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Last week's Arctic weather stalled freight movement in and out of key markets in the Midwest. But the storm passed in just a couple of days, so it didn't have a big impact on national rate trends for the week as a whole. To understand the recent storm, and get ready for the next one, it's important to look at rate and volume trends day by day, for a single market. Take Chicago, for example. It's a major freight hub for trucking and… Read More

If you're covering a load from Buffalo, NY, there's a good chance it actually originated in Canada. The city is on the border, less than 100 miles from Toronto, our northern neighbor’s largest metro area.Buffalo’s nickname, “The City of Good Neighbors,” describes its importance in the U.S. relationship with our biggest export market. No surprise – the Buffalo metro area is home to countless warehouses and distribution centers… Read More

Although the coastal towns in the path of Hurricane Florence are generally at the receiving end of the distribution chain, there are 4 port cities in the hurricane's path that will certainly affect freight movements — and likely result in rate increases in those markets.Want to help? Visit our Emergency Freight page for resources regarding FEMA loads,… Read More

Shippers are asking, “How much longer will this challenging freight environment last?” The standard answer sounds like something out of Winnie-the-Pooh, as Eeyore says: “Days, weeks, months, years. Who knows?” Moderating factors are already apparent in DAT data. First, carriers are posting their trucks more often. The load-to-truck ratio slipped lower for vans in the past three weeks, although still high at 7.3 loads per… Read More

DAT Pricing Analyst Mark Montague appeared on Land Line Now to discuss the latest spot market trends. He explained the market conditions that led to higher rates before Memorial Day, and what we might expect heading into June. … Read More

Even though it's rarely even mentioned in a broker's rate confirmation, the fuel surcharge has a big impact on truckload freight rates. Fuel surcharges were invented in the 1970s, when an oil embargo by Arab countries caused shortages and skyrocketing prices at the pump. "Skyrocketing" is a relative term. Prices went from 38¢ per gallon in 1973 to 53¢ in 1974, then hit $1.19 per gallon in 1980. That's for regular leaded gasoline, as… Read More

While van and reefer prices have moderated in March and April after peaking in early January, flatbed prices and demand stayed red-hot. The national average flatbed rate hit its highest level since DAT began publishing spot market rates in 2010. Research and identify freight trends with… Read More

DAT Market Analyst Peggy Dorf sat with Terry Scruton of Land Line Now to talk about current freight trends and the mixed signals from the spot market in mid-April. type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element.… Read More

Our own Peggy Dorf sat down with Terry Scruton of Landline Now to talk about the not-so-typical freight trends we saw on the spot market to open Q2. Tighter capacity led to higher rates as we move deeper into spring. … Read More

At a meeting yesterday, my colleagues were asking where rates are headed in early April. This isn’t an easy thing to know, as often the first week of a new quarter has a kind of hangover effect, where freight volumes are down. We also see the same impact after a major holiday, when freight isn’t always in such a big hurry to get on shelves. But the one thing we do know is that 2018 continues to shape up as anything but ordinary.… Read More