Market Conditions 8/23/15-8/29/2015

This past week's market has demonstrated a 2% decrease in load availability across the board from the previous week with a 1.5% increase in load searches. Truck availability remained flat compared to last week with a 1.2% increase in truck searches. Reefer rates have increased 1.5%, van rates remain unchanged, and flatbed rates have decreased about 0.5%. Taking an average of rate points from various searches we have found the national average rates to be the following: Reefer: $2.05/mi, Van: $1.75/mi, Flatbed: $2.01/mi.

Refrigerated Freight

The Northeast, Upper Midwest and Northwest regions of the U.S. are all shipping a high volume of produce. Upstate New York has its first report of apples and is tight with local cabbage, cucumbers and beans. The Buffalo and Rochester markets have the densest load to truck rations in the region. Eastern North Carolina is shipping sweet potatoes. Wisconsin and Minnesota have tight markets, shipping potatoes. Washington state has remained tight this week with potatoes and onions in full swing and apples are very soon to follow.

Look for the Upper Midwest markets to continue to remain tight. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have become extremely tight this week with load densities in certain markets of over 30 loads for each available truck.

-DAT Power Load to Truck Reefer Densities 8/29/2015

-United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Market News https://www.marketnews.usda.gov/mnp/ 8/29/2015

Dry Freight

In the past week there has been a display of a decrease on van load to truck demand. Regions of higher freight densities include the Carolinas, western Kentucky, the Upper Midwest, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Northeast. Keep in mind while freight densities in the Northeast are higher, rates are not as desirable for outbound freight.

-DAT Power Load to Truck Van Densities 8/29/2015

Flatbed Densities

-DAT Power Load to Truck Flatbed Densities 8/29/2015

Diesel Pricing

Diesel's downward trend continues for the thirteenth consecutive week. A 5.4 cent drop brings the national average price to $2.561 per gallon. This marks a $1.260 drop from the same week last year. Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, and New Jersey had the lowest fuel prices at an average of $2.40 per gallon.