Helene cleanup and brief ports’ strike boost number of posted weekly spot loads, reports DAT

The number of spot loads on DAT Freight & Analytics’ DAT One network, for the week of September 29-October 4, saw a jump, as supply chains readjusted in the wake of Hurricane Helene and dealt with the brief three-day East and Gulf Coast ports’ strike.

DAT reported that total spot loads posted on the DAT One Network sequentially increased 14.9%, to 2.01 million, representing the highest weekly tally of available loads going back to the week of July 7-July 13. While loads saw gains, DAT said weekly truck posts headed down 16.3%, to 275,594, with the company citing velocity in East Coast freight networks seeing what it called a dramatic slowdown, driven by the pairing of bad weather and, on a lesser level, the short-lived port strike.

Weekly data, for dry vans, reefers, and flatbeds, for the week of September 29-October 4, included the following:

Dry Vans

• Van loads: 952,242, up 16.5% week over week;
• Van equipment: 169,815, down 21.5%;
• Linehaul rate: $1.65 net fuel, up 4 cents; and 
• Load-to-truck ratio: 4.5, up from 3.8

Reefers

• Reefer loads: 402,839, up 16.5% week over week;
• Reefer equipment: 63,891, down 5.6%;
• Linehaul rate: $1.97 net fuel, unchanged for the third straight week; and
• Load-to-truck ratio: 6.3, up from 5.1

Flatbeds

• Flatbed loads: 658,647, up 11.5% week over week
• Flatbed equipment: 41,888, down 7.2%
• Linehaul rate: $2.00 net fuel, up 1 cent; and
• Load-to-truck ratio: 15.7, up from 13.1 (This is the sixth consecutive week of increases)

DAT Industry Analyst Dean Croke said in commentary provided to LM that while the ports’ strike was not long, it still impacted spot load volume.

“The 20 freight markets adjacent to ports affected by the ILA strike last week saw a 5% reduction in van load posts compared to the previous week,” he said. “There was a 7% decrease in spot van loads posted in DAT’s Elizabeth, N.J., market and a 6% decrease in Savannah, Georgia.”

And he described Hurricane Helene’s impact on spot truckload freight as regional and considerable.

“Due to constrained capacity, the weekly average dry van linehaul rates increased by 4 cents to $1.65 a mile,” he said. “In DAT’s Southeast region, inbound and outbound rates increased by an average of 10 cents a mile compared to the previous week. In DAT’s Atlanta market, the average linehaul van rate was up 7 cents to $1.53 a mile despite a 3% decrease in load volume compared to the previous week. The average linehaul reefer rate in Atlanta increased by 10 cents to $2.13 a mile on a 7% decrease in volume.

With Hurricane Milton expected to hit landfall this evening, Croke said preparations are following a pattern akin to Hurricane Helene, with Hurricane Milton expected to be a hazardous Category 4 or 5 storm.

He said that as it moves inland, it will likely affect most of central Florida, and with weather events like hurricanes, Croke said freight movements tend to follow a familiar pattern: 

• Before the storm, shippers and FEMA rush to move freight in and out of the area where the storm is expected to make landfall, and truckload rates rise sharply.
• During the storm, nothing moves in or out of the affected area. FEMA and other organizations will move emergency relief supplies to locations just outside the storm zone so they’re ready to act as soon as roads are clear.
• After the storm, fuel and outbound loads may be scarce, travel can be treacherous, and regulations for hours of service may shift. Emergency supplies are brought in and inbound rates increase. Van and reefer freight move in first, followed by flatbeds hauling construction equipment and materials.  

“Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama is the staging ground for much of the federal government's response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” he said, “Nearly 450 truckloads of supplies arrived during the week ahead of Helene, the bulk of which came from FEMA’s Atlanta distribution center. FEMA loads typically move under contract with approved carriers.”