DAT

Recent spot market data issued by Portland, Oregon-based freight marketplace platform and information provider DAT, a subsidiary of Roper Industries, reinforces the current strength of the trucking sector, with June having the highest spot market rates on record. DAT said that the national averages for van, flatbed, and refrigerated (reefer) were the highest ever recorded in its DAT Trendlines readings, with spot market averages on the flatbed and reefer side higher than average shipper contract rates for each segment and...

The company explained that demand for spot market truckload shipments in May hit its highest levels ever for various reasons, including seasonal shipments, and increasing fuel prices, as well as dry van and refrigerated, or reefer, rates in May at their highest levels going back to January and flatbed rates also hitting a new high.

DAT’s key thesis is that average spot and contract rates have “diverged sharply” over the three-month period covering November, December, and January, with the gap having accelerated in recent weeks, due to gains in spot rates, not only for van activity but also for the three major equipment classes: van, reefer, and flatbed.

December national averages for dry and reefer (refrigerated) van rates, respectively, saw 2017 highs, said DAT, and the national average flatbed rate was even with its high for the year, too.

DAT said that the primary drivers for rate gains stemmed from harsh winter weather, tight capacity, and the recently implemented ELD mandate.

With spot market load volume and rates having risen for 18 months, DAT said November continued to impress, with the national average spot van rate hitting $2.07 per mile, which, it said, is the single highest monthly average going back to December 2014, while coming in 5 cents above October’s average.

In the most recent edition of its Trendlines report, DAT said that the number of loads posted on the spot market increased 7.4% for the week ending November 18 compared to the week ending November 11, while the number of trucks posted remained flat.

A confluence of market condition factors contributed to the DAT North American Freight Index hitting record levels in September, according to DAT Solutions.

Like the summer weather in many parts of the country, the current state of the truckload contract and spots market remains in a good spot. That’s the word from DAT Solutions, a subsidiary of Roper Industries, based on different data sets it has issued throughout this summer for different periods.

Truckload executives said it was not a profitable environment in the second quarter as shippers are pressing carriers for rate reductions on contract renewals. Fuel surcharge revenue also is declining.

While the index was off 2.5 percent in April, DAT said volume stayed ahead of seasonal norms in kicking off the second quarter, coupled with freight volumes seeing a 60 percent annual gain. The firm added that average spot truckload rates for vans, reefer (refrigerated) and flatbed freight saw sequential and annual gains in April.

While total freight volume in February saw a 48 percent increase in February, following a seasonally-slow January, the index itself was down 13 percent, while spot truckload rates eased up from January to February, due to increased capacity from contract carriers lowering spot van and refrigerated freight rates

DAT North American Freight Index fell 2.5 percent in January, following an 8 percent December increase, snapping a six-month stretch of gains. But even though the post-holiday drop-off remained in effect, January truckload spot market activity was up 56 percent annually.

这个联盟是企业descri开车bed as a first of its kind concept that, at its core, will address trucking rate volatility by listing and trading contracts that are based on trucking line haul rates, with the contracts that are financially settled through DAT’s major U.S. freight lane data.

The company’s North American Freight Index was up 8 percent in December, marking the sixth straight month of volume gains. DAT attributed strong momentum for e-commerce and grocery shipments as the main growth drivers for December, a month that is typically quiet for the spot market.