Spot market load-post volumes and rates see declines, for week of May 18-24, reports DAT

Data recently issued on the DAT One network provided to LM by DAT Freight & Analytics pointed to declining metrics for truckload spot market posts, for the week of May 18-24.

“Load posts settled 12% lower ahead of Memorial Day weekend,” said DAT. “The number of posted loads on DAT One declined 11.6% to 2.6 million compared to the previous week. Truck posts rose 1.4% to 242,792. The number of available trucks on the DAT One has averaged slightly more than 250,000 per week since the start of the year, which is almost 100,000 fewer truck posts than during the same period in 2024.”

The weekly breakdown for van loads, van equipment, load-to-truck ration and linehaul rates for Dry Vans, Reefers (refrigerated), and flatbeds provided by DAT is below:

Dry Vans:

• Van loads: 1,089,989, down 11.3% week over week;
• Van equipment: 168,133, down 1.4%;
• Linehaul rate: $1.70 net fuel, flat; and
• Loads per truck, at 6.5, down from 7.2

Reefers:

• Reefer loads: 482,455, down 26.9% week over week;
• Reefer equipment: 45,284, up 5.3%;
• Linehaul rate: $2.02 net fuel, down 3 cents; and
• Loads per truck, at 10.7, down from 15.4

Flatbeds

• Flatbed loads: 1,006,747, down 2.3% week over week;
• Flatbed equipment: 29,375, up 13.8%;
• Linehaul rate: $2.19 net fuel, down 2 cents; and
• Loads per truck, at 34.3, down from 39.9

DAT iQ industry analyst Dean Croke said that dry van load-post volumes decreased by over 11% last week, following the typical pattern after International Roadcheck week.

“Simultaneously, the number of carriers posting trucks on DAT One rose only slightly (1.4%) after dropping 9% the week prior,” he noted. “This reinforces the post-pandemic trend of owner-operators being able to afford extending their time off around significant industry events and public holidays.

In a recent interview with LM, regarding DAT’s Truckload Volume Index, DAT Chief of Industry Analytics Ken Adamo told LM that the market feels frozen, stating that April brought the usual seasonal opportunities in produce and construction materials. But broader economic factors—including uncertainty over tariffs and the pull-forward of inventory this year—put a damper on growth in overall freight volumes, especially compared to previous years.

“Carriers were hoping April rates would be a springboard into a stronger Q2,” he said. “Instead, the optimistic case is that they’ve reached a pricing floor heading into the traditional summer peak shipping season in May and June. How ‘traditional’ the season looks has yet to be determined.”

When asked how things could play out in May, for spot truckload volumes and rates, in terms of frozen or flat conditions, Adamo observed that with bonded warehouses and free trade zones being maxed out, it could actually hit a lot faster that initially thought, from a volume rush standpoint, as they empty out and potentially subsequently grow.

“I think all eyes are going to be on manifests being created for ocean shipping, and seeing how that kind of gives us a forward-looking view of what's going to hit in the next few weeks,” he said. “Looking at Southern California, for example, drivers have just not wanted to go to California because they know they're not going to get anything else. I think that could change and ease a little bit, but I think it's just a big unknown. I think the market is just going struggle to process this information.”