Spot Market Loads

Load posts on DAT One rose 2% to 2.26 million last week, while truck posts fell for the second consecutive week, down 5% to 232,703.

The van TVI, at 243, was down 2% compared to May and up 4% annually, and the refrigerated (reefer) TVI, at 191, was down 5% compared to May and up 10% annually.

The firm said that van and reefer rates typically head up in May, driven by demand to move produce and retail goods in advance of Memorial Day increases, coupled with drivers planning downtime around the three-day Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Roadcheck enforcement, which takes place in mid-May.

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.

The firm said that spot load posts for the week were up 10.8% sequentially, coming in at 2.25 million, which helped to counter declines seen in previous weeks, as well as signaling high seasonality with retail goods and produce on the move.

Driven by a combination of seasonal slowing, winter weather conditions, and ongoing uncertainty regarding tariffs and economic conditions, spot truckload volumes trended down in February, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Index, which was issued this week by DAT Freight and Analytics.

Spot market trucking activity demand and rates saw gains over the month of December, in advance of the holidays, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which issued today by DAT Freight and Analytics.

The van TVI, at 246, was up 18% compared to October and down 1% annually, while the refrigerated TVI, at 242, was down 23% compared to October and up 7% annually, and the flatbed TVI, at 242, was down 23% compared to October and down 5% annually.

For the week of December 1-6, DAT reported that 2.18 million loads were available, representing a 114% sequential increase, as well as posting the highest weekly tally since the week before the July 4 holiday.

DAT reported that 1.02 million loads were available, representing a 46% sequential decline and a 12% annual increase. The firm added that there was a total of 223,837 available trucks posted on the DAT One network, falling 30% sequentially and down 25% compared to Thanksgiving week in 2023.  

Following the beginning of what it called the start of a new truckload cycle arriving in September, in the form of increasing spot truckload volumes and rates, the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was recently issued by DAT Freight and Analytics, pointed to further inroads being made in October.

The firm reported that 1.94 million loads were available, which marked a 10% sequential decline, while ahead of the same week in 2023 by 19%. And it added that there was a total of 335,458 available trucks, down 1.5% sequentially.

DAT's Ken Adamo notes September showed the spot truckload market is firmly into a new freight cycle after nearly 22 months of rather extreme expansion and 27 months of contraction.

The van TVI, at 273, topping June’s 266 reading, and up almost 10% annually and down 6% compared to an all-time high reading of 289 set in May.

Following May, which saw volume gains help to bump up spot truckload rates, the June edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, was somewhat different, in that spot truckload rates were up, while the actual number of loads moved headed down, DAT Freight and Analytics recently reported.