Spot Market Freight Dips While Rates Inch Up

TransCore reported that from September 12 to September 18 load availability on the spot freight market increased by 21 percent while equipment capacity increased by 26 percent compared to the week before. The uptick compensates for the one-day hiatus in most load board activity over the Labor Day holiday.

The net? During the first two weeks of September Freight declined 10 percent while capacity increased slightly (1 percent) on the spot market. Consequently, the load-to-truck ratio came down 11 percent to 5.13 available loads per truck.

Even though demand has declined slightly, capacity is still constrained in many markets nationwide. The impact on rates varies by equipment type: Flatbed and reefer rates moved up by a penny per mile through September 18 compared to the national average for August. Van rates held steady on the spot market at $1.28 per mile for line haul.

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