BEAVERTON, Ore. – More capacity and less freight are the two trends that marked the second week in October.

According to DAT Solutions, which publishes figures from the DAT network of load boards, van, refrigerated, and flatbed capacity grew 3.6% in the week that ended on October 11. During that same time, available freight slipped 5.0%.

Across the US, the truckload spot market rates remained stable compared to the previous week. The average van rate was unchanged at US$2.03 per mile (including fuel surcharge), while the average rate for refrigerated freight rose 1 cent to US$2.29 per mile and the flatbed rate lost 2 cents to US$2.40 per mile.

That overall stability may not carry forward, however, as DAT noted the national average diesel price fell three cents to US$3.70 per gallon and that “declining fuel prices tend to have a dampening effect on spot market rates. When fuel prices slip, the surcharge drops and the total rate may decline accordingly.”

Load-to-van ratios were all over the board. Reefer freight availability slipped 9.0% and capacity was up 3.4%, producing a reefer load-to-truck ratio of 8.7. Flatbed capacity added 4.7% and load availability declined 2.5%. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio is now 25.9 loads per truck. Available van freight declined 5% while posted capacity increased 3.4%, resulting in a 3.1 van-load figure.