Rates see first positive momentum of 2019 with June upswing

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Updated Jul 3, 2019
(Data from Truckstop.com)(Data from Truckstop.com)

For the first time this year, per-mile rates on the spot market saw strong month-to-month gains in June, according to monthly rates data from Truckstop.com. All three major truckload segments jumped in June, following a rocky first five months of the year. Typically, rates surge through spring and begin to level in July and August. However, due to weather events, trade volatility with China and slowed economic growth, the usual spring upturn in freight failed to truly materialize.

However, in recent weeks, rates and freight have showed more strength after the lull.

Reefer rates in June gained the most from May, adding 9 cents a mile. The segment’s per-mile rates average was $2.42 — down a whopping 60 cents from last June, but up 25 cents a mile from June 2017.

Van added 7 cents a mile in June, climbing to $2.19 a mile. That’s a 54-cent drop from last June, but a 15-cent gain from June 2017.

Lastly, flatbed rates rose 6 cents a mile in June, to $2.43 a mile. That’s 45 cents lower than last June and 10 cents higher than June 2017.