BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — DAT One load posts totaled 2.6 million for the week of Aug. 9-15, down 4% from the prior week.
“Equipment posts totaled 172,279, down 2%. National average linehaul rates softened, with the flatbed rate down 7 cents from the previous week,” DAT Freight & Analytics said. “The EIA’s national average on-highway diesel price used in this week’s fuel surcharge calculation was $5.348 a gallon (week ending Aug. 3), up 3.5 cents (0.7%) from $5.313 the week before.”
7-Day Average Broker-to-Carrier Spot Rates (Linehaul + Fuel Surcharge)
â–¼ Van: $2.93 per mile, down 2 cents
— Reefer: $3.38 per mile, essentially flat
â–¼ Flatbed: $3.54 per mile, down 6 cents
“Rates remain far above last year despite this week’s pullback,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT. “All three equipment types are up 34-38% year over year (van +38.4%, reefer +33.7%, flatbed +35.7%), even after a soft week. Last year’s soft market continues to lead to dramatic year-over-year gains.”
According to Croke, capacity has shrunk dramatically while demand grew. Truck posts are down 25-30% year over year across all three equipment types, while load posts are up 25-27% year over year. That combination, more freight chasing far fewer trucks, is the structural reason rates are still elevated.
“Rates are sitting near the top of their nine-year seasonal range,” Croke said. “The national average van linehaul rate is running 26% above its nine-year seasonal average, reefer 25% above, and flatbed 29% above. Current rates are high year over year and by historical standards for this time of year.”
Dry Van: Load and Truck Posts Pulled Back at Roughly the Same Pace
â–¼ Loads: 1,159,855, down 1%
â–¼ Trucks: 116,258, down 1%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.25 per mile, down 3 cents
— Load-to-truck ratio: 10.0, essentially flat from 10.0 the prior week
Reefer: Volume Drops Sharply while Rates Hold Close to Flat
â–¼ Loads: 608,073, down 6%
â–¼ Trucks: 32,665, down 6%
— Linehaul rate: $2.63 per mile, essentially flat
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 18.6, down from 18.7 the prior week
Flatbed: Loads and Rates Retreat
â–¼ Loads: 804,622, down 6%
â–¼ Trucks: 23,356, down 2%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.72 per mile, down 7 cents
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 34.5, down from 35.8 the prior week
“Flatbed demand is cooling faster than the other two equipment types,” Croke said. “With a 7-cent decline, the flatbed linehaul rate fell more sharply than the other two equipment types. Lower flatbed rates in mid-August track with seasonal shifts in construction and agricultural activity. DAT iQ’s forecast expects rates to hold, not collapse. The 35-day DAT iQ RateCast forecast puts the average linehaul van rate at $2.24 a mile, reefer at $2.61, and flatbed at $2.65 by mid-September. That’s roughly 60 cents above year-ago levels.”
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.
