BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — DAT One load posts totaled 2.7 million for the week of Oct. 4–10, down 18% from the prior week, as the quarter-end freight that filled the final days of September cleared.
Total equipment posts rose 4% to 177,300. National average broker-to-carrier spot rates rose for dry van and reefer freight, while lower diesel prices pulled the flatbed all-in rate down last week. Linehaul rates rose for all three equipment types.
7-Day Average Broker-to-Carrier Spot Rates (Linehaul + Fuel Surcharge)
â–² Van: $3.12 per mile, up 3 cents
â–² Reefer: $3.68 per mile, up 3 cents
â–¼ Flatbed: $3.68 per mile, down 2 cents
“Lower fuel prices trimmed the surcharge,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst at DAT Freight & Analytics. “The EIA’s national average on-highway diesel price used in this report’s fuel surcharge calculation was $6.382 a gallon (week ending Sept. 28). The 14.7-cent decline from the previous week took about 2 cents a mile off the national average dry van surcharge and 3 cents off reefer and flatbed. The EIA reported $6.199 a gallon as a national average for the week ending Oct. 5; that price will be reflected in the fuel surcharge in next week’s report.”
According to Croke, linehaul rates are about a third above last year. Van linehaul is up 35% year over year, reefer 33%, and flatbed 29%. Against the nine-year seasonal average for this week, van runs 23% higher, reefer 28%, and flatbed 25%. The 35-day DAT iQ RateCast forecast has van linehaul easing to $2.23 a mile by mid-November, reefer edging up to $2.77, and flatbed easing to $2.59.
Dry Van: Freight Availability Eased While Rates Held
â–¼ Loads: 1,264,195, down 20%
â–² Trucks: 120,348, up 4%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.26 per mile, up 5 cents
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 10.5, down from 13.7 the prior week
Reefer: Loads Pulled Back After the Quarter-End Push
â–¼ Loads: 562,902, down 21%
â–² Trucks: 33,603, up 2%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.75 per mile, up 6 cents
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 16.8, down from 21.6 the prior week
Flatbed: Load-to-Truck Ratio Tightened
â–¼ Loads: 854,535, down 12%
â–² Trucks: 23,349, up 6%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.65 per mile, up 1 cent
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 36.6, down from 44.1 the prior week
“Load-to-truck ratios remain higher year over year,” Croke said. “Truck posts on DAT One are more than 20% below a year ago, while load posts are higher for all three equipment types. Load-to-truck ratios sit well above year-ago levels: 10.5 against 6.3 for van, 16.8 against 10.7 for reefer, and 36.6 against 27.2 for flatbed.”
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.
