PORTLAND, Ore. -- Extreme weather in key freight markets led to an unusual double dip: both spot market load volume and truck capacity for all equipment types declined in the same week on TransCore’s DAT Network of load boards. Typically, load and truck volumes move in opposite directions.

Freight volumes for dry vans declined 7.8 percent, as dry van capacity slipped 3.7 percent on the spot market. Refrigerated (“reefer”) freight dropped 14 percent week-on-week, attributable to a late and slow start to the spring produce shipping season. Reefer capacity fell 3.5 percent due to weather effects. Flatbed freight availability fell 6.2 percent while flatbed truck capacity declined 4.6 percent, compared to the previous week.

The load-to-truck ratio also declined during the week ending April 30, for all equipment types. This was the third week in a row that ratios declined, establishing a trend toward improved balance between supply and demand. The ratio for reefers fell 11 percent while ratios dipped 4.2 percent for dry vans and 1.6 percent for flatbeds, compared to the previous week.

A more detailed report of the week’s spot market activity appears on TransCore Trendlines.

TransCore Trendlines is published weekly with spot market and contract market rates, as well as other key indicators from TransCore's U.S. Freight Index, the standard barometer for the spot freight market. It is based on more than 60 million loads and trucks posted annually on the DAT Network of load boards by freight brokers, 3PLs, shippers and carriers across the U.S. TransCore Trendlines also includes industry data from the American Trucking Associations and the U.S. Department of Energy.