Economic forces, consumer demand, seasonality, natural disasters and myriad other factors contribute to transport's cyclical market.
The charts below show the latest data on Class 8 truck orders, trailer orders, monthly tonnage, linehaul rates and load-to-truck ratios. We'll update this page frequently as new data is released.
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Load-to-truck ratios
Load-to-truck ratios from DAT Freight & Analytics serve as indicators of supply and demand in the spot market. The ratio is calculated based on the number of load posts compared to the number of truck posts on the DAT One load board. Ratio changes can signal upcoming fluctuations in spot rates.
Load-to-truck ratios varied across equipment types the week of April 21, compared to the previous seven-day period. DAT reported:
- Dry van stayed about flat at 3.2 loads per truck
- Reefer increased from 4.4 to 4.6 loads per truck
- Flatbed decreased from 17.4 to 15.8 loads per truck
"In refrigerated, there's some renewed strength in the produce market," DAT iQ Principal Analyst Dean Croke said on a weekly market update. That meant a 5% boost in load post volume, he noted in a blog post.
Load-to-truck ratios
Spot linehaul rates
DAT’s linehaul rates measure the seven-day weekly moving average for spot rates in dry van, reefer and flatbed hauls. They often reflect the balance of supply and demand in the spot market. The rates are derived from DAT’s RateView database and do not include a fuel surcharge.
National benchmark average rates varied across equipment types the week beginning April 21, compared to the previous week, per DAT:
- Dry van decreased by about 2 cents to $1.52
- Reefer decreased by about 2 cents to $1.80
- Flatbed remained at $1.98
"Compared to last year, linehaul rates are $0.06/mile lower on a 9% higher volume of loads moved," Croke wrote in a blog post on dry van.
Spot linehaul rates
Trailers
Net trailer orders dropped from nearly 20,000 units in February to 12,313 units in March, according to FTR data. That was an 18% drop YoY.
Orders were "25% below the average for the last 12 months," the firm said in a monthly report.
Net U.S. trailer orders
Tonnage
The American Trucking Associations has been tracking tonnage, calculating the index based on member surveys, since the 1970s. In the chart below, the baseline is 100, which represents conditions in 2015. Tonnage primarily reflects freight movement through contracts versus on the spot market.
The ATA Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2% in March to 113.4 compared to the previous month when seasonally adjusted. The organization also revised February's figure downward to 115.7.
“Tonnage in March suggests that truck freight volumes remain lackluster, and it is clear the truck freight recession continued through the first quarter,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a monthly report.
For-hire truck tonnage index
Truckload linehaul rates
The Truckload Linehaul Index from Cass measures per-mile linehaul rates. In the chart below, the baseline is 100, which represents conditions in 2005. Rates fluctuate as a result of supply, demand and balance (or a lack thereof) in the market, but they also include factors such as fuel prices and insurance costs.
The index, which includes spot and contract freight, incrementally increased in March by 0.2% to 140.83, Cass reported. That’s a 13.8% decline year over year, but "downward pressure on the larger contract market is lessening," wrote the report’s author, Tim Denoyer of ACT Research.
Truckload Linehaul Index
Class 8 orders
Preliminary Class 8 net orders decreased 4% year over year in March to 18,200, according to a report from FTR. That's significantly down from February's total of 25,700.
"Order levels in March were below the historical average but remained in line with seasonal trends," FTR Chairman of the Board Eric Starks said in the report.