A surge in spot market rates that led some truck drivers to leave fleet jobs and go into business for themselves has cooled off, bringing with it a downturn in the number of drivers striking out on their own, industry data shows.

The rise in fuel prices is slowing a decline in spot rates while also potentially suppressing base revenue for some carriers, experts said.

Spot freight volumes fell Thanksgiving week, but they have more than recovered.

Technological solutions are increasingly helping shippers and carriers manage a boisterous business climate in which spot freight plays a prominent role.

An increasing number of loads are shifting onto the spot market amid tight conditions in trucking, according to recent data by DAT Freight & Analytics.

Atlanta was the easiest market to find spot truckload van freight in 2019, according to a Jan. 9 DAT Solutions report, and because spot freight is unscheduled freight, it is seen as a dynamic indicator of economic activity.

Coyote Logistics forecast truckload spot rates will increase heading into 2019’s peak season and continue into 2020 in its prediction for the final quarter of the year.

Atlanta is burning. The Big A is the No. 1 city for spot market posts for van loads and refrigerated loads through the first half of 2018, according to DAT Solutions, the operator of a major freight load board marketplace for North America.

The spot market begins 2018 red hot with some of the highest linehaul rates on record closing out December while load-to-truck ratios matched levels only seen in 2014.