On the Spot
Freight Trends from DAT One and DAT iQ
Spot loads on DAT One jumped by 10%; truck posts dipped by 7.5%
In a week marked by end-of-quarter shipments and Hurricane Helene’s impact on the Southeast, the total number of loads posted on DAT One increased 10.1% to 1.71 million last week compared to the previous week, while truck posts fell 7.5.3% to 337,227.
Dry Vans
▲ Van loads: 797,193, up 14.6% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 208,652, down 6.8%
— Linehaul rate: $1.61 net fuel, flat for the third straight week
▲ Load-to-truck ratio: 3.8, up from 3.1
Reefers
▲ Reefer loads: 311,791, up 6.7% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 63,986, down 10.4%
— Linehaul rate: $1.97 net fuel, unchanged
▲ Load-to-truck ratio: 5.2, up from 4.6
Flatbeds
▲ Flatbed loads: 584,837, up 6.4% week over week
▼ Flatbed equipment: 43,824, down 6.2%
▲ Linehaul rate: $1.99 net fuel, up 2 cents
▲ Load-to-truck ratio: 13.3, up from 11.8. This is the sixth consecutive week of increases
Market Notes:
Hurricane Helene: Spot load posts for all three equipment types increased across the Southeast last week as shippers staged freight or moved inventory to safer locations ahead of Hurricane Helene. This week, road closures, power outages, and delays in getting fuel from racks to gas stations make it hard for anything to move across the Southeast. This should change next week once roads become passable and power is restored. In the coming months, recovery from Helene will be more of a story for flatbed carriers, which are essential to moving construction materials, machinery, and heavy equipment.
- Reefer load posts increased by 16% week over week in the Southeast region and by 20% week over week along Florida’s Big Bend. They jumped by 52% week over week in DAT’s Tallahassee market, where Hurricane Helene made landfall on Thursday.
- Flatbed load posts were up 5% week over week along Florida’s Big Bend and jumped by 81% week over week in Tallahassee.
- Dry van load posts increased by 10% week over week in the Southeast region, 16% week over week along Florida’s Big Bend, and 18% week over week in Tallahassee.
- Many freight brokers, including some of the largest 3PLs, help move and warehouse emergency freight. They may be handling this work on behalf of FEMA or for a non-governmental agency like the American Red Cross. While some relief loads may be posted to the DAT One load board, most move via preferred carriers.
ILA strike: A prolonged strike by International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union dockworkers at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports could disrupt shipping patterns, including trucking goods into the U.S. from ports in Atlantic Canada. A short strike would have considerably less impact. Shipping season has peaked as importers mitigated the risk of a strike and moved more goods early and through other ports. July saw an almost 14% year-over-year increase in TEUs entering the United States, and the Port of Long Beach had its strongest month in its 113-year history in August. Volumes have tailed off since then.
