Spot Market Truck Index

July 18-24: Spot Market Truck Capacity Loosens By 3.8%, vs. Prior Week
TransCore Truck Index: Equipment Postings on the Spot Market *
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
150 156 + 3.8% 196 125 - 36%
* Spot market numbers are indexed, so that 100 represents the monthly average DAT Network postings in the U.S., for the year 2000. Index numbers are easier to track and compare than actual numbers, which are in the tens of thousands.

June 2010: Spot Market Truck Capacity Tightens By 36%, Compared to 2009June 2010: Spot Market Truck Capacity Tightens By 36%, Compared to 2009

  • The map depicts total spot market postings for outbound freight loads and trucks from each of the 48 contiguous U.S. states in the month of June. Available loads (red) predominated throughout the country, except the Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New England, where there was a balance between outbound loads and trucks. Usually, carriers struggle to find back haul freight leaving that region. No states appeared to have excess outbound capacity in June.

  • Overall truck capacity eased by 3.8% on the spot market in the week ending July 24, compared to the previous week. Spot market capacity loosened by 9% for flatbeds, by 4% for vans and by 2% for reefers, week over week. 

  • For the month of June, overall spot market capacity declined by 10%, compared to May. Carriers did not post trucks aggressively, but they continue to search for loads steadily since the beginning of the year. While the load-to-truck ratio for June was high at 7.6, there is a 1-to-1 ratio of truck searches (by brokers) to load searches (by carriers.) Truck capacity appears to be constrained in the market as a whole, especially for reefers.

  • Year-over-year comparisons for the month of June show a 36% decline from the unusually high capacity of June 2009. More trucks than usual were posted on the spot market in the first half of 2009, because spot freight volume was weak following the onset of the financial crisis. As a result, carriers searched for  loads and posted trucks more aggressively than usual. Subsequently, some carriers discontinued operation or parked trucks, further reducing capacity.