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The content below is for brokers interested in utilizing the DrayNow spot market. For brokers interested in securing intermodal drayage service for their contracted lanes, please feel free to reach out to us via contact form.

For a look at last month’s data on intermodal spot rates, click the link here.

In February of this year, intermodal spot rates were down in the Chicago and Atlanta markets while rising in Los Angeles. For March, the exact opposite occurred. Spot rates on the DrayNow platform were up 10% in Atlanta, 6% in Chicago and down 23% in the Los Angeles market.

The Los Angeles market continues to be the most volatile for spot rates, dropping 23% in March after jumping up 18% in February. This is the lowest average spot rate recorded in the LA market this year as well as the entirety of 2022. Compared to March of last year, rates are down 39%.

Average intermodal drayage spot rates in Chicago were up 6% for March, finally rising after 4 months of percent decreases month-over-month. The Chicago market continues to cost more to move freight than the Atlanta market. Chicago intermodal spot rates for this month are 41% lower than March 2022.

The Atlanta market saw rates rise 10% month-over-month, and just like Chicago, the first jump in rates following a few months of decline. Intermodal spot rates in this market also remain incredibly close to the Chicago drayage spot rates. In comparison to the same period last year, Atlanta average spot rates are up 12%.

Spot rates continue to remain much lower when comparing this year to the numbers the industry was seeing in 2022. It’s important to note that at this time last year, diesel prices jumped significantly due to the crisis in Ukraine, bringing spot rates up as well. In the 12 months of data shown on the graph above, average spot rates in our key markets also have never been as close to one another as they are now, with just a 7% difference between the highest average rate recorded and the lowest number.