BEAVERTON, Ore. — The number of posted loads on DAT One fell 19.3% week over week to 2.1 million, yet the number of loads that actually moved was the highest ever recorded for week 15.
Truck posts rose 2.8% to 255,813, continuing the trend of truckers shifting in and out of the spot market based on weekly demand.
Boom-bust in Containerized Imports
“Nearly 22% more container ships are headed to southern California ports compared to this time last year, signaling a last-minute surge in imports from Asia amid tariff uncertainty,” said Dean Croke, DAT iQ industry analyst. “With most ships expected to arrive over the next three weeks, Global Port Tracker estimates that—in the event of a prolonged trade war with China—containerized import volumes will collapse by at least 27% before July, the traditional peak season.”
Van Load Posts Were Historically Strong
According to Croke, despite a sharp decline last week, van load posts were 11% higher than last year and 19% above the long-term Week 15 average, excluding the pandemic-impacted years of 2020 and 2021. At $1.62 per mile, the weekly average linehaul van rate was 5 cents higher than last year and 9 cents higher than in 2019 and 2020. On DAT’s Top 50 lanes, ranked by the volume of loads moved, carriers received an average of $1.89 a mile, down 5 cents but 27 cents higher than the national 7-day rolling average spot rate.
Reefer Volumes Chilled
After surging 22% the previous week, reefer load post volumes cooled overall, and produce import volumes from Mexico fell by 32% compared to the previous week.
Watching Texas Flatbeds
“Lower oil prices typically lead to substantial reductions in exploration and development in Texas,” Croke said. “This affects flatbed carriers hauling drill pipe and casing to the oilfields, especially from Houston to DAT’s Lubbock market and the Permian Basin. According to Baker Hughes, there are currently 317 active oil rigs in the region—6% fewer than last year. The volume of flatbed loads moved on the Houston-Lubbock lane is down 3.2% over the same timeframe.”
Dry Vans
▼ Van loads: 734,819, down 24.2% week over week
▲ Van equipment: 181,435, up 2.6%
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.62 per mile net fuel, down 4 cents
Reefers
▼ Reefer loads: 318,079, down 27.3% week over week
— Reefer equipment: 44,766, virtually unchanged
▼ Linehaul rate: $1.88 per mile net fuel, down 2 cents
Flatbeds
▼ Flatbed loads: 1,074,370, down 12.5% week over week
▲ Flatbed equipment: 29,612, up 8.7%
▼ Linehaul rate: $2.16 per mile net fuel, down 3 cents
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.
