Spot market freight availability hit a low point for the year in October as volume was 7% lower month over month, and 33% below October 2017 levels.
Severe weatherย in Asia and the U.S. Eastern seaboard slowedย seasonal freight flows in October,ย leading to truckload transportation delays at U.S. ports, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT Freight Index, a measure of load posting volume on the DAT network of load boards.
As a result, spotย market freight availability hit a low point for the year in October. October volume was 7% lower month overย month,ย and 33% below October 2017 levels.
Truckload freight rates alsoย slipped lower for all equipment types, compared toย September. Rates remain wellย above 2017 levels, however, due partly to an increase inย fuel surcharges thatย compensate for rising diesel costs.
โWe expected a seasonal rebound in Octoberย but it was interrupted by Hurricanesย Florence and Michael in the Southeasternย U.S., as well as Typhoon Mangkhut in Hongย Kong,โ said Peggy Dorf, DAT market analyst. โSome of that demand for truckload capacity has shifted intoย early November, with importedย goods moving from seaports to regionalย distribution centers across the country.โ
The DAT Freight Index reflectsย load posting volume on theย DAT network of load boards,ย and 100 on the Index represents the average monthly volume in the year 2000.ย Additionalย trends and analysis are available atย DAT Trendlines (dat.com/trendlines). Referencedย rates are the averagesย by equipment type, based on $57 billion of actualย transactions, as recorded in DATย RateView. Rates per mile include fuelย surcharges, but not accessorials or other fees.
DAT operates the largest truckloadย freight marketplace in North America. Transportationย brokers, carriers, newsย organizations and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trendsย and dataย insights derived from 279 million freight matches (2018 estimate) and aย database of $57 billion in annual market transactions. Related services includeย aย comprehensive directory of companies with business history, credit, safety,ย insurance andย company reviews; broker transportation management software;ย authority, fuel tax,ย mileage, vehicle licensing, and registration services; andย carrier onboarding.
