PORTLAND, Ore.-- Refrigerated (“reefer”) van rates rose 3.3 percent on the spot market nationwide in the seven days ending August 17, according to TransCore’s Truckload Rate Index. The week-over-week increase in reefer rates followed an increase in reefer load volume on the company’s DAT® Network of load boards. Reefer rates and freight volume increased in produce markets across the country, signaling the potential for bumper fruit and vegetable crops that should continue to drive freight activity through mid-September. The only declining markets include Southern Florida and Southern Texas, where severe heat and a recent drought have reduced produce yields.

Dry van rates remained stable week-over-week, despite a 5.7 percent dip in load volume. Rates are following seasonal trends with a slow decline after June’s peak, followed by week-over-week stability, according to Truckload Rate Index. Van rates are expected to pick up with upcoming seasonal demand for consumer goods, plus a boost in produce-growing regions due to crops that do not require temperature-controlled equipment.

Rates for flatbeds have started to decline after five months of increasing rates. Over the past two weeks, flatbed rates fell 1.7 percent, nationally. Regionally, flatbed rates in the Southeast have declined as post-storm reconstruction is well underway, reducing demand for building materials and equipment.

TransCore Trendlines is published weekly with spot market and contract market rates, and other key indicators from TransCore's U.S. Freight Index. 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.