Spot Truckload Rates Steady, Freight Volume Inches Higher
National average spot truckload rates for van, reefer, and flatbed freight all held steady for the week ending April 22, while prices in many major freight markets continued a slow springtime climb, according to DAT Solutions and its network load boards.
The number of available loads jumped 10% compared to the previous week while truck capacity tightened 1.5%. Load-to-truck ratios increased for all three equipment types:
Van ratio: 3.6 loads per truck, up 11%Reefer ratio: 6.7 loads per truck, up 2%Flatbed ratio: 47.8 loads per truck, up 20%The national average van rate was $1.68 per mile. All reported rates include fuel surcharges. Lanes with rising rates continue to outnumber falling lanes on a week-to-week basis but not enough to bump up the national average.
The average rate on each of these lanes hit their highest marks in the last six weeks:
Philadelphia-Boston, up 27 cents to $3.34 per mileMemphis-Columbus, $1.89 per mile, up 14 centsDallas-Denver, up 11 cents to $1.94 per mileStockton-Seattle, up 15 cents for $2.18 mileBuffalo and Denver are the only markets where outbound rates are down more than 1% for the month.
The top five markets for van load posts were all in the South:
Atlanta, $1.94 per mile, up 2 centsCharlotte, $1.91 per mile, down 1 centHouston, $1.66 per mile, down 1 centDallas, $1.64 per mile, up 5 centsMemphis, $1.95 per mile, unchangedLast week reefer load posts held steady while truck posts declined 2%. One market where freight patterns are shifting is Florida. Volumes were down and wildfires and evacuations made it more expensive to move freight.
For instance, Miami-Boston reefer rates were up 23 cents to $2.14 per mile and Lakeland, Florida-Baltimore climbed 26 cents to $2.00 per mile. The largest drop last week was on the lane from Chicago-Philadelphia, which fell 23 cents to $2.37 per mile.
The flatbed load-to-truck ratio jumped ...Read the rest of this story
