Load posts fell 12.5% during July 4 holiday week

July 12, 2022

Special to Land Line

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The total number of loads on the DAT MembersEdge network fell 12.5% during the week of July 3-9, dropping from 3.05 million to 2.66 million load posts week over week. It’s not unusual to see 15% to 20% declines in load and truck posts when you compare a holiday week to a full workweek.

The national average spot van rate was $2.71 per mile, virtually unchanged from the previous week. The average reefer rate fell 5 cents to $3 a mile while the flatbed rate dipped a penny to $3.25 a mile.

Spot rates are all-in rates negotiated between the broker and carrier on a per-transaction basis.

Flatbed load posts continued to decline

The number of posted dry van loads was down 11.5% week over week while reefer load posts fell 7.7%. Flatbed load posts dropped 15.8% week over week and have fallen 45% compared to four weeks ago.

Truck posts on MembersEdge declined as well, down 16.3% as truckers took time off during the holiday week. Dry van equipment posts fell 17.6%, reefer equipment posts fell 14.5%, and flatbed equipment posts decreased 11.5%.

Van, reefer load-to-truck ratios improved

Van and reefer load-to-truck ratios increased, indicating better pricing power for carriers.

There were 4.6 van load posts for every van posted to the network, up from 4.3 the previous week. The van ratio has increased every week for five weeks in a row. The reefer ratio increased from 8.4 to 9, lower than 12.7 during the same week in 2021 but better than every other first full week of July on record.

The flatbed ratio fell from 28 to 26.7, continuing a pattern of softer demand for trucks. The flatbed ratio has declined each week since the week leading into Memorial Day and is the lowest ratio for the first full week of July in the last six years.

Market to watch: Laredo, Texas, flatbeds

After falling for each of the previous three weeks, flatbed load-post volumes in Laredo surged 86% last week. Loads in Texas from Laredo to Fort Worth, a 425-mile lane, averaged $3.78 a mile over the past week. That’s 25 cents higher than the June average, the highest rate on that lane in the last 12 months and 1 cent higher than the average shipper-to-carrier contract rate. The return from Fort Worth to Laredo averaged $2.61 a mile.

Other lanes were up as well. Laredo to Houston averaged $3.71 a mile last week, 13 cents better than the June average. The return trip averaged $3.60 a mile.

The Port of Laredo is the No. 1 inland port along the U.S.-Mexico border and the nation’s third-busiest port. Trade at Port Laredo for the month of May increased 29.7% from the same month one year ago and was up 5.4% compared to the previous month. It is a key gateway for imports of motor vehicle components and diesel engines.

Get more detail into freight trends on MembersEdge at DAT.com, and listen to Land Line Now every Wednesday for the latest spot-market update.

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