PORTLAND, Ore.-- Truckload freight capacity on TransCore’s DAT Network of load boards increased by 4 percent nationwide in the week ending March 12, according to TransCore Trendlines, a weekly barometer for spot market freight trends. Truck postings increased 3.8 percent for dry vans, 5.8 percent for refrigerated (“reefer”) vans, and 2.4 percent for flatbeds on the DAT Network, compared to the previous week.

Spot market freight availability remained stable for the week following eight consecutive weeks of increases. Truckload freight volume for vans softened by 1.8 percent, and reefer loads declined by 3.8 percent. However, loads designated for flatbeds increased by 1.9 percent on the spot market, compared to the previous week.

The load-to-truck ratio declined for all equipment types as capacity increased. The ratio, a key measure of truckload demand and capacity, softened for vans to 4.2 loads per available truck (down 5.4 percent) while the reefer ratio fell to 9.8 (down 9.1 percent), week over week. The ratio for flatbeds declined 0.5 percent, to 40.2 loads per available truck, with the greatest imbalance occurring in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota.

TransCore Trendlines is published weekly, providing 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 gauge. 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 Association and the U.S. Department of Energy.