Spot Market

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.

Seasonal trends impacted lower spot market volumes and rates in the September edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index.

September’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 228—was off 13.7% compared to what it called “an unusually active August,” while remaining in line with previous years. And it added that the TVI was 2.9% below September 2021 and up 1.8% compared to September 2020. The September refrigerated (reefer) TVI was down 9.7% to 168, and the flatbed TVI was down 10.5%, to 231.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently interviewed Tom Schmitt, CEO of Greenville, Tenn.-based asset-light freight and logistics services provider Forward Air. In a wide-ranging conversation, Schmitt provided Berman with an overview on various supply chain- and logistics-related topics, including: the freight economy, inflation, taking steps to manage driver turnover and Forward Air's road map for growth, among others.

April’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 273—was off 10% compared to March, with the refrigerated TVI—at 190—and the flatbed TVI—at 229—down 10% and 6%, respectively, for the same period. DAT observed that while truckload volumes usually see a decline from March to April, “with freight movement in a seasonal lull,” that was not the case this April, with the April TVI seeing van freight up 12%, reefers up 10.5%, and flatbed loads up 15.1%, which DAT said serves as an indicator of...

DHL Supply Chain’s Capacity Connect aligns shippers with available capacity.

March’s TVI dry van freight reading—at 305—was up 23% compared to February, while the refrigerated TVI—at 206—and the flatbed TVI—at 247—were up 13% and 24%, respectively, for the same period. DAT said that these readings indicate that more loads moved in March, a month which also had more shipping days than February.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics at DAT Freight & Analytics, the operator of the largest truckload freight marketplace in North America, and Chris Caplice, executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL), and also DAT Chief Scientist, about various topics, including: the possibilty of a freight recession, contract and spot rates, fuel, and inflation, among other subjects.

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.

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January’s reading—at 229—was off 3% compared to December, but it still represented the highest-ever TVI reading in January, while posting a 15% annual increase. DAT said that the number of loads posted to the DAT One load board network saw a 34.7% increase, from December to January, and were up 104.7% annually.

December’s reading—at 236—was off 3% compared to November, a month which matched October in setting a record for the number of loads moved by motor carriers in a month, according to DAT. And national average truckload spot van and reefer rates saw gains for the seventh consecutive month, with the average van rate hitting the $3 per mile mark for the first time. What’s more, van and refrigerated (reefer) truckload freight rates each set new records, up 21.9% and 29.5%, respectively,...

November’s TVI reading—at 239—matched October, which initially set a new record for the number of loads moved by motor carriers in a month, according to DAT. And DAT said that national average truckload spot, van, and reefer rates headed up for the sixth consecutive month, with contract van and reefer (refrigerated) rates having seen increases each month going back to May 2020.

DHL Supply Chain, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group, said it has established a partnership with Emerge, a provider of its proprietary Digital Freight Marketplace (DFM) and TMS focused on accelerating productivity and increasing visibility for supply chain stakeholders and freight procurement. Through this partnership, DHL is integrating Emerge’s Spot Marketplace capabilities into the DHL LLP Control Tower and TMS offerings, with a focus on providing timely and market competitive coverage for spot market freight.

The most recent edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), for the month of October, which was recently released by DAT Freight & Analytics, again set a new all-time high, with the firm observing that truckload prices, at all-time highs, reflect how shippers are willing to pay premium rates to move their freight.