Economic forces, consumer demand, seasonality, natural disasters and myriad other factors contribute to transport's cyclical market.

The charts below show the latest data on Class 8 truck orders, trailer orders, monthly tonnage, linehaul rates and load-to-truck ratios. We'll update this page frequently as new data is released.

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Load-to-truck ratios

Load-to-truck ratios sprang upward for the week beginning May 12, compared to the previous seven-day period. DAT reported:

Load-to-truck ratios were mixed across equipment types for the week beginning May 26, compared to the previous seven-day period. DAT reported:

• Dry van increased from 4.6 to 5.2 loads per truck
• Reefer decreased from 6.4 to 6.3 loads per truck
• Flatbed increased from 17.6 to 19.3 loads per truck

"Dry van load post volume was within 3% of last year following last week’s short shipping week following Memorial Day," DAT noted in a blog post, adding that carrier equipment posts were 24% lower during the week than the same period last year.

Spot linehaul rates

DAT’s linehaul rates measure the seven-day weekly moving average for spot rates in dry van, reefer and flatbed hauls. They often reflect the balance of supply and demand in the spot market. The rates are derived from DAT’s RateView database and do not include a fuel surcharge.

National benchmark average rates varied across multiple equipment types the week beginning May 26, compared to the previous week, per DAT:

• Dry van increased by 1 cent to $1.66
• Reefer decreased by 1 cent to $1.97
• Flatbed essentially remained flat at $2.07

"Flatbed linehaul rates have remained mostly flat for the last three weeks," DAT wrote in another blog post. Flatbed spot rates stayed above $2 per mile since breaking that threshold in May, a national average weekly rate last seen in July 2023.

Class 8 orders

Preliminary Class 8 net orders increased to 18,900 units in May, up from 14,000 in April and 13,600 year over year, according to a report from FTR.

"Along with the month-over-month increase, the fact that orders were up significantly from the May 2023 level indicates that the market remains on a solid footing despite near-term challenges," said FTR's Dan Moyer, a senior analyst of commercial vehicles, noting that vocational markets stood out compared to on-highway equipment.

Tonnage

The American Trucking Associations has been tracking tonnage, calculating the index based on member surveys, since the 1970s. In the chart below, the baseline is 100, which represents conditions in 2015. Tonnage primarily reflects freight movement through contracts versus on the spot market.

The ATA Truck Tonnage Index decreased 1.2% in April to 111.7 compared to the previous month when seasonally adjusted. The organization also revised March's figure downward to 113.1.

"With a rebound in freight remaining elusive, it is likely that additional capacity will leave the industry in the face of continued softness in the market," ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a monthly report.

Trailers

Net trailer orders increased from 11,947 units in March to 13,016 units in April, according to FTR data. That was a 9% month-over-month increase and 45% increase year over year.

"With the truck freight market facing challenges, solid growth in April for both total van and major vocational trailer orders offers a few green shoots of optimism," Dan Moyer, FTR senior analyst of commercial vehicles, said in a monthly report.

Truckload linehaul rates

The Truckload Linehaul Index from Cass measures per-mile linehaul rates. In the chart below, the baseline is 100, which represents conditions in 2005. Rates fluctuate as a result of supply, demand and balance (or a lack thereof) in the market, but they also include factors such as fuel prices and insurance costs.

The index, which includes spot and contract freight, incrementally increased in April by 0.1% to 141, Cass reported. That’s a 3.8% decline year over year.

"This index has been in a very tight range, from 140.4 to 142.0, over the past ten months as the market finds a floor," wrote the report’s author, Tim Denoyer of ACT Research.