DAT Weekly Report: slight drop in national van rates

Notes from this week’s DAT data report:

• The national average van rate for the week ended February 17 declined  2 cts to $2.15 per mile. DAT reports that it was the sixth consecutive week posting a decline, but described it as “normal” for this time of year. It’s down 11 cts from the $2.26 recorded for the week ended January 27. 

• At $2.15, the average remains more than anytime in 2017, according to DAT.

• The national average rate for January was $2.26 per mile. That was up 15 cts compared to December, and it is the highest average van rate ever recorded in DAT’s Trendlines report. It was 59 cts more than the rate of January 2017. 

• The average fuel price tracked by DAT was $3.06 per gallon, down 1 cent per gallon from the prior week.

• Other rates: spot flatbed rates were $2.30, up 2 cts from the prior week but down 9 cts from the week ended January 27. Spot reefer rates hit $2.45, which is 5 cts down from the prior week but 22 cts down from the week ended January 27.

• Among key cities disclosed by DAT, average van rates by cities ranged from $1.92 in Dallas, all the way up to $2.68 in Chicago.