Unlike major hurricanes that have hit the Southeast in the past, Hurricane Ian’s overall impact on the national freight market is not as far-reaching and so far remains more of a regional play according to market analysts.
Higher truck capacity is behind some of that relative inertia at the national level. Prior to the Category 4 storm’s landfall near Fort Myers last Wednesday, an ongoing decline in available loads brought on by a drop in consumer spending led to an increase in truck capacity, which continues to keep national freight averages somewhat level in the wake of the storm.
DAT Freight & Analytics reported Tuesday that the total number of loads posted to the DAT One load board network was virtually unchanged last week while the total number of trucks declined 2.5%. Van and flatbed load-post volumes were up slightly compared to the previous week. The number of reefer loads was down almost 7%.
Two weighted national average spot rates between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1 saw a slight increase with vans up 1-cent week-over-week to $2.48 a mile and flatbeds up 3 cents to $2.81 a mile, while reefers remain unchanged at $2.79 a mile, according to DAT.
Truckstop.com's weekly spot market update with FTR Transportation Intelligence -- around their collaborative Market Demand Index -- saw rates rise slightly as well overall, though reefers took a slight 4-cent hit week over week.
