DAT May Freight Index Slips Year-Over-Year, Improves from April

TransCore’s DAT North American Freight Index for May declined from the same month last year, which had been a record high month, but rose from April, the company said Monday.

The index, a measurement of spot market truckload freight volume, fell 13% from May 2012 — a month in which freight reached an all-time high.

Month-to-month, May freight rose 5.6% from April, “reflecting current business conditions” and “part of an expected seasonal increase in spot-freight activity,” TransCore said.

Besides the comparison to the record high month, the year-over-year decline was also due in part to a 24% drop in load availability for flatbeds.