Van and reefer load availability increased for the third consecutive week, but so did the availability of equipment, DAT Solutions reported. The availability contributed to lower national average spot market rates for van, refrigerated and flatbed loads
The total number of loads posted on DAT load boards rose 2.5% during the week, nearly matching the increase in the number of equipment posts (2.6%).
A balance of available loads and capacity generally means little movement on rates. The national average van rate dropped 2 cents to $1.77 per mile as the van load-to-truck ratio fell 1.2% to 1.8, meaning there were 1.6 available van loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.
In the reefer market, the national average spot truckload rate dipped 1 cent to $2.04 per mile. Load volume increased 2% but lagged a 4.5% jump in equipment availability, which helped send the reefer load-to-truck ratio down 2.4% to 4.5 loads per truck.
Flatbed load availability recovered 3.7% last week and capacity declined 1%, pushing the flatbed load-to-truck ratio up 4.8% to 12.8 loads per truck. The national average rate for flatbeds dropped 8 cents to $2.07 per mile compared with the previous week, including a 1-cent drop in the fuel surcharge.
The national average price of diesel was unchanged at $2.62 per gallon. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.
