BEAVERTON, Ore. — The impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton has been largely regional, except for industries like automotive production with nationwide supply chains rooted in the Southeast, according to DAT.
Southeast freight markets are recovering.
“Following a surge in pre-hurricane freight positioning in the Southeast, van load-post volumes fell 14% nationally, erasing the prior week’s gains,” said Dean Croke, DAT industry analyst. “On the top reefer lane between Atlanta and Lakeland, Florida, where Hurricane Milton hit, load-post volumes decreased by 34% week over week, leading to a 22-cent-per-mile drop in the average spot reefer rate. Volumes between Lakeland and Atlanta also dropped by 33% week over week while capacity on the lane tightened, causing linehaul rates to increase by 5 cents to an average of $1.19 per mile.
According to DAT, after three straight weeks of increases, the number of loads posted on DAT One fell 11% to 1.82 million week over week. That’s still 10% higher year over year. At 332,598, the number of trucks on the network was virtually unchanged compared to the previous week.
Dry Vans
▼ Van loads: 829,234, down 14% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 219,586, down 0.3%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.64 net fuel, down 1 cent
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 3.8, down from 4.4
Reefers
▼ Reefer loads: 358,771, down 13.5% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 66,178, down 2.3%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.96 net fuel, down 1 cent
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 5.4, down from 6.1
Flatbeds
▼ Flatbed loads: 634,090, down 4.5% week over week
▲ Flatbed equipment: 46,834, up 7.5%
— Linehaul rate: $2.00 net fuel, unchanged
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 13.5, down from 15.2
Note: Linehaul rates exclude an amount equal to a national average fuel surcharge.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
