Dean Croke

Dean Croke is the Principal Analyst for DAT iQ, the freight data and analytics operation at DAT. He brings 35 years of experience in the fields of data science, supply chain management, logistics, risk management and human performance. For the latest market updates, follow @datfreightteam on Twitter.

Dry van report: The freight market just flashed its biggest warning since 2022

The March Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) hit 65.7, the highest since May 2022, driven by a surge in Transportation Prices

Dry van report: “Manufacturing is back. Trucking should pay attention.”

The factory floor is still humming. The ISM Manufacturing PMI came in at 52.7% in March, a slight uptick from

Reefer Produce Report: Nogales hits shortage, California breaks out, and Florida finally bounces

Vidalia Onion pack date has been announced for April 13, marking the official starting line of the 2026 produce season

Flatbed report: ATA Tonnage Index hits three-year high as trucking volumes jump in February

The ATA’s seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 2.6% in February to 116.2, following a 0.7% gain in January

Flatbed report: Farm equipment sales are still sliding, and flatbed carriers are feeling it

The agriculture equipment sector hasn’t found its floor yet. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ February 2026 report, total

Reefer Produce Report: California citrus hits shortage, Yakima tightens, and the border keeps climbing

California citrus is the week’s biggest story. South/Central CA citrus (blood oranges, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, tangelos) jumped from Adequate to

Dry van report: The capacity isn’t gone — it just got selective

The Journal of Commerce Truckload Capacity Index edged up from 72.4% in Q3 2025 to 73.5% in Q4, but don’t

Flatbed report: The construction boom that fueled flatbed is fading

Nonresidential construction spending fell 0.6% in December, and the numbers underneath that headline are worse than they look for flatbed

Reefer Produce Report: South Texas goes full squeeze; Every lane hits slight shortage

South Texas is the tightest produce origin in the country. All nine lanes out of Mexico crossings through South Texas

Dry van report: Why spot market carriers feel the diesel pain first

The war in the Middle East has quickly injected volatility into global energy markets, and diesel prices are responding faster

Flatbed report: The port that moves the machinery that moves America

Every March, flatbed carriers along the East Coast and into the Mid-Atlantic feel a familiar tightening — and the Port

Reefer Produce Report: The calm lasted one week; Nogales, South Texas, and Florida all tighten

The big picture Last week’s all-Adequate reset? Gone. Slight Shortage conditions are back at three of the four biggest produce