PORTLAND, Ore. --Spot market freight volume on TransCore's DAT Network of load boards increased 5.1 percent nationwide, in the final week of May. Freight designated for refrigerated ("reefer") vans jumped 10.5 percent, dry van loads rose 6.8 percent and flatbed loads increased 2.1 percent, week-on-week, according to TransCore Trendlines, a weekly barometer for spot market freight trends.

As load volume increased, truck capacity declined 2.1 percent, causing the overall load-to-truck ratio to move up from 7.0 to 7.5 loads per available truck. The ratio for all equipment types increased: vans 8.6 percent, reefers 11.4 percent and flatbeds 6.2 percent, week-on-week.

On a regional basis, loads appear plentiful for all equipment types in Atlanta and the Southeast. As summer produce begins to hit the markets, reefer loads are most plentiful in major produce markets such as Los Angeles and Tucson.

TransCore Trendlines is published weekly with spot market and contract market rates, and other key indicators from TransCore's North America 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.