Flatbed board tightens again: DAT ratio hits 41.73 as truck posts fall 10%

Flatbed is the tightest part of the truckload market, and it got tighter last week. DAT's flatbed report, published Nov. 2, put the flatbed load-to-truck ratio at 41.73, up from 34.93 the week before and from 23.14 a year earlier.

DAT said load posts rose 7.4% week over week while truck posts fell 10.1%. It described the board as 80.3% tighter than a year ago and said the ratio is 3.8 times dry van's.

The rate picture

DAT reported that flatbed spot linehaul paid to carriers, excluding fuel, averaged $2.61 per mile in the latest week. That is up 0.5%, or one cent, on the prior week and up 28.6%, or 58 cents, from a year ago. DAT also said the rate sits 53 cents, or 25.6%, above its nine-year seasonal average of $2.08, which it called above the top of the historical range.

Van and reefer look softer. In its Oct. 28 update, tracked by Trucking Dive, DAT put the national van spot rate at $2.24 per mile for the week of Oct. 17, down 2 cents, and reefer at $2.73, down 3 cents. Dean Croke, DAT iQ principal analyst, said capacity "continues to tighten" while contract freight demand stays muted. He also flagged early November as a period to watch, when freight could keep cooling faster than capacity returns.

Those numbers are from different weeks, so read the van and reefer comparison as a rough guide, not a same-week match.

What it means for carriers

- A ratio this high means flatbed carriers have leverage on spot loads. Rates are already high against history, so the question is whether shippers push back or keep paying.
- Falling truck posts can mean trucks are being booked or that fewer are looking for loads. DAT's data does not say which, so don't assume the tightness will last.
- Van and reefer carriers should not expect flatbed's strength to carry over. The gap in ratios is large.

What shippers and brokers should watch

- Flatbed spot quotes are well above seasonal norms. Brokers covering open-deck freight on short notice are likely to pay up, and shippers with contract rates well under spot may see more rejected tenders.
- DAT's next weekly reports will show whether the 10% drop in truck posts reverses or deepens. A second week of falling posts would be a firmer signal than one.
- Dry van buyers still have a softer market to work with, according to DAT's late October data.