North American Freight Index Drops in April, Rates Mixed

PORTLAND, OR. — A 16 percent year-over-year drop in North American spot market freight volumes was recorded in April, according to the DAT North American Freight Index.

Compared to March 2013, April’s index fell 5.8 percent. “Typically, spot market freight volumes increase in April,” said TransCore DAT in a statement. The month’s unusually inclement weather, including floods in the Upper Midwest, may have contributed to the poor showing, the company noted.

Year-over-year declines in volume were also seen across all equipment types: van load volume dropped 20 percent, reefer loads fell 10 percent, and flatbed freight dropped 15 percent.

Month-over-month, freight availability fell 14 percent for vans and 17 percent for reefers, while flatbeds saw a 6.6 percent uptick.

Rates Rise Month-over-Month, Drop Year-over-Year

Despite the drop in volumes, rates on the spot market rose across the board month-over-month: van rates rose a slight 0.8 percent, flatbed rates increased 4.5 percent, and reefer rates climbed 5.5 percent.

Year-over-year, however, rates declined along with demand for vans and flatbeds, 0.8 and 5.3 percent, respectively, while reefers saw an increase of 2 percent.

The rates are pulled from DAT RateView, which is based on $18 billion of actual transactions paid to carriers by brokers, 3PLs, and shippers.

The monthly DAT North American Freight Index reflects spot market freight availability on the TransCore DAT network of load boards in the United States and Canada.