Holiday-week capacity crunch drives spot rates higher
Total load posts on DAT One fell to 2.72 million last week, down 27% from the prior week, as freight movement slowed ahead of Independence Day. However, load post volumes last week remained approximately 35% above year-ago levels. Equipment posts fell 14% to 157,422 as carriers took time off for the holiday. Even so, capacity remained tight relative to demand, and spot linehaul rates rose 3 to 10 cents per mile across all three equipment types. Lower diesel prices pulled fuel surcharges down 3 cents per mile, partially offsetting gains in broker-to-carrier all-in rates:
▲ Dry van: $3.06 per mile, up 4 cents week over week
▲ Refrigerated: $3.47 per mile, up 7 cents
▲ Flatbed: $3.68 per mile, unchanged
Van: Posting volumes drop, but rates climb
▼ Van loads: 1,182,988, down 27% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 105,992, down 16%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.49 per mile, up 7 cents week over week
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 11.2, down from 12.8 the prior week
Reefer: Produce season keeps rates strong
▼ Reefer loads: 717,866, down 17% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 32,538, down 8%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.85 per mile, up 10 cents week over week
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 22.1, down from 24.3
Flatbed: Linehaul rate approaches $3.00
▼ Flatbed loads: 814,552, down 35% week over week
▼ Flatbed equipment: 18,892, down 14%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.99 per mile, up 3 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 43.1, down from 57.0
Market analysis from Dean Croke, Industry Analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics
The national average reefer linehaul rate rose 10 cents to $2.85 per mile, matching the 2021 all-time record. The average all-in broker-to-carrier spot rate jumped 7 cents to $3.47 per mile. The market to move fresh and frozen produce and other temperature-controlled freight remained robust into the July 4 weekend. Several trends stand out:
- Since mid-April, the national average reefer linehaul rate has increased 50 cents per mile, more than double the 10-year seasonal average gain of 23 cents.
- The national average linehaul rate is 39% (80 cents) higher year over year and 28% (78 cents) above the non-pandemic five-year norm.
- Reefer load post volumes decreased by 17% during the shortened workweek, yet they were 32% above the previous year’s levels.
Van linehaul climbed 7 cents to a Week 27 record of $2.49 per mile, 10 cents above the 2021 pandemic-era peak. The national average was 49% (82 cents) higher year over year and 31% (77 cents) above the five-year average. The rate has increased by 24% (49 cents) since the week before the CVSA International Roadcheck inspection event, held May 12–14.
On DAT’s top 50 lanes by volume, the average van linehaul rate jumped 13 cents to $3.06 per mile. The average rate in the country’s 10-state manufacturing core—Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, and Mississippi—gained 13 cents to average $2.98 per mile. This increase reflects tighter truck capacity during the abbreviated workweek preceding Independence Day.
Flatbed linehaul climbed 3 cents to $2.99 per mile, closing in on the $3.00 mark as the market transitions through the July 4 holiday. The rate sits about 42% higher year over year, sustained by infrastructure and manufacturing backlogs across the 10-state industrial corridor. Flatbed appears to be entering its typical post-July 4 seasonal plateau while remaining above historical norms. The weekly rate has increased for 16 consecutive weeks, rising from $2.31 to $2.99 or 68 cents, since early March.
Fuel surcharges by equipment type this week: Dry van 57 cents per mile, refrigerated 62 cents, flatbed 68 cents. All three declined about 3 cents week over week as the national average on-highway diesel price dropped by 16 cents to $4.67 a gallon.
