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A year ago, the spot market was a much more volatile place. Demand was soaring for retail freight, and the ELD mandate that had just taken effect led to a major capacity crunch. Amid all that uncertainly, shipping rates skyrocketed, and it got even crazier in the month to follow.That's worth mentioning because this has felt like a down December. Rates spiked early in the month, but load counts have been in a slow decline ever since.… Read More

In recent years, there's been a spike in spot market rates in December. That hasn't happened so far in 2018. Prices could still go up if there's a capacity crunch around the holidays or if winter weather disrupts supply chains. But for the time being, rates are going the opposite direction.Dry van pricing and activity continues to slow as we creep closer to winter. On the top 100 van lanes, rates fell on 62 of them. … Read More

Demand for fresh produce remains strong, even though most fall crops have already been harvested in the U.S. and spring is still a few months away. As we get closer to Christmas, a larger proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables are imported from Mexico through a handful of border crossings in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. McAllen, TX, is the easternmost border crossing for those produce moves, so it's a gateway to… Read More

Reefer activity picked up after Thanksgiving, but not nearly as much as dry van freight. Right now, retail and e-commerce are driving trends in the transportation industry, which has lifted van rates, but prices fell on a lot of the major reefer lanes.Demand for reefers could heat up again as we get closer to Christmas. Meanwhile, meat and potato-growing… Read More

Everyone came back from Thanksgiving break with plenty of work to do last week. Truck posts on the DAT load board were up 21%, which is right in line with what’s typical when comparing a full work week to a holiday week. But load posts shot up 54%, so demand for trucks is hot right now. That pushed the national… Read More

Once upon a time, Black Friday marked the end of the retail freight season. Those days are gone.E-commerce has disrupted that traditional freight schedule. While brick and mortar stores still need to stock shelves before Black Friday, the online activity that fuels a larger and larger portion of truck load demand every year will continue right up until Christmas and even on into the first week or two… Read More

Once upon a time, Black Friday marked the end of the retail freight season. Those days are gone, though, and we’re now in the thick of it.E-commerce marked the end of the traditional retail freight season. While brick and mortar stores still need to have their shelves stocked before Black Friday, the online activity that fuels a larger and larger portion of truckload demand every year will continue right up until Christmas and even… Read More

With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s the reefer segment that is driving seasonal demand, as grocery stores prepare for the big day. And with e-commerce season still building, we may soon see an increase in van demand and rates too.National average ratesVan $2.09/mile, unchangedReefer $2.45/mile, up 4¢Flatbed $2.42/mile, down… Read More

The West Coast continued to drive spot market demand last week. Load-to-truck ratios in Los Angeles hit 12.2 on Friday, even stronger than the prior Friday when it was just over 10. Los Angeles outbound rates rose last week, which is in contrast to declining rates in most of the remainder of the country. Stockton volumes were also up sharply, but Seattle volumes rose most, 34%, and are expected to rise for the next several weeks as they work… Read More

Demand for vans continues to heat up on the West Coast, boosting load-to-truck ratios in California, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. This trend repeats every year, as consumer goods from Asia arrive at the ports and begin the eastward journey to regional distribution centers throughout the country.Expect the seasonal pressure to continue through much of November, as a massive typhoon in Hong Kong caused scheduling delays on inbound ships at… Read More