DAT SOLUTIONS: Produce shipments keep pressure on spot rates, demand

The number of spot market loads on DAT MembersEdge slipped and fell 1.2 percent and truck posts were down 3.2 percent during the week ending May 19.

But national averages are just that: averages. Freight activity varied from region to region as produce harvests across the Sun Belt, from California to the Carolinas, added to capacity pressures. Cooler freight volumes in the northern states more than offset any gains in the South.

These opposing trends kept national average rates unchanged for dry van and refrigerated truckload freight last week:

• Van: $2.15 per mile, unchanged
• Flatbed: $2.72 per mile, up 1 cent
• Reefer: $2.49 per mile, unchanged

Van overview
Van load posts rose 1 percent while truck posts dropped 4 percent. The van load-to-truck ratio rose 5 percent to 6.7 loads per truck.

Hot markets
Demand for dry van freight transportation was most intense across the southern band of states, from California across and through the entire Southeast region. Last week Los Angeles overtook Dallas as the top market for freight volume. Dallas remained at No. 2 followed by Atlanta.

On the top 100 van lanes, the biggest rate jump was from Atlanta to Philadelphia, up 28 cents to $3.28 per mile.

Other rising lanes:

• Atlanta to Chicago, up 23 cents to $2.26 per mile
• Charlotte to Chicago, up 22 to $2.18 per mile
• Los Angeles to Seattle, up 15 cents to $2.90 per mile

Flatbed overview
The national flatbed load-to-truck ratio has been historically high this year and last week was the first time the ratio has dipped below 100 since late March. Flatbed load posts were down 4 percent, but truck posts increased 2 percent, which led to a ratio of 96.9 loads per truck.

Reefer overview
Reefer load posts rose 4 percent while truck posts declined 4 percent. As a result, the national load-to-truck ratio for reefers increased 9 percent, from 8.5 to 9.2 loads per truck

Hot reefer markets
The lane from Atlanta to Philadelphia posted the largest spot rate increases, with the average jumping 55 cents to $3.16 per mile. Other lanes also showed strong increases.

• McAllen, Texas, to Atlanta climbed 38 cents to $2.95 per mile
• Ontario, California, to Seattle increased 35 cents to $3.41 per mile
• Nogales, Ariz., to Dallas bumped up 31 cents to $2.91 per mile

While rates and load-to-truck ratios rose for reefer vans across the South, all major lanes out of Miami and Lakeland, Fla., were down, with rates and volumes dropping steeply.

• Miami to Atlanta plunged 74 cents to an average of $2.38 per mile
• Miami to Baltimore dove 59 cents to $2.91 per mile
• Lakeland to Atlanta dropped 57 cents to $2.40 per mile

Rates are derived from DAT RateView, which provides real-time reports on prevailing spot market and contract rates, as well as historical rate and capacity trends. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.

For the latest spot market load availability and rate information, visit the MyMembersEdge.com load board or tune in to Land Line Now. You can get all of the latest rate information at dat.com/industry-trends/trendlines, comment on the DAT Freight Talk blog, or join us on Facebook. On Twitter you can tweet your questions to us @LoadBoards and have your questions answered by DAT industry analyst Mark Montague.