Average spot market freight rates experience slight decline

Two leading load boards were in agreement on the movement of rates for van, reefer and flatbed freight last week. Rates are down for two of three modes, similar to the week prior.

Analysis of rates provided by DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards, and Truckstop.com reveals decreases for reefers and flatbeds, while vans remained unchanged.

Van rates remained stagnant at $1.73, according to Truckstop.com. DAT van rates were also unchanged at $1.75, leaving the two load boards fairly close in their price analysis.

Reefer rates at Truckstop.com were down 3 cents to $2.04. Similarly over at DAT, reefer rates dipped 2 cents to $2.01. Over the past several weeks, reefer rates between the two load boards have remained relatively close together.

Flatbed rates dropped 2 cents from the previous week to $1.97, according to Truckstop.com. DAT is reporting a 1-cent decline to $2.03 for flatbed rates. Between the two load boards, flatbeds have consistently displayed the greatest disparity of the three modes, with this week revealing a 6-cent gap.

Across all modes, Truckstop.com shows that load decreased by 2.72 percent, but truck supply went down by 3.08 percent, indicating a relatively small advantage for truckers seeking loads in comparison to the previous week. According to DAT, load-to-truck ratios for were up for vans, down for reefers, and unchanged for flatbeds.

Truckstop.com has placed the Market Demand Index (MDI) at 11, a 3.8 percent increase from the previous week. The MDI is a comparison of available loads to available trucks posted on the load board. The higher the MDI, the better the chances that the power rests with the carriers and vice versa; currently, 10 represents an even market.