Freight rates this week: dry van, reefer and flatbed
This week's dry van, reefer and flatbed rates per mile, the hot and cold freight markets by region, and the monthly spot and contract averages. Below the numbers: which public freight data is worth watching and how to turn it into a rate you can defend on your own lanes.
Freight rates this week
National averages for dry van, reefer and flatbed, updated every week. Use them to see which way the market is moving, then price the load on your own lane and your own costs.
Week of Oct. 10–16, 2026 · Source: DAT Freight & Analytics weekly spot market report
Spot and contract, September 2026
| Equipment | Spot (broker to carrier) | Contract (shipper to broker) |
|---|---|---|
| Dry van | $3.01/mile | $3.24/mile |
| Reefer | $3.62/mile | $3.58/mile |
| Flatbed | $3.61/mile | $4.04/mile |
September 2026 averages, fuel included · Source: DAT Freight & Analytics monthly report
Loads per truck is how many loads were posted for every truck posted on DAT's load board that week. A higher number means more freight than trucks. National averages hide big swings by lane; your lane, season and equipment decide what a load is worth.
Hot and cold freight markets this week
Where outbound freight paid the most and the least for the week ending Oct. 17, 2026. Dry van rates were hottest out of Great Lakes ($2.59 a mile) and coldest out of Florida-South Georgia ($1.40). Reefer rates were hottest out of Upper Midwest ($3.65 a mile) and coldest out of South Central ($2.16). Flatbed rates were hottest out of Ohio River ($3.27 a mile) and coldest out of Lower Mountain ($1.76).
| Equipment | Hottest region | Coldest region | Heating up | Cooling off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry van | Great Lakes $2.59 | Florida-South Georgia $1.40 | California, up 4¢ | Carolinas, down 6¢ |
| Reefer | Upper Midwest $3.65 | South Central $2.16 | Upper Midwest, up 13¢ | Great Lakes, down 4¢ |
| Flatbed | Ohio River $3.27 | Lower Mountain $1.76 | Lower Mountain, up 6¢ | Southeast, down 9¢ |
Dry van rates by region this week
Highest-paying region at the top. The middle line is the national average, $2.26 a mile without fuel: burgundy bars pay more than that, navy bars pay less.
- Great LakesNorth$2.5915% above average · down 3¢
- Ohio RiverMidwest$2.5714% above average · down 4¢
- CaliforniaWest$2.5613% above average · up 4¢
- Upper AtlanticNortheast$2.29about average · down 2¢
- Lower AtlanticEast$2.21about average · down 2¢
- Lower MidwestMidwest$2.20about average · no change
- SoutheastSouth$2.107% below average · down 2¢
- CarolinasSoutheast$2.069% below average · down 6¢
- South CentralSouth$1.9215% below average · down 1¢
- Florida-South GeorgiaSoutheast$1.4038% below average · down 2¢
Week ending Oct. 17, 2026 · Source: DAT Dry Van Report
Reefer rates by region this week
Highest-paying region at the top. The middle line is the national average, $2.76 a mile without fuel: burgundy bars pay more than that, navy bars pay less.
- Upper MidwestNorth$3.6532% above average · up 13¢
- Great LakesNorth$3.3722% above average · down 4¢
- Lower MidwestMidwest$3.3321% above average · up 10¢
- Ohio RiverMidwest$3.2718% above average · down 3¢
- Pacific NorthwestNorthwest$3.1012% above average · up 1¢
- Upper AtlanticNortheast$2.81about average · up 6¢
- CaliforniaWest$2.76about average · down 1¢
- SoutheastSouth$2.4212% below average · up 1¢
- Lower MountainSouthwest$2.3814% below average · up 7¢
- South CentralSouth$2.1622% below average · no change
Week ending Oct. 17, 2026 · Source: DAT Reefer Report
Flatbed rates by region this week
Highest-paying region at the top. The middle line is the national average, $2.65 a mile without fuel: burgundy bars pay more than that, navy bars pay less.
- Ohio RiverMidwest$3.2723% above average · down 2¢
- SoutheastSouth$3.0716% above average · down 9¢
- CarolinasSoutheast$3.0013% above average · no change
- Great LakesNorth$2.878% above average · down 4¢
- Upper AtlanticNortheast$2.60about average · down 1¢
- Lower MidwestMidwest$2.448% below average · down 1¢
- South CentralSouth$2.2914% below average · down 6¢
- Florida-So GeorgiaSoutheast$2.2316% below average · down 3¢
- CaliforniaWest$2.2117% below average · up 1¢
- Lower MountainSouthwest$1.7634% below average · up 6¢
Week ending Oct. 17, 2026 · Source: DAT Flatbed Report
Average spot linehaul paid to carriers, per mile, excluding fuel, for loads going out of each region. DAT's top 10 origin regions by outbound load volume for each equipment type. Only DAT's top 10 regions for each equipment type are shown. Region borders are DAT's; a region can hold strong and weak markets inside it. Use this to see where trucks are short and where they pile up, then check your own lane before you book.
Why a small carrier should read the market
A one- to five-truck company doesn't set the market. But it lives or dies by it. When freight volume drops, brokers have more trucks than loads and offers fall. When volume climbs or trucks leave the market, rates rise and you can be choosier.
Knowing which way things are moving tells you when to hold out for a better rate, when to lock in a steady customer, and when to cut costs before a slow stretch. It's the first station in the circle we teach: freight research comes before the right load.
This page is an evergreen guide. It doesn't quote today's rates, because they change every day and vary by lane. Instead it points you to the public sources and shows you how to use them.
Spot rates and contract rates
There are two kinds of truckload rates, and they move differently.
Spot rates are prices for a single load, booked now, usually through a broker or a load board. They react fast to changes in supply and demand.
Contract rates are prices a shipper agrees to with a carrier or broker for a lane over a period of months. They move slower and usually trail the spot market.
When spot rates climb above contract rates, carriers are in a stronger position and shippers start having trouble covering freight. When spot rates sit well below contract rates for a long time, the market has more trucks than freight, and small carriers feel it first.
Public data sources worth watching
These are free, published by government agencies, and updated on a regular schedule.
Freight Transportation Services Index (BTS)
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes a monthly index of for-hire freight shipments across modes, including trucking. It shows whether overall freight volume is growing or shrinking. See the index and its release schedule.
Producer Price Index for truckload (BLS)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks prices for long-distance truckload general freight trucking. It's a slow, steady read on the direction of truckload pricing. View the series on FRED.
Refrigerated truck reports (USDA)
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service publishes refrigerated truck reports on produce truck rates and availability from major shipping regions. Useful for reefer carriers. See the Agricultural Refrigerated Truck Quarterly.
Weekly diesel prices (EIA)
The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes weekly retail diesel prices, nationally and by region. Fuel is one of your biggest costs. Our diesel fuel prices guide explains how to read them.
How to turn market data into a rate
Market data is only useful when it's tied to your own numbers.
Know your cost per mile
Add up fixed costs (truck payment, insurance, permits) and variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tires, driver pay) and divide by the miles you run. This is the floor. A load below it loses money no matter what the market says.
Check your lane, not just the national number
National averages hide big differences. An outbound lane from a busy market and the return lane can pay very differently. Keep your own record of what each lane has paid. Our guide to trucking lanes explains why.
Read the direction, not the headline
Look at whether volume and prices are rising or falling over several weeks or months. One week's number can mislead you.
Price in the deadhead
Count the empty miles to the pickup and from the delivery to your next load. A high rate into a dead market can earn less than a fair rate into a strong one.
Set your walk-away number before you call
Decide the lowest rate you'll take before you talk to the broker. Then compare the offer with what you found. See our rate confirmation checklist for what to check before you sign.
Patterns small carriers watch through the year
Every year is different, but some patterns come back often enough to plan around.
- Produce seasons raise reefer demand out of growing regions, and that pulls trucks away from dry van.
- Retail shipping for the holidays tends to build in late summer and fall.
- Holidays take drivers off the road, which can tighten capacity for a few days around them.
- Shippers often push freight out at the end of a month or quarter.
- Severe weather can shut lanes and move rates sharply in the affected region.
- Fuel price swings change every carrier's cost per mile at the same time.
Want us to do the research?
Freight research is part of how we run trucking companies for our clients: lanes, shippers and rates checked before the truck is booked. It's also included with our dispatch service at 8% of each load's gross.
Questions and answers
Where can I find current truckload spot rates?
Load boards and freight data companies publish spot rate data, often behind a subscription. Free public sources like the BTS Freight Transportation Services Index and the BLS truckload price index show the direction of the market, but not the rate on your lane. Your own lane history is the best number you have.
How often should I check the market?
Diesel prices weekly, freight volume and price indexes monthly, and your own lane rates every time you book. Watch the trend over several weeks rather than reacting to one number.
Related
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Get help reading your lanes
Tell us your equipment, home base and the lanes you run. We'll tell you what we see.
Prefer the phone? Call 901-205-9679.
Sources
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Transportation Services Index (Transportation as an Economic Indicator)
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Transportation Services Index release schedule
- BLS Producer Price Index by Industry: General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance Truckload (PCU484121484121), via FRED
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service — Agricultural Refrigerated Truck Quarterly
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
- DAT Freight & Analytics — weekly spot truckload market report (via AJOT)
- DAT Freight & Analytics — monthly truckload rates, September 2026
- DAT Freight & Analytics — Dry Van Report (regional rates)
- DAT Freight & Analytics — Reefer Report (regional rates)
- DAT Freight & Analytics — Flatbed Report (regional rates)