Nationally, the average van and refrigerated spot market rates were unchanged at $1.94 and $2.15 per mile respectively, while the average flatbed rate gained a penny to $2.19 per mile.

Van rates out of Los Angeles added another 1 cent last week to $2.10 per mile with container traffic flowing more steadily through Southern California ports. The national average reefer rate picked up 2 cents to $2.56 per mile as the month and quarter draw to a close.

Flatbed markets remain strong, with load availability up 13 percent during the week. Capacity fell 7.3 percent, pushing the flatbed load-to-truck ratio up 21 percent from 16.4 to 19.9 loads per truck.

Demand for reefers was unchanged (up 0.3 percent) as reefer capacity tightened 3.9 percent. The reefer load-to-truck ratio rose 4.4 percent from 7.8 to 8.2 loads per truck.

Van freight availability surged 19 percent and capacity added 2.8 percent; the two metrics usually move in opposite directions. The national average van load-to-truck ratio increased 16 percent from 2.9 to 3.4 loads per truck.

Load-to-truck ratios represent the number of loads posted for every truck available 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, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends.

Source: DAT Solutions