Dry-van truckload volume falls 8%
Flatbed loads declined 6% MoM in August
Demand for truckload services softened in August after shippers moved imports earlier in the summer to avoid tariffs, according to information services provider and online marketplace DAT Freight and Analytics.
The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI) fell month over month across dry van, refrigerated and flatbed categories in August, according to a DAT release today. The van TVI dropped 8% to 236, its lowest August level since 2021. Refrigerated loads slipped 6% to 193, while flatbed loads declined 6% to 298.
“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, stated in the release. “Retail goods that usually move in August — back-to-school and holiday products, for example — are already in inventory.”
Spot rates also declined for each category. Vans averaged $2.03 per mile, down 2 cents from July. Reefers fell 1 cent to an average of $2.41, and flatbeds dropped 6 cents to an average of $2.49.
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