EXIT 01FTL · Capacity·20:00 ET · Atlanta · Chicago · 5 min read2 of 3 free this month
Spot Capacity Is Loose in the Midwest and Tight Everywhere Else — The 6.7 National L2T Hides the Real Story.
National load-to-truck ratio holds at 6.7 — but the regional spread is the widest we've measured since June 2022. Texas at 9.4, Pacific NW at 7.8, Southeast at 7.2 — versus Midwest at 3.1 and Mid-Atlantic at 3.8. The carriers that figure out the cross-regional repositioning math first are about to take outsized share.
The DAT national load-to-truck ratio printed at 6.7 this week — high, the highest sustained level since the post-COVID surge — but the national number is hiding more than it's telling. The regional spread between the tightest and loosest spot markets is now wider than at any point since June 2022, and that spread, not the headline, is where the carrier strategy is being written this quarter.
Where it's tight:
Texas (DAT region 6): L2T at 9.4. McAllen + Laredo + Houston outbound all carrying premium rates. Roadcheck week + produce season + Bajío pull stacking.
Pacific NW (region 9): L2T at 7.8. Asia import overflow + Salinas-prep repositioning bleeding into Seattle outbound.
