Outbound van load volume on the spot market increased 21% while truck posts closed the week down 4%. Prices rose on 56 of the top 100 van lanes last week, led by Memphis at $1.90 per mile, up 6 cents, and Atlanta, at $1.89 per mile up 4 cents. The national average van rate was up 4 cents to $1.66 per mile.

In Chicago and Los Angeles, big increases in the number of available van loads this week may send rates higher, said DAT.

After seven consecutive week-over-week declines, the national average reefer rate increased, picking up a penny to settle in at $1.88 per mile. The number of spot reefer load posts was up 24% against a 14% drop in the number of available trucks.

One market to watch is Miami, “where reefer volumes are surging perhaps because of an early growing season or imports from South America. Usually when there's an uptick in loads and rates out of Miami, it means that the inbound rate goes down,” said DAT. However, that wasn't the case last week on the ...Read the rest of this story

Titans of Tulsa-Themed SuperRigs Contest Set for May

Photo: Shell Rotella

The 35th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs meet will be held May 18-20 at the Exchange Center Expo Square in Tulsa Okla., with the theme of "Titans of Tulsa."

The Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition is a truck beauty contest for actively working trucks. Owner-operator truckers from across the U.S. and Canada will compete for cash and prizes in excess of $25,000. Twelve of the drivers will be selected to have their trucks featured in the 2018 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar.

SuperRigs contestants and attendees will have the opportunity to see the event's famous custom trucks and experience a variety of activities in the evening on Thursday and Friday nights. The event will feature fun and entertainment for drivers and their families, including a variety of vendors, a scavenger hunt, prizes, games, the Rotella Road Show as well as the Rotella T6 BBQ Pitt.

Attendees may also watch a Tulsa Drillers Minor League Baseball game and explore nearby flea markets and fairs in downtown Tulsa. The annual truck parade will return along with a fireworks show and live entertainment.

Judging for the SuperRigs competition will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, May 18 and 19, and between 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. Judging takes about 20 minutes per truck and contestants do not need to be present to win.

Trucks entered in Shell Rotella SuperRigs are judged by industry professionals who work for major trucking publications or broadcast companies. Judges score the rigs on exterior appearance, design, detail/finish, originality, and workmanship.

In total, 24 working trucks will receive awards for categories such as Best of Show, Tractor, Tractor/Trailer Combination, and Classic.

For updates about Shell Rotella SuperRigs and Shell Rotella products, visit Rotella.com.

Related: SuperRigs Winner Takes Home $15K for Best in Show

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Burlington Skyway closed after winds tip over truck

Burlington Skyway closed after winds tip truck over

Truck blown on its side by high winds on Burlington Skyway

Truck blown on its side by wind gusts on Burlington Skyway bridge

For-Hire Freight Movements Remain Steady

The Freight Transportation Services Index, Jan. 2012 - Jan. 2017. Graphic: U.S. DOT

While the amount of freight moved by the nation's for-hire transportation sector was unchanged in January from December, according to a new Transportation Department report, it did manage a slight increase from the same time a year ago.

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) remained at 123.2, but that's up 0.8% from January 2016, and just 1.6% below the all-time high level of 125.2 hit in July 2016.

The December index was revised to 123.2 from 124.7 in last month's release as a result of fewer actual air freight ton-miles than forecast.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in for-hire freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

In January, there were increases in air freight, water, and rail carloads, while trucking, pipeline, and rail intermodal declined. The January steadiness in Freight TSI took place against a background of mixed signals in other economic indicators, according to the report, including growth in employment, personal income and manufacturing while housing starts fell by 2.6%.

The January Freight TSI remained in the same narrow range that has continued for two and a half years. Since the index reached 121.1 for the first time in August 2014, it has with only two exceptions fluctuated between a low of 120.5 and a high of 123.5, slightly above the January level. They were in March 2016, when the index dropped to a three-year low of 119.3, and July 2016, when it reached a new peak of 125.2.

The index dropped 3.4% in the two months after reaching that peak, then rose 2.1% in the following two months to reach 123.5 in November 2016, its ...Read the rest of this story