Hot Market Maps: Capacity at a Glance

When brokers from Mystic Logistics need to move a load, they first check the load-to-truck ratio to see how hard it will be to get a truck in that area. They also check the load-to-truck ratio on the other end of the delivery.

“It’s easier to get a truck to go into a place where they know they can get a load out,” said Mystic vice president Shaun Nicholson. “For example, we may have an easier time booking a load to Florida during citrus season.”

An easy way to check load-to-truck ratios at a glance is to use the Hot Market Maps tool, which is included in the DAT Power load board. Hot Market Maps provide:

• Load-to-truck ratios—the number of loads posted on DAT load boards vs. the number of trucks available—for 155 distinct freight markets across North America.
• Three separate maps: for van, reefer, and flatbed.
• The ability to zoom in to get a closer look at any region or market.
• Current conditions, showing data from the previous business day.

Are vans in demand?

The graphic above shows a Hot Market Map for van freight. As you can see from the legend, dark red portions show markets where there are more than 5.5 loads posted for every truck posted. That means it might be tough to find a truck or you may have to pay a little more. The lightest areas show where there are more trucks than loads. That should make it easier and less expensive to find a truck. Clicking on the map brings up the exact load-to-truck ratio for that market, as seen with Houston in the example above.

High season for flatbeds

Above is a Hot Market Map for flatbeds. At a glance you can tell that this is high season for flatbeds. If you need to book a flatbed load out of Pittsburgh today, be prepared to wait or to pay a premium price. The load-to-truck ratio there is 33.7 because there are 2,428 loads posted and only 72 trucks posted.

Want to learn more about Hot Market Maps, or any of the other tools in DAT Power? Send us an email or call 800-551-8847.