BEAVERTON, Ore. — Spot truckload rates eased again during the week of Feb. 15-21, as pricing settled into a more typical seasonal pattern.
“The total number of loads posted to the DAT One marketplace declined for the second straight week, falling 8% to 3.12 million,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics. “Truck posts decreased almost 4% to 211,147. Weather-driven volatility returns this week as a severe snowstorm hits the Northeast.”
Broker-to-Carrier 7-Day Average Spot Rates
â–¼ Dry van: $2.40 per mile, down 3 cents week over week
â–¼ Refrigerated: $2.83 per mile, down 7 cents
â–² Flatbed: $2.63 per mile, up 3 cents
Dry Van
â–¼ Van loads: 1.3 million, down 11% week over week
â–¼ Van equipment: 152,400, down 3%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.04 per mile, down 2 cents
“Van load posts fell 11% while truck posts only dropped 3%, tilting pricing leverage back toward shippers and brokers,” Croke said. ‘However, last week’s mild 2-cent rate decline indicates that carriers are holding relatively firm. Compared to Week 8 last year, the average rate is up 40 cents.”
Reefer
â–¼ Reefer loads: 541,500, down 18% week over week
â–¼ Reefer equipment: 37,088, down 6%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.46 per mile, down 7 cents
“Florida’s surge in outbound reefer rates over the previous three weeks retreated,” Croke said. “Spot rates on every lane out of Central and South Florida plunged 20 to 32% across every major destination. The national average spot reefer rate fell 11 cents per mile over the previous two weeks, eliminating half the pricing gains made during Winter Storms Fern and Gianna. Despite cooling, the national average reefer spot linehaul rate was 53 cents higher year over year. Reefer load posts dropped for the fourth consecutive week, but were still 40% higher than last year. At the same time, equipment availability declined 20% year over year.”
Flatbed
— Flatbed loads: 1.28 million, virtually unchanged week over week
â–¼ Flatbed equipment: 21,659, down 5%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.26 per mile, up 2 cents
‘Flatbed load post volumes held steady last week following four consecutive weeks of increases,” Croke said. “This volume remains robust, sitting almost 50% higher than the same period last year.”
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.
