What is a good load-to-truck ratio?

There is no single number — compare a market and equipment type with its own history. DAT's dry van ratio was 10.50 on 13 October 2026, against 6.29 a year earlier: a much tighter market than last year.

Why is the flatbed load-to-truck ratio so high?

Flatbed ratios routinely run several times higher than van ratios, DAT says, and that is typical rather than a sign of a hot market. Flatbed demand follows construction, manufacturing and the weather.

Does a higher load-to-truck ratio mean higher rates?

Often, with a lag. DAT says changes in the ratio often signal impending changes in rates: a rising ratio means more loads chasing each truck that posts.

Term

Load-to-truck ratio

The load-to-truck ratio is the number of loads posted on a load board divided by the number of trucks posted, for one market and one type of equipment. It is a quick read of spot-market tightness: in DAT's report of 13 October 2026, there were 10.50 dry van loads for every van posted.

Also called load to truck ratio, DAT load-to-truck ratio, L/T ratio, spot market ratio, freight-to-truck ratioApplies in USUpdated 14 October 2026

By equipment, October 2026

Equipment	Ratio	The week before last	A year earlier	Spot rate
Dry van	10.50	13.72	6.29	$2.26 a mile
Reefer	16.75	21.65	10.71	$2.75 a mile
Flatbed	36.60	44.13	27.16	$2.65 a mile

DAT weekly reports, 13 October 2026 — spot rates are linehaul, before fuel

DAT reads each market differently: dry van is the broadest freight base with the steadiest ratios, reefer ratios spike in produce-growing areas at harvest, and flatbed demand tracks construction, manufacturing and the weather. Changes in the ratio often signal changes in rates to come.

Worked example: tightening without more freight

300 outbound van loads posted ÷ 100 vans posted = 3.0 · trucks posted fall to 75, loads unchanged → 4.0 — the market tightens without a single extra load

The first figure is DAT's own example; the second is arithmetic. DAT notes that when capacity is genuinely tight, fewer trucks bother to post, so the denominator shrinks and the ratio climbs.

In Europe

European load boards turn it into a percentage. TIMOCOM's transport barometer reports the ratio of freight to vehicle space: across Europe, the freight share stood at 79% in March 2026, 11 percentage points above a year earlier.

The mistake people make

Comparing raw ratios across markets or equipment. DAT calls it a common way to misread them: flatbed ratios routinely run several times higher than van ratios, which is typical rather than a hot market, and the ratio measures posted freight, not all freight. Compare a market with its own history, week on week and year on year.

FAQ