Tag: spot market: Page 20

Dog days of freight, rates setting in?

“Bad news, good news,” says DAT’s Ken Harper, looking at the spot market picture within the last week — less freight, suggesting the typically “Summertime Blues” this time of year may finally be settling in.

July 21, 2016

You can always find a load in Atlanta, but it may pay less than it did in June. Rates declined on most northbound lanes out of Atlanta and Charlotte last week. Memphis rates mostly held steady, but a 15-cents-per-mile spike on the lane to Columbus was a bright spot in an otherwise quiet week. Pricing was relatively stable in the Northeast and Midwest, but dropped down slightly in Dallas and Houston. Rates also drifted down in Los Angeles.

Post-July 4 spot market fireworks

Spot market rates typically take something of a dive after the July 4 holiday, but that wasn’t the case in the “short week” last week.

July 13, 2016

DAT VanHotStatesMap-2016-July3-9

Q2 end, July 4 holiday spur spot freight volume gain

With both the end of the quarter and the last few business days before a holiday weekend, last week’s boost in rates and volume, particularly in vans and reefers, wasn’t a big surprise. Still, it was a nice lift, especially after two months of improvement.

July 7, 2016

The Sun Belt is still hot for vans, especially in the Southeast. End-of-quarter and pre-holiday freight was even stronger than expected last week in Atlanta, Charlotte and Memphis, which were the top three markets for outbound loads on the spot market. The No. 4 and 5 spots were taken by Houston and Dallas. On the West Coast, there were lots of loads available in Los Angeles, and rates rose 11 percent outbound from Stockton.

Demand indicators for vans, reefers, flats up in the last week

An increase in the load-to-truck ratios for vans and reefers particularly indicates that rates on average could rise this week as the second quarter ends and a holiday weekend begins.

June 30, 2016

Flatbed, too, showed hot markets around the nation, where load-to-truck ratios on DAT Load Boards trucked well above average. Compare this map to that shown in our last flatbed update, and you’ll see that demand has improved since early June in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest states. Flatbed freight is also strong in the Southeast. The biggest improvement in June volume and rates came from Tampa, Fla., followed by Savannah. Rates in Fort Worth are rebounding now from a downturn earlier in the month, but Rock Island, Ill., outbound rates are declining, in what’s usually a busy month for farm equipment and related freight. Overall, DAT says, flatbed traffic has been subdued this year, after the end of the fracking boom. Rates went up in the first half of June for flatbeds, then dropped back in the second half of the month, to yield a stable average rate compared to May.

Rates hall of shame 2015: Bottom 10 U.S. states for outbound freight

Lookback on 2015 rates: As pricing fell off, these 15 states in van, flat and reefer segments ended the year with the worst rates for outbound loads, averaged over the year. Also: Examine interactive heat maps for regions showing better rates.

June 16, 2016

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Roadcheck rates effect in evidence on spot market, with attendant volume surge

Rates got “a shot in the arm” last week as Roadcheck slowed trucking down, affecting capacity overall through the week. Close looks at dry van, reefer demand geographically here, as freight volume continued to pick up overall.

June 15, 2016

DAT VanHotStatesMap-2016-Jun5-11

Spot market 2016: No post-Memorial Day slump in rates

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.

June 8, 2016

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.

Rates ‘spring’ing to life? Spot market rates post another positive showing in May

The charts here compare each segment’s paid rates — verified averages of per-mile rates paid by brokers to carriers — compared to posted rates, pre-negotiated rate offers posted by brokers. Two major truckload segments saw rates increase, while one remained flat.

June 3, 2016

Spot market update: ‘Genuinely good news’ for a change

Two-thirds of the 80 highest-volume van lanes got a rate increase in the past week alone, and flatbed markets in every region of the country are gaining some ground.

June 2, 2016

The Sun Belt is hot for vans, as high demand and a shortage of trucks turned the map red across the Southern band of states. Van rates rose sharply last week in Los Angeles and Stockton, Calif., and are also rising in Dallas and Houston. (Though they’re still not great.) On the other hand, you can always find a load out of Texas. Chicago and Columbus are finally showing some signs of life after a few disappointingly quiet months. In the Southeast, rates are rising in Atlanta and Charlotte, but Memphis outbound rate trends were mixed, with some lane rates increasing while others declined. Vans even got a rate increase in the Northeast last week, as outbound lanes improved in Philadelphia and Buffalo.

Spot market update: Slight demand improvements for van, reefer

Rates slipped a cent for vans and reefers but are recovering already this week, given tighter capacity and an increase in the fuel surcharge. Atlanta-Houston roundtrip — splitting the return from Texas could be advantageous.

May 25, 2016

Texas and California are Hot States for vans this week, as demand increases all across the Southern band of states. Rates are trending up in Stockton, CA and Buffalo, NY. There are lots of loads in Atlanta, but rates are moving down. Chicago van freight has been weak this spring, and it’s not improving yet.

Spot market freight activity continues to sag

A 3 percent drop in load availability in the week drove the index’s lower reading. Load availability was down 25.3 percent from the same week last year, according to Truckstop.com’s weekly Trans4Cast report.

May 23, 2016

Two steps forward, one step back: Spot market van, reefer rates retreat in last week after gains

After volume and rate gains across van, reefer and flat segments the prior week, this past week has seen van loads flat for volume. More posted trucks resulted in something of a slight rates give-back. But we’re still up over the April average.

May 19, 2016

Reefer rates slipped 2 cents themselves after an 11-cent surge the previous week, so the national average is still 9 cents ahead compared to April. Outbound rates rose in Los Angeles and Fresno, signaling a seasonal shift for reefer carriers. There is also an increase in loads available at border crossings in McAllen, Texas, and Nogales, Ariz. The Nogales-Tucson area offered 18 loads per truck last week, and rates were up as well. Atlanta is still the top market for outbound reefer loads, and Houston is a strong number two. Expect a spike in volume and rates for reefers in the next few days, as grocery chains stock up on meat and fresh produce for the Memorial Day weekend.

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