BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Total load posts on DAT One fell to 3.39 million last week, down 10% from the prior week, as the urgency to secure capacity and position loads ahead of Independence Day eased across all three equipment types.
“Equipment posts dropped less sharply, down 5% to 205,858,” DAT Freight & Analytics said. “With demand pulling back more than available capacity, rate momentum stalled. National 7-day average broker-to-carrier spot rates declined for two of three equipment types.”
7-Day Average Broker-to-Carrier Spot Rates
â–¼ Dry van: $2.74 per mile, down 1 cent week over week
â–¼ Refrigerated: $3.05 per mile, down 1 cent
â–² Flatbed: $3.30 per mile, up 1 cent
“Spot rates lost momentum last week, but the broader market continues to operate at or near historic highs,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT. “The pullback reflects an easing of pre-Independence Day inventory positioning rather than underlying weakness. Demand typically picks up again toward month’s end, coinciding with the close of Q2 and the holiday weekend.”
Van: Spot Rate Streak Ends
â–¼ Van loads: 1,325,086, down 15% week over week
â–¼ Van equipment: 146,254, down 5%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.37 per mile, down 1 cent week over week
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 9.1, down from 10.1 the prior week
“Van set a Week 24 record despite the dip,” Croke said. “The national 7-day average linehaul rate eased a penny to $2.37 per mile, still the highest reading ever recorded for Week 24. The pullback follows seven consecutive weekly increases that lifted the rate from $2.01 to $2.39.”
Reefer: Slight Retreat as Demand Eases
â–¼ Reefer loads: 629,135, down 7% week over week
â–¼ Reefer equipment: 36,646, down 9%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.68 per mile, down 1 cent
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 17.2, up from 16.8
“The average reefer rate drifted lower but remains historically strong,” Croke said. “In California, last week’s rate was 83 cents per mile above last year’s levels, and domestic produce volumes nationwide grew 7%, according to the USDA. The national reefer rate was 36% higher year over year.”
Flatbed: Streak Extends, Barely
â–¼ Flatbed loads: 1,432,070, down 5% week over week
â–² Flatbed equipment: 22,958, up 2%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.94 per mile, up 1 cent
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 62.4, down from 67.4
“Flatbed kept its streak of weekly rate increases alive, but barely (the 1-cent rise was the 13th consecutive weekly increase),” Croke said. “Since the run began in early March, the weekly average flatbed linehaul rate has added 63 cents per mile, a 25% gain. More significantly, new contract rates entering routing guides have climbed 6% year over year, ending a nearly four-year period of negative rate growth.”
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.
