Spot market freight availability increased by 9 percent in October, when compared to October 2008, according to the TransCore Freight Index, a measure of truckload freight volume found on load boards supported by the company's DAT Network, including 3sixty Freight Match and TruckersEdge.net. The positive year-over-year comparison represents the first such result in 2009 and is due to a combination of factors: an improving freight volume trend in the second half of 2009 and volume weakness in October 2008 following the financial market crisis.

On a month-to-month basis, October freight volume was down 2.3 percent compared to September. The modest decline from September compares favorably to last year's decline of 23 percent in the same period. October's results continue a four-month trend of better-than-seasonal improvement.

Brokers, 3PLs, carriers, and owner-operators in North America list more than 50 million loads and trucks per year across a variety of services feeding TransCore's DAT' Network. As a result of this high volume, TransCore's Freight Index is representative of the ups and downs in U.S. spot market freight availability.

The DAT Network sets the standard for load board services in North America by providing:

  • The most loads and trucks found on any load board on the internet or in truck stops,
  • The highest number of exclusive loads found on a single load board,
  • The best quality brokers in the industry with the highest credit scores and lowest-days-to-pay.