The spot market smiled the week of July 11 to 17 when both freight and the truck capacity to carry it increased.
Spot market load availability increased an expected 22 percent while equipment postings increased by 45 percent week over week. Keep in mind the previous week included the Independence Day holiday weekend - basically a lost day of productivity or a 20-percent drop - so the 45-percent rebound in capacity is a bit more reassuring for shippers and brokers.
The 49-percent increase week over week in flatbed capacity helped to ease the equipment shortage vs. demand. Spot market rates for flatbeds increased by $0.01 in this week's 30-day rolling average, nationwide.
Reefers are still constrained, but a 40-percent capacity increase in the past week indicates that demand peaked in June. Supporting that trend, reefer rates cooled to $1.53 in July to-date from June's high of $1.59 - which was $0.07 higher than last year's peak rate.
Dry van rates also tailed off, down by a penny in the most recent 30-day rolling average. This contrasts with the sharp upward trend of the previous six months on the spot market.
