Flatbed Load-to-Truck

July 18-24: Flatbed Loads Down by 12%, Trucks Up by 9%, Week-Over-Week

Flatbed Load-to-Truck Ratio, on the Spot Market
4-Week Flatbed Load-to-Truck Ratio	July  11-17	July  18-24	Week-over-Week: July 18-24 vs. July 11-17		June  2009	June  2010	Year-over-Year: June 2010 vs.  June 2009
	18.5	15.1	-19%		6.6	27.3	+ 315%

NOTE: The load-to-truck ratios are displayed in a logarithmic scale, to make it easier to compare ratios across equipment types and to better illustrate the significance in a deviation from the 1:1 baseline.

• The load-to-truck ratio for flatbeds declined by 19% on the spot market in the week ending July 24, from 18.5 to 15.1available loads per truck. Flatbed load postings dipped by 12% and equipment postings increased by 9%, compared to the previous week. Flatbed rates are beginning to soften on the spot market in July, as the 30-day rolling average rate declined by $0.02 to $1.61 from a high of $1.63 for line haul only, nationwide. 


• For the month of June, the average ratio was 27.3 flatbed loads per truck, which was 16% lower than the corresponding ratio for May. Flatbed loads declined by 18% and truck postings declined by 2% in June, compared to May. Flatbed freight increased steadily on the spot market from  late January until the week ending May 8, and postings declined through most of May and June. Capacity has not caught up, despite the decline in load-to-truck ratios.


• The flatbed load-to-truck ratio in June was more than four times (315% higher than) the ratio for June 2009, due to a 119% increase in load availability, coupled with a 47% decline in capacity, year-over-year. This result, while less dramatic than previous months, indicates a capacity shortage as well as unusually strong flatbed freight levels, contrasted with unusually weak flatbed freight volume in the first half of 2009.