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Driver Recruiting Weekly Report – December 1, 2021

The Weekly Report brings you updates on the most important driver recruiting metrics each and every week. In addition to updated click, search and spot rates, we cover a new story of the week. This week’s story – How long will used truck prices continue to rise?

New episodes of the Weekly Report premiere every Wednesday at 10 AM CT on our YouTube channel and Recruiting Resources page.

We provide the Weekly Report in numerous formats every week. Which one is right for you? Watch the latest reports on our Recruiting Resources or YouTube pages, use our Numbers at a Glance section for quick visual references, download the Weekly Report PDF (available below), read the transcript, or listen to the audio version of the December 1, 2021, Weekly Report below.

 

Numbers at a Glance

Spot Rates
WOW: Up 6¢ per mile
Spot Rates by Segment
WoW: Dry Van Up 14¢ per mile
WoW: Refrigerated Down 2¢ per mile
WoW: Flatbed Up 1/2¢ per mile
Load Posting Volume
WOW: Down 40%
Load Volume by Segment
WoW: Dry Van Down 34%
WoW: Refrigerated Down 36%
WoW: Flatbed Down 48%
Truck Postings
WOW: Down 34%
Truck Driver Searches
WOW: Down 3%
MoM: Down 22%
YoY: Down 31%
Clicks on Truck Driver Postings
WOW: Down 13%
MoM: Down 25%
YoY: Up 8%

December 1, 2021 Driver Recruiting Insights

Would you like to have your own copy of the trucking industry data? All of the information covered in this week’s report for December 1, 2021, is available for your convenience in PDF form below.

Click the Image to Download Recruiting Insights for December 1, 2021.

How Long Will Used Truck Prices Climb?

Weekly Report Transcript – December 1, 2021

Hello everyone and welcome to the Weekly Report, for Randall-Reilly I’m Joshua Miller. Hopefully you were able to take some time and enjoy a great Thanksgiving … but time to get back to the grind. Let’s jump right into the numbers.

THIS WEEK IN JOB BOARD SEARCHES AND CLICKS

Truck driver searches were down 3% WoW, 22% MoM, and 31% YoY. Clicks on driver postings were down 13% WoW, 25% MoM, and up 8% YoY.

The drops in search and click activity were not unexpected, as historically both drop during the week of Thanksgiving. This year, however, the dip actually began the week before Thanksgiving, which is why the WoW dips were smaller than what we typically see this time of year. If the rates continue to follow the trend we can expect to see clicks rebound to or above the levels they were at prior to Thanksgiving in the coming week or so.

THIS WEEK IN FREIGHT

Load postings tumbled by 40% WoW, but again … this isn’t a huge shock. In the past few years, volume drops during the week of Thanksgiving have ranged from around 36%-42%, so this year falls right in line with what was to be expected.

Each of the three major segments saw large load posting decreases with dry van postings dropping 34%, refrigerated dropped 36%, and flatbed saw a decrease of 48% WoW.

Truck availability was also on the decline with a 34% drop, which is again typical of this time of year. The load-to-truck ratio fell to its lowest level in five weeks, and dry van actually bucked the system and overall trend to rise to its strongest levels in eight weeks.

Spot rates rose by 6¢ per mile WoW, but most of that increase is the result of a sharp increase in dry van rates. Dry van was up 14¢ WoW, while refrigerated dropped by 2¢, and flatbed inched up with an increase of ½¢ per mile WoW.

STORY OF THE WEEK

Just how long will these used truck prices last? Well it looks like the prices could continue to climb well into 2022. Through the first 10 months of 2021, used truck activity was 4% higher compared to 2020, and the average price is a staggering 48% higher, while the average miles were down 2% and the age remained unchanged.

Comparing available used trucks in October 2021 to October 2020, the average price was 67% higher, average miles and age were greater by 3% and 5% respectively.

Although inventory levels are among the lowest, we’ve ever seen, dealers have done everything they can to provide their buyers with the units they need. But there’s only so much that can be done as new trucks continued to be delayed by the shortage of semiconductors and other vital components.

Price increases on the auction market are even higher. Trucks 4-6 years old are selling for 90% more than they were in 2020 and 71% more than they did in 2019. Late-model trucks have appreciated 5.6% per month in 2021 to date.

Given the recent price and sales trends for used trucks, coupled with elevated freight volume and rates, these high prices are likely to climb even higher … at least in the near term.

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, but we’ll be back with all the latest for you next Wednesday morning. You can find all our Weekly Reports and other great driver recruiting content over on our YouTube page as well as over on our newly updated Randall-Reilly website in the recruiting resources section. Until then, have a great week everybody.