Demand for truckload services cooled in August after July’s tariff-driven pull-forward of imports, according to DAT Freight & Analytics, which operates the DAT One freight marketplace and DAT iQ data analytics service.
The number of available loads on the spot market increased during the final week of August, when a national brake-inspection campaign and the lead-up to Labor Day weekend tightened capacity. Overall, however, freight volumes were softer than usual for August, especially for van loads. The Van TVI was the lowest for August since 2021.
“August underscored how shippers pulling forward imports earlier in the year is affecting typical seasonal demand for trucks,” Ken Adamo, DAT’s chief of analytics, said in a release. “Retail goods that usually move in August—back-to-school and holiday products, for example—are already in inventory.”
The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI) declined for dry van, refrigerated, and flatbed freight, reflecting fewer loads moved last month versus July:
- Van TVI: 236, down 8% month over month and 7% lower year over year
- Refrigerated (reefer) TVI: 193, down 6% month over month, up 1% year over year
- Flatbed TVI: 298, down 6% month over month, up 2% year over year
Prices fell in step with that slumping demand, DAT said, as national average spot rates declined across all three equipment types in August:
- Spot van: $2.03 per mile, down 2 cents from July
- Spot reefer: $2.41 per mile, down 1 cent
- Spot flatbed: $2.49 per mile, down 6 cents
And linehaul rates, which exclude an amount equal to an average fuel surcharge, tracked with changes to broker-to-carrier spot rates. The van linehaul rate averaged $1.61 per mile, down 2 cents month over month. The reefer rate was unchanged at $1.96, and the flatbed rate fell 5 cents to $1.99.
