Following a surge to close out September, the number of posted loads on the spot truckload market dropped 11% during the week ending Oct. 10, according DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards.

Available capacity increased 3.7% overall compared to the previous week, which pushed spot truckload rates down across all three equipment types, hitting their lowest levels in at least four weeks.

The national average truckload van spot market rate slipped 0.6% to $1.73 per mile, with prices lower across several key markets. Los Angeles was at $1.99 per mile, down a penny; Chicago, $1.97, off 5 cents; Dallas, $1.58, down 6 cents; and Buffalo at $1.95, down 6 cents, all showing losses for the week despite having higher average prices in their regions.

All reported rates include fuel surcharges.

Van load availability fell 15% while truck capacity jumped 5.6% compared to the previous week. The national van load-to-truck ratio declined 19% resulting in 1.6 available van loads for every truck posted on the DAT network.

Refrigerated load availability fell 13% while available capacity increased 2.1%. The national reefer load-to-truck ratio fell 15% to 3.9 loads per truck, contributing to a 2.5% drop in the national average reefer rate to $1.96 per mile. The average outbound rates from Los Angeles fell 6 cents to $2.46 per mile; Lakeland, Fla., dropped 12 cents to $1.24; and Philadelphia slid 8 cents to $2.54.

Flatbed load availability fell 8.9% and truck posts were down 1.1%, resulting in a 7.9% decline in the flatbed load-to-truck ratio to 10.6 loads per truck. The national average flatbed rate was 2 cents lower at $2.01 per mile.