Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, May 28, 2025:
Dry van rates up for second straight week as reefer, flatbed drop
Broker-posted spot rates in the Truckstop system for dry van equipment saw a big gain during the week ended May 23, resulting in the largest two-week increase in two years, according to the latest weekly report from FTR Transportation Intelligence and Truckstop.
Both strong two-week gains -- this year and in 2023 -- came during the week of the annual International Roadcheck roadside inspection event and the week that followed.
Dry van spot rates rose more than 7 cents to their highest level since January after rising more than 12 cents during Roadcheck week. The increase was larger than usual for the week following Roadcheck, but dry van rates have risen during that week for the past five years.
Refrigerated spot rates declined 1 cent after surging close to 28 cents during Roadcheck week. Reefer-rate falls are common the week after Roadcheck.
Flatbed rates, meanwhile, were more or less level last week after moving down a few cents the week of the blitz.
Total load activity fell 12.2% after jumping more than 34% during the inspection event. Total volume was more than 9% above volumes seen this time last year. Total truck postings increased 5.9%, and the Market Demand Index -- the ratio of load posts to truck posts in the system -- fell after the previous week’s sharp increase.
DAT also reported an 11.6% decline in load postings during the same week, while truck posts were up 1.4% in the DAT system.
On the rates front, DAT reported dry van linehaul rates unchanged at $1.70 a mile minus fuel; reefer rates were down 3 cents from the previous week to $2.02 a mile net fuel; and flatbed rates were down 2 cents to $2.19 a mile net fuel.
[Related: Rates' Roadcheck bump: Significant for vans, reefers, but flatbed keeps falling]
I-75 rest areas slated to close for upgrades
As part of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) statewide rest area upgrade project, the I-75 rest areas in Butler County will close Monday, July 7, for a full replacement, both NB and SB.
Located just south of the State Route 63 exit at Monroe, the rest areas will be completely renovated with new, lodge-style buildings, including larger rest rooms, a lobby area with vending and regional tourism information, and attached and covered outdoor picnic areas.
The project is part of the statewide initiative announced in the spring of 2023 by Gov. Mike DeWine to update 36 rest areas with all new buildings. Additional parking is also being added where possible. Ohio has 85 rest areas located along major highways, not including those maintained by the Ohio Turnpike Commission.
Construction, which includes demolition of the buildings and the full rebuild, is scheduled to be completed in one year, so the rest areas are anticipated to be reopened in the summer of 2026.
Once the rest areas are closed, the nearest facilities for SB travelers are located near Florence, Kentucky, off I-71. In Ohio, the closest facilities headed NB will be those located in Hancock County, south of Findlay, as the rest areas in Auglaize County, north of Wapakoneta, are also scheduled to be closed in July for replacement.
Currently, the facilities in Miami County, south of Piqua, remain closed, but these are scheduled to be reopened in the fall of this year.
Port of Savannah launches new app to assist truckers
The Georgia Ports Authority has rolled out its new GPA Trucker mobile app to help make the truck driver experience smoother, easier and faster at Port of Savannah terminals.
The Port of Savannah averages 14,000-16,000 gate moves daily from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Truck turn times at Garden City Terminal average 35 minutes for a single move, and 53 minutes for dual moves when a driver is delivering an export and picking up an import.
The GPA Trucker app puts more information at drivers’ fingertips to make their work easier. Through the app, drivers can save drive time, simplify paperwork and get notifications such as changes to gate hours to help plan the day. For ease of use, the app offers facial recognition or fingerprint opening.
“At GPA, we see drivers as our front-line customers, and we are always working to provide a superior customer experience,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said. “Helping truckers solve problems before they arrive at our gates improves overall efficiency for them and for the cargo owners who choose Georgia Ports.”
The app’s initial purpose is to improve and simplify the process for container transactions. To track container moves, Georgia Ports uses PINs, which are good for 72 hours. Drivers provide the PIN at the terminal gate to receive a paper ticket with a container’s pickup or drop-off location.
The GPA Trucker app now also provides a digital version of the ticket that can be saved or transmitted to a driver’s trucking company. The app’s next generation will include a push function, so drivers will automatically receive their digital tickets instead of having to search in the app.
Through the app, drivers can avoid trips if, for instance, the time limit has expired on the PIN issued for a container move, or an export container has shifted to a different vessel.
Additionally, the app informs drivers which terminal entry gate is closest to the container, and sends announcements such as changes to gate hours and weather alerts. Future functionality will include navigation assistance through Waze or Apple Maps, so that drivers can more easily find containers on terminal.
The free app is available on the Apple AppStore or Google Play by searching for “GPA Trucker.”
Shippers’ market conditions saw slight improvement in March
Market conditions for shippers in March remained basically neutral, according to FTR’s latest Shippers’ Conditions Index report.
The March SCI showed a slight improvement to 0.1 from -0.3 in February. Falling diesel prices and slightly less challenging utilization offset stronger volumes and less favorable rates to create basically neutral market conditions in March.
“Uncertainty over tariffs is a risk for the economy, but an expected sluggishness in the freight market in the near term should bring some benefits to shippers in terms of fluidity and pricing,” said Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking. “The longer-term consequences are less clear, however. For example, one consequence of a sharp drop in freight volume might be loss of trucking capacity, which could lead to a tighter market in 2026.”
Vise noted that another issue FTR is watching is “whether stricter enforcement of truck drivers’ English language skills results in a meaningful hit to the supply of drivers.”
[Related: DOT Secretary Duffy officially rescinds Obama-era English-language-proficiency guidance]
