Freight Trends from DAT One and DAT iQ
Spot market data for Oct 6-12, 2024 (Week 41)
After three straight weeks of increases, the number of loads posted on DAT One fell 11% to 1.82 million week over week. That’s still 10% higher year over year. At 332,598, the number of trucks on the network was virtually unchanged compared to the previous week.
Dry Vans
▼ Van loads: 829,234, down 14% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 219,586, down 0.3%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.64 net fuel, down 1 cent
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 3.8, down from 4.4
Reefers
▼ Reefer loads: 358,771, down 13.5% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 66,178, down 2.3%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.96 net fuel, down 1 cent
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 5.4, down from 6.1
Flatbeds
▼ Flatbed loads: 634,090, down 4.5% week over week
▲ Flatbed equipment: 46,834, up 7.5%
— Linehaul rate: $2.00 net fuel, unchanged
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 13.5, down from 15.2
Note: Linehaul rates exclude an amount equal to a national average fuel surcharge.
Market Notes from Dean Croke, DAT industry analyst:
Southeast freight markets are recovering. Following a surge in pre-hurricane freight positioning in the Southeast, van load-post volumes fell 14% nationally, erasing the prior week’s gains. On the top reefer lane between Atlanta and Lakeland, Florida, where Hurricane Milton hit, load-post volumes decreased by 34% week over week, leading to a 22-cent-per-mile drop in the average spot reefer rate. Volumes between Lakeland and Atlanta also dropped by 33% week over week while capacity on the lane tightened, causing linehaul rates to increase by 5 cents to an average of $1.19 per mile.
