Reefer

The van TVI, at 245, down 4% compared to January, with the reefer TVI, at 193, down 4% compared to January, and the flatbed TVI, at 242, increased 3% compared to January.

The December edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), which was recently issued by DAT Freight & Analytics, highlighted what the company described as the most significant narrowing in the gap between spot and contract van rates, going back to March 2022, a period when truckload prices nearly were at their highest point ever.

DAT reported that the van TVI was up 3.5% compared to September, at 263, and up 9.5% annually, with the reefer TVI up 4.3% compared to September, at 196 and up 9.0% annually, and the flatbed TVI was down 3.2% compared to September, at 245, and up 0.5% annually.

The van TVI was down 7.0% compared to June, to 226, and down 3.0% annually, the flatbed TVI decreased 12.8% compared to June, to 238, and was up 3.5% annually, and the reefer TVI was down 3.4% compared to June, to 169 and up 1.2% annually (DAT said that even with each TVI reading declining, the reefer and TVI numbers marked the highest on record for July.

DAT officials explained that despite higher freight volumes, March’s low rates ended what it called a challenging quarter experienced by the majority of truckload carriers and freight brokers, with the exception of flatbed freight, as spot market pricing and demand have been steady year-to-date.

Randolph, Mass.-based RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, a provider of intermodal, distribution, and logistics services, said earlier this week it has acquired Houston-based regional intermodal service provider The Transporter Inc. A purchase price was not disclosed. The Transporter will now be known as Transporter Intermodal Logistics, a division of RoadOne.

Culver City, Calif.-based Boa Logistics and Flow Cold Storage (Boa), high-growth, third-party logistics (3PL) services providers focused on refrigerated less-than-truckload (LTL) received a majority investment from West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Cambridge Capital, an investor in niche supply chain leaders and the applied supply chain. Cambridge Capital said that this investment—in partnership with Boa’s management—will be instrumental in keeping Boa on its path to expand its dedicated cold-chain freight consolidation platform, as well as to capitalize...

June’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 240—was up 6% compared to May, with the refrigerated TVI—at 173—down 0.6%, and the flatbed TVI up 5%, to 245. DAT said that changes in the TVI represent the number of loads moved with a pickup date during the month.

Lineage officials said that this acquisition is an extension of the companies’ long-standing partnership, which includes a previous investment in Turvo by Lineage Ventures and also what they called a combined vision for supply chain collaboration.

February’s reading—at 227—was down 3% compared to January’s 229, which marked the highest-ever TVI reading in January. And while load-posting activity was off sequentially, the number of loads posted to the DAT One load board network saw a solid 24.1% annual increase.

Lineage said that that this move into rail is part of the company’s effort to be a one-stop-shop for its customers and to eliminate waste within the supply chain.

GlobalTranz's Tyndall told LM about myriad aspects of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, including: the impact on truckload capacity, vertical market disruption, and the cold chain, among other topics.

The September edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was issued this week by DAT Freight & analytics, an online marketplace for spot market truckload freight, picked up where August left off, posting all-time highs for spot market rates for van and refrigerated, or reefer, truckload freight.