PORTLAND, Ore. -- TransCore Trendlines reports that refrigerated (reefer) carriers serving the Atlanta and Philadelphia markets experienced sharp rate declines on the spot market in the most recent 30-day period, from mid-December through mid-January. Los Angeles rates also declined substantially, due to seasonal trends that were not weather-related. Overall, reefer linehaul rates slipped by 2 percent (approximately $0.03) since mid-December, while fuel surcharges have generally climbed by about $0.02 per mile. The net result was a dip of about a penny in the “all in” rate per mile.

Chicago was the only market to show a slight increase in outbound rates, as carriers demanded more money to go to Dallas and Philadelphia. Rate changes were moderate in other markets, including Atlanta and Dallas.

TransCore’s truckload rate trend of the week is taken from the company’s Truckload Rate Index, which covers $4 billion in actual invoices that are updated daily for vans, reefers and flatbeds across the U.S. and Canada. The truckload rate trend of the week is a feature of TransCore Trendlines a free weekly subscription with key indicators from TransCore's U.S. Freight Index, the standard spot freight market barometer based on more than 60 million loads and trucks listed annually 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.