DAT: Truckload Volumes Slipped in April; Spot Van, Reefer Rates Dive
DAT’s April Truckload Volume Index (TVI) for dry van freight was 273, 10% lower compared to March; the refrigerated TVI was 190, down 10%; and the flatbed TVI was 229, a 6% decrease.
Truckload volumes typically decline from March to April, with freight movement in a seasonal lull. Year over year, the April TVI was 12% higher for van freight, 10.5% higher for reefers and 15.1% higher for flatbed loads, indicating strong overall demand for truckload services.
The national average price to move van freight under contract remained at
Spot load-posting activity fell 27%
On the spot market, where terms to move loads are negotiated as one-time transactions between a freight broker and a carrier, the supply of trucks outpaced demand and drove rates substantially lower.
The national average van load-to-truck ratio dropped from 4.6 in March to 3.4, meaning there were 3.4 available loads for every van posted on the DAT One load board network. The reefer load-to-truck ratio was 6.3, down from 8.4, while the flatbed ratio fell from 89.8 to 64.5. Compared to March, there were 27% fewer loads posted in April and 2.8% fewer trucks.
Spot van rate fell
The national average van rate fell
Spot rates incorporate a fuel surcharge. Removing fuel, the van rate averaged
“Our April TVI data supports what we’ve been communicating for months: shippers are seeing increased routing guide compliance at the same time truckers on the spot market are contending with extreme volatility in lower rates and higher fuel costs,” said
For more information about DAT iQ, go to dat.com/iQ.
About the DAT Truckload Volume Index
The DAT Truckload Volume Index is produced by DAT iQ and reflects the change in the number of van, refrigerated and flatbed loads moved with a pickup date during that month. Index numbers are normalized each month to accommodate any new data sources without distortion. Baseline of 100 equals the number of loads moved in
Rates are derived from RateView, DAT’s database of
About DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT Freight & Analytics operates DAT One, the largest truckload freight marketplace in
Founded in 1978, DAT is a wholly owned subsidiary of
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Source: DAT Freight & Analytics