In years past, there’s been a slump in rates after Memorial Day on DAT Load Boards, but that wasn’t the case last week. Spot market rates continued their upward trend after the holiday. The Sun Belt is still showing strength, as last week, and the Midwest continues to improve. California volumes are holding.
On the top 80 highest-volume van lanes, rate increases far outnumbered lanes with falling prices.
The Southern band of states still have the highest demand for trucks, but the Midwest and Northeast continue to heat up. Buffalo rates have been climbing for the past four weeks, while Chicago has been improving on what had been a disappointing Spring up to this point. Atlanta is the top market for load posts on DAT Load Boards, and tighter capacity has led to higher rates there. Retail shipments also boosted prices on lanes out of Memphis and Columbus.Memphis to Indianapolis is one of the retail-heavy lanes that paid better last week, averaging $1.88 per mile. You might have a hard time finding a load that’s heading back toward Memphis, though.
Putting together a three-leg route would put you in a better position to find freight that’s bound for Memphis. And if you can make it work with your hours, the three-load round would boost overall revenue per day. After your first drop in Indianapolis, you could make a shorter run from Indy to St. Louis, which paid $1.99 per mile on average last week. From St. Louis, you should have an easier time finding a load to Memphis, which paid an average $1.94 per mile. Not counting any potential deadhead, the whole trip would add about 70 miles and pay an extra $338.
As in the van segment, most major reefer markets trended upward last week, with the exception of Florida and Northern California. Prices fell sharply in Lakeland, Fla., and Miami, but there were big gains in Atlanta, Dallas, and near the Mexican border in Nogales, Ariz.. The best news was out of Fresno, where volumes stayed steady from the previous week, even though last week was just a four-day workweek. Outbound rates tumbled in Sacramento, so you’d be better off hauling out of Fresno this time of year.
