PORTLAND, Ore.-- Truckload freight availability increased by 7.6 percent on TransCore’s DAT Network of load boards during the week ending February 26, according to TransCore Trendlines, a weekly barometer for spot market freight trends.

The increase in freight was due entirely to a significant uptick in flatbed loads which surged by 20 percent concurrent to a 4.3 percent decline in flatbed truck capacity. Dry van freight availability declined slightly, with a 3.4 percent dip while available dry van capacity increased 4.3 percent. In the refrigerated (“reefer”) segment, load volume slipped by 1.7 percent compared to the previous week while reefer capacity increased by 3.0 percent.

TransCore Trendlines provides load-to-truck ratios, spot market and contract market rates, and other key indicators from TransCore's U.S. Freight Index, the standard spot freight market barometer. It is based on more than 60 million loads and trucks listed annually on the DAT Network of load boards by freight brokers, 3PLs, shippers and carriers across the United States. TransCore Trendlines also includes industry data from the American Trucking Associations and the U.S. Department of Energy.