BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — DAT One load posts totaled 2.75 million for the week of Oct. 24-30, up 7% from the prior week.
“Total equipment posts fell 6% to 174,104,” DAT Freight & Analytics said. “Spot linehaul rates rose 1 to 3 cents per mile, and a higher diesel price added about 2 cents to the fuel surcharge, lifting broker-to-carrier spot rates by 3 to 5 cents. A linehaul increase drove most of the rate gains for van and reefer; for flatbed, fuel accounted for more of the increase than linehaul.”
7-Day Average Broker-to-Carrier Spot Rates (Linehaul + Fuel Surcharge)
â–² Van: $3.07 per mile, up 5 cents
â–² Reefer: $3.63 per mile, up 5 cents
â–² Flatbed: $3.62 per mile, up 3 cents
“Month-end freight meets a thinner pool of trucks,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst at DAT. “Load posts rose 2% to 8%, while truck posts fell 4% to 10% during the final full week of October, lifting every load-to-truck ratio. Truck posts on DAT One remain 22% to 26% below last year. Linehaul rates are approximately 33% above last year for dry van, 31% for reefer, and 29% for flatbed, and 23% to 28% above their nine-year seasonal averages for the end of October. The 35-day DAT iQ RateCast forecast has van linehaul edging up to $2.26 a mile in early December, reefer to $2.73, and flatbed easing to $2.60.”
Dry Van: Load Posts Jumped 8% During the Last Week of the Month
â–² Loads: 1,283,180, up 8%
â–¼ Trucks: 117,349, down 6%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.23 per mile, up 3 cents
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 10.9, up from 9.5 the prior week
Reefer: Rates Firmed as Trucks Pulled Back
â–² Loads: 545,710, up 2%
â–¼ Trucks: 34,682, down 4%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.71 per mile, up 3 cents
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 15.7, up from 14.8 the prior week
“Reefer load posts signal Thanksgiving push,” Croke said. “Reefer load posts are up 11% year over year after running 4% lower the previous week. According to USDA figures, produce truck rates are running 51% above last year in Washington, 41% in California, and 27% in Texas, while national produce volume sits 6% below last year. Texas led the weekly volume gain, up 16%, while California fell 8%.”
Flatbed: Equipment Posts Fell 10%
â–² Loads: 921,025, up 7%
â–¼ Trucks: 22,073, down 10%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.61 per mile, up 1 cent
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 41.7, up from 34.9 the prior week
“Flatbed capacity tightens,” Croke said. “The flatbed load-to-truck ratio jumped to 41.7 from 34.9 as truck posts fell 10% and load posts rose 7%. The ratio is 3.8 times the dry van ratio and well above last year’s 23.1. DAT’s Ohio River region posted the highest flatbed rate among the top origin regions, up 7 cents to $3.24 per mile. Construction and industrial freight usually slows around Thanksgiving as year-end project work winds down.”
What to Watch this Week
- Fuel: This report’s fuel surcharge uses the U.S. EIA’s $6.276-a-gallon national average for the week of Oct. 19, up 9.7 cents. The EIA reported $6.352 for the week of Oct. 26, up 7.6 cents and its second straight increase. That figure feeds next week’s surcharge and adds 1 to 2 cents a mile.
- Economic reports: Weekly jobless claims come out Thursday, and the October jobs report follows Friday, Nov. 6. The October consumer price index comes out Tuesday, Nov. 10.
- Holidays: Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26. Reefer loads typically pull forward into the week before the holiday for turkeys, produce, dairy, and other perishables.
Note: Rates may change later as DAT iQ receives more of the week’s invoices. This week’s changes compare with last week’s updated rates: dry van $2.20, reefer $2.68, and flatbed $2.60 per mile, down from the $2.24, $2.73, and $2.63 first reported.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe.
