About Us

Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Social Media

Bluesky • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

Meet the Laser Focus World Team

Editorial

Sales

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology
My Watchlist
Indicators
Industrial Laser Index
Markets
Stocks
ETFs
Tools
Markets:
Overview
News
Currencies
International
Treasuries

DAT Truckload Volume Index: July freight volumes and rates chilled by seasonality

By: via Business Wire

Truckload freight volumes fell last month and national benchmark spot rates for dry van and refrigerated (“reefer”) loads retreated from their gains in June, reported DAT Freight & Analytics, which operates the industry’s largest online freight marketplace and DAT iQ data analytics service.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230818042461/en/

July freight volumes and rates chilled by seasonality (Graphic: DAT Freight & Analytics)

July freight volumes and rates chilled by seasonality (Graphic: DAT Freight & Analytics)

The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), a measure of loads moved during a given month, was lower in July for all three equipment types:

  • Van TVI was 226, down 7.0% from June and 3.0% lower year-over-year.
  • Reefer TVI slipped to 169, 3.4% lower than in June but 1.2% higher year-over-year.
  • Flatbed TVI was 238, 12.8% lower compared to June but 3.5% higher year-over-year.

“Shippers faced service disruptions at the ports and in the less-than-truckload sector but were able to secure van capacity without causing the needle to move on spot rates and volumes,” said Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics.

Despite month-over-month declines, the reefer and flatbed TVI numbers were the highest on record for July as fresh and frozen food, metals, machinery, construction materials and other seasonal freight moved through supply chains.

Demand for trucks slowed

National average load-to-truck ratios for van and reefer freight have been virtually unchanged for three straight months:

  • The van ratio was 2.6, equal to June and down from 3.8 in July 2022.
  • The reefer ratio was 3.8 - unchanged from June and down from 7.2 a year earlier.
  • The flatbed ratio was 7.1, down from 9.7 in June and significantly down from 21.8 in July 2022.

Spot, contract rates dipped

Reflecting flat demand, DAT’s benchmark spot rates slipped in July:

  • The spot van rate was $2.07 per mile, down 1 cent compared to June and 56 cents lower than in July 2022.
  • The spot reefer rate dipped 3 cents to $2.44 per mile and 60 cents lower year-over-year.
  • The spot flatbed rate was $2.54 a mile, down 7 cents month over month and 72 cents lower year-over-year.

Line-haul rates, which subtract an amount equal to a fuel surcharge, declined as well. DAT’s benchmark van line-haul rate was $1.63 per mile, down 2 cents compared to June. The reefer line-haul rate fell 5 cents to $1.96 per mile and the flatbed line-haul rate dropped 9 cents to $2.01 per mile.

The average fuel surcharge increased by 2 cents to an average of 44 cents a mile for van freight, 48 cents for reefers and 53 cents for flatbeds in July.

“Spot rates, as a reminder, are ‘all-in’ rates, meaning no separate fuel surcharge to help mitigate the risk of fuel price fluctuations. You have to negotiate each individual load with fuel and operating costs in mind, which is not always easy,” Adamo said. “The sudden increase in fuel prices is testing the wherewithal of small carriers at a time when freight volumes are in a seasonal lull.”

DAT’s benchmark rates for contracted freight strengthened compared to pricing on the spot market. The van rate fell 1 cent to $2.57 a mile, the reefer rate gained 3 cents to $2.91 a mile and the flatbed rate rose 5 cents to $3.29 a mile.

After closing for three straight months, the spread between contract and spot rates was unchanged for van freight and increased by 6 cents for reefers and 12 cents for flatbed loads. The size of the gap is an indicator of bargaining power among shippers, brokers and carriers, Adamo explained.

About the DAT Truckload Volume Index

The DAT Truckload Volume Index reflects the change in the number of loads with a pickup date during that month; the actual index number is normalized each month to accommodate any new data sources without distortion. A baseline of 100 equals the number of loads moved in January 2015, as recorded in DAT RateView, a truckload pricing database and analysis tool with rates paid on an average of 3 million loads per month.

Spot truckload rates are negotiated for each load and paid to the carrier by a freight broker. DAT benchmark rates are derived from payments to carriers by freight brokers, third-party logistics providers and other transportation buyers for hauls of 250 miles or more with a pickup date during the month reported. DAT’s rate analysis is based on $150 billion in annualized freight transactions.

Load-to-truck ratios reflect truckload supply and demand on the DAT One marketplace and indicate the pricing environment for truckload freight.

About DAT Freight & Analytics

DAT Freight & Analytics operates the largest truckload freight marketplace in North America. Shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trends and data insights based on more than 400 million freight matches and a database of $150 billion in annual market transactions.

Founded in 1978, DAT is a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the S&P 500 and Fortune 1000 indices.

Contacts

More News

View More
Is Super Micro Next in Line for a Big AI Takeover?
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers INTC NVDA SMCI
Tesla: 3 Reasons October’s Earnings Will Make or Break the Stock
Via MarketBeat
Tickers TSLA
Industrial Tech Crossovers: When Manufacturing Meets Innovation
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence Government World Trade
Tickers ENTG IEX ITT
Investors Flock to Uranium as Nuclear Renaissance Builds
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence Economy Energy
Tickers BWXT CCJ CEG SMR URNM
ISRG, TEAM, SFM Trade Well Below Highs With 30%+ Upside
Via MarketBeat
Tickers ISRG SFM TEAM
Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.