Van rates have been mostly stable as a national average, but Texas is a bright spot. Rates out of Dallas have risen 3.5 percent over the past four weeks, based on an average of eight high-volume lanes. 

The roundtrip between Dallas and Houston is the most popular of all, and rates are rising in both directions:The roundtrip between Dallas and Houston is the most popular of all, and rates are rising in both directions:

• Dallas to Houston rose to $2.73 per mile last week, up 15 cents in the past four weeks
• Houston to Dallas hit $2.43 per mile, a modest 4-cent bump

In Houston, vans are gaining traction faster than flatbeds, which is unusual. Van traffic could be bolstered by shipments of support materials needed prior to construction on oilfields and pipelines. That would account for a 16-cent increase in the lane rate from Houston to Laredo, in the Permian Basin.

Also, the steady decline in oil prices could cause more petroleum to be diverted to manufacturing. The resulting goods, including as plastic resins and films, typically move on vans.

Next week’s hot tip: Look for reefer rates to rise heading into Atlanta, as A-Town gears up to host the Super Bowl.

For more spot market freight trends, visit www.dat.com/trendlines.