BEAVERTON, Ore. —Total load posts on DAT One fell to 3.31 million last week, down 7% from the prior week, with demand softening across all three equipment types.
“The supply side of the market tightened, with equipment posts down 4% to 221,154 as carriers trimmed capacity alongside the volume drop,” DAT said. “National 7-day average broker-to-carrier spot van and reefer rates moved lower, while the flatbed rate reflected solid demand for trucks.”
▼ Dry van: $2.35 per mile, down 2 cents week over week
▼ Refrigerated: $2.72 per mile, down 4 cents
▲ Flatbed: $2.98 per mile, up 3 cents
Van: Loads and Trucks Both Retreated
▼ Van loads: 1,194,862, down 7% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 160,825, down 4%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.99 per mile, down 2 cents week over week
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 7.4, down from 7.6 the prior week
According to Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics, lower fuel prices pulled van rates down.
“Last week’s national average dry van linehaul spot rate dipped 2 cents to $1.99 per mile, influenced by a 25-cent drop in the national average retail diesel price to $5.56 a gallon,” Croke said.
Reefer: Load Posts Declined Sharply
▼ Reefer loads: 498,788, down 10% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 38,844, down 5%
▼ Linehaul rate: $2.35 per mile, down 4 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 12.8, down from 13.4
Croke also noted that reefer equipment posts hit a 10-year low.
“The national average reefer rate fell by 4 cents last week to $2.35 per mile,” Croke said. “That’s 45 cents above this time last year. Reefer load posts remain strong relative to last year, exceeding figures for the same period by over 35%. Equipment posts also saw a 5% decline last week, reaching their lowest level for week 16 in 10 years, reflecting a broader tightening of truckload capacity.”
Flatbed: Rates Keep Climbing
▼ Flatbed loads: 1,616,113, down 7% week over week
— Flatbed equipment: 21,485, roughly flat
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.61 per mile, up 3 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 75.2, down from 81.0
“Defying the cooling trend in other sectors, the average flatbed spot rate increased for the fifth straight week and was just 3 cents per mile lower than the week 16 record in 2021,” Croke said.
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.
