The national average van rate fell 3 cents (1.4 percent) to $2.07 per mile (including fuel surcharge), historically strong despite a typical late-summer decline. Van load availability fell 5.4 percent while capacity increased 3.5 percent for the week. The national van load-to-truck ratio dropped 8.6 percent to 2.7, meaning there were 2.7 loads posted for every truck available on DAT load boards.

The national average rate for refrigerated loads dropped 4 cents (1.7 percent) to $2.36 per mile, continuing a seasonal slide. The number of posted loads edged down 1.7 percent as truckload capacity increased just 1.3 percent compared to the previous week. The resulting refrigerated load-to-truck ratio fell 2.9 percent from 8.1 to 7.9 loads per truck, a moderate level for the last full week of July.

Flatbed equipment continues to be in demand and rates remain strong, although the national average rate for flatbeds lost 3 cents (1.2 percent) to $2.44 per mile. Flatbed load availability dipped 3.2 percent last week while truckload capacity added 7.8 percent, producing a flatbed load-to-truck ratio of 31.9. That’s off 10 percent compared to the previous week but still a favorable ratio for carriers.

The national average fuel price was $3.86 a gallon, down 1 cent from the previous week.

Load-to-truck ratios represent the number of loads posted for every truck posted on DAT load boards. The load-to-truck ratio is a sensitive, real-time indicator of the balance between spot market demand and capacity. Changes in the ratio often signal impending changes in rates. Rates are derived from DAT RateView.

DAT Trendlines is a weekly report on spot market freight availability, truck capacity, and rates.

Source: DAT Solutions