As expected, the number of trucks posting their availability to DAT Solutions’ spot freight market jumped last week — the week after CVSA’s annual Roadcheck enforcement initiative, when many owner-operators tend to take a week off. The number of truck posts climbed 14 percent during the week ending June 16, DAT says. But the number of load postings also fell, causing the load-to-truck ratio to swing against truckers’ favor in all three major truckload segments — dry van, reefer and flatbed.
Still, national average per-mile rates are trending above May’s averages.
National average spot rates, through June 16:
*Van: $1.90/mile, 11 cents higher than the May average
*Reefer: $2.26/mile, 11 cents higher than May
*Flatbed: $2.32/mile, 4 cents higher than May
Trend to watch: Produce in full swing
While the national average reefer load-to-truck ratio dropped from 6.4 to 4.5, refrigerated volumes increased out of California and Texas, signaling that produce season has begun. Average outbound reefer rates were higher in Sacramento ($2.76/mile), Ontario ($2.80/mile), and Fresno ($2.46/mile)—three of the top four California markets (Los Angeles fell 2 cents to $2.93/mile). Freight volumes were up more than 40% out of Nogales, Arizona, on the Mexico border. The largest reefer lane-rate increase was Nogales to Dallas, up 49 cents to $3.36/mile. There’s a need for reefers to move cross-border produce, DAT says.
Market to watch: Vans in the Southeast
