BEAVERTON, Ore. — Spot truckload rates cool during the week of Feb. 8-15 as freight movement normalized after three weeks of weather-driven volatility.
According to DAT, load posts on DAT One declined sharply—particularly for refrigerated freight—as storm-related urgency faded.
Broker-to-Carrier 7-Day average Spot Rates
â–¼ Dry van: $2.43 per mile, down 2 cents week over week
â–¼ Refrigerated: $2.90 per mile, down 4 cents
â–² Flatbed: $2.60 per mile, up 2 cents
The total number of loads posted to the DAT One marketplace fell 11% to 3.37 million but remained well above last year’s Week 7 levels. Truck posts declined 9% to 207,468, further evidence of generally tight available capacity.
Dry Van
â–¼ Van loads: 1.46 million, down 13% week over week
â–¼ Van equipment: 148,403, down 9%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.06 per mile, down 2 cents
Reefer
â–¼ Reefer loads: 645,877, down 33% week over week
â–¼ Reefer equipment: 37,099, down 14%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.53 per mile, down 4 cents. The national average reefer linehaul rate remains 59 cents higher than the same week last year.
Flatbed
â–² Flatbed loads: 1.3 million, up 10% week over week
â–¼ Flatbed equipment: 21,966, down 5%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.24 per mile, up 3 cents
Flatbed load posts rose for the fourth consecutive week, building on last week’s 10% gain,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics. “Over the past month, load-post volumes have increased steadily and now stand 74% higher year over year, reflecting solid demand for moving construction- and manufacturing-related freight.”
According to Croke, at $2.24 per mile, the national average 7-day flatbed linehaul rate was 26 cents higher year over year and 18 cents higher than the same week in 2018, before the freight recession in 2019 and later pandemic-driven volatility.
“One area to watch is energy-related flatbed freight and how soft oil prices may temper demand,” Croke said. “In the Permian Basin, the number of active drilling rigs is down 22% year over year, according to Baker Hughes, and truckers who specialize in moving heavy machinery, drill pipe, and other equipment are seeing backlogs evaporate.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
