Posts Tagged “freight rates”
Truckload freight volumes rose across all major equipment types in March while a sharp jump in fuel costs pushed spot and contract rates to their highest levels in more than two years, reported DAT Freight & Analytics, provider of the industry’s leading load boards and freight analytics.
The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), which measures demand for truckload services, increased month over month, reflecting strong early-season demand to move retail goods, produce, and construction and industrial equipment:
• Van TVI: 253, up 12% compared to February
• Reefer TVI: 196, up 7%
• Flatbed TVI: 314, up 18%
Spot pricing: Fuel drives freight rates higher
National average truckload spot rates increased in March, driven almost entirely by fuel cost recovery:
• Spot van rate: $2.52 per mile, up 11 cents from February
• Spot reefer rate: $2.97 per mile, up 9 cents
• Spot flatbed rate: $3.09 per mile, up 37 cents
Spot rates, which are negotiated between the freight broker and carrier as all-in rates with no separate fuel surcharge, were substantially higher across all modes year over year. The average spot van rate was up 53 cents from March 2025, the reefer rate was up 70 cents, and spot flatbed rates increased 56 cents.
Van and reefer spot linehaul rates—the portion of the truckload rate excluding fuel—surged toward the end of March as shippers rounded out Q1, but actually declined month over month, falling 9 cents and 13 cents, respectively. Flatbed was the exception: the average linehaul rate rose 13 cents.
“Linehaul rates were still under pressure through most of March, which tells you demand hasn’t fully caught up yet,” said Ken Adamo, DAT Chief of Analytics.
The national average diesel fuel surcharge surged across all equipment types, compressing linehaul margins even as total rates climbed. Last month’s average van fuel surcharge rose from 41 cents to 61 cents per mile, the highest since late 2022. The reefer surcharge climbed 22 cents, to 67 cents per mile, and the flatbed surcharge rose 24 cents, to 73 cents per mile.
“For context, monthly average van fuel surcharges averaged around 40 cents per mile throughout most of 2025,” Adamo said. “The March reading represents a 50% increase from that baseline.”
Contract rates: Moving higher with fuel
Contract freight rates increased sharply in March, driven largely by the same fuel-cost dynamics that affect the spot market.
• Contract van rate: $2.72 per mile, up 20 cents month over month
• Contract reefer rate: $3.10 per mile, up 22 cents
• Contract flatbed rate: $3.43 per mile, up 30 cents
As shippers and carriers navigate RFP season in this environment, Adamo offered a pointed assessment of current trucking industry trends and freight pricing strategies. “Right now, the smartest players are pricing contracts based on where they believe the market is going and being transparent about those assumptions, leaving room to adjust if conditions change,” Adamo said.
For previous TVI reports, visit: https://www.dat.com/news-releases
About the Truckload Volume Index
The DAT Truckload Volume Index measures monthly changes in loads with a pickup date during that month. A baseline of 100 equals the number of loads moved in January 2015, based on data from DAT RateView, part of the DAT iQ freight analytics platform, which tracks rates paid on actual shipments. Benchmark spot rates reflect invoice data for hauls of 250 miles or more, offering a consistent view of truckload demand and spot rate trends across the United States and Canada.
About DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT Freight & Analytics operates the DAT One truckload freight marketplace; Convoy Platform, an automated freight-matching technology; DAT iQ analytics service; Trucker Tools load-visibility platform; and Outgo factoring and financial services for truckers. Shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations, and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trends and data insights, informed by nearly 700,000 daily load posts and a database exceeding $1 trillion in freight market transactions.
Founded in 1978, DAT is a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, DAT continues to set the standard for innovation in the trucking and logistics industry. Visit dat.com for more information.
Total load posts on DAT One dropped to 3.58 million last week, a 12% decrease from the previous week, as the market seemed to pull back after the quarter ended and before Easter, according to a press release from DAT.
Truck posts fell across dry van and reefer categories, while flatbed capacity slightly increased. With fuel costs continuing to rise, national average broker-to-carrier spot rates increased across the board.
Freight trends from DAT One and DAT iQ
Spot market data for March 29-April 4, 2026 (Week 14)
▲ Dry van: $2.40 per mile, up 7 cents week over week
▲ Refrigerated: $2.79 per mile, up 5 cents
▲ Flatbed: $2.92 per mile, up 11 cents
Van: Loads and trucks both eased
▼ Van loads: 1,355,940, down 14% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 151,400, down 2%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.04 per mile, up 7 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 9.0, down from 10.1
Reefer: Capacity and loads retreated together
▼ Reefer loads: 651,807, down 15% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 38,533, down 4%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.43 per mile, up 5 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 16.9, down from 19.0
Flatbed: Trucks ticked up as loads fell
▼ Flatbed loads: 1,572,902, down 9% week over week
▲ Flatbed equipment: 21,178, up 1%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.55 per mile, up 11 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 74.3, down from 82.0
Market analysis from Dean Croke, Industry Analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics
The national average flatbed rate rose by 11 cents to $2.55 a mile, marking the largest weekly increase in over a decade. The rate is now at its highest in four years and 40 cents higher than in the same period last year. The national dry van load-to-truck ratio dropped to 9.0 last week, influenced by a 14% decline in load posts and a 2% decrease in equipment posts.
Is last week’s 9% drop in flatbed load posts a blip or the beginning of a trend? In a strong flatbed market, volumes usually peak later in May. Still, flatbed load posts are significantly above historical averages—up 28% from last year.
California’s four-week produce lull has ended, according to the latest USDA AMS Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report. Every California region shifted to a “Slight Shortage” designation for trucks this week—a notable move from “Adequate”—and rates increased across the board.
Imperial/Coachella and Santa Maria set new rate baselines without week-over-week comparisons, indicating a structural increase. Note that USDA’s expanded commodity mix from Imperial/Coachella now includes blackberries, blueberries, and bok choy, along with the usual lettuce, broccoli, and leafy greens. South/Central District produce categories have also been reset to include avocados, artichokes, and radishes.
About DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT Freight & Analytics operates DAT One, North America’s largest truckload freight marketplace; DAT iQ, the industry’s leading freight data analytics service; the Convoy Platform automated freight-matching service; Trucker Tools, the leader in load visibility; and Outgo, the financial services platform for truckers. Check out Dean Croke’s latest DAT iQ Market Update: https://www.youtube.com/DATLoadBoards.
Load and truck posts refer to the number of posts on the DAT One marketplace during Week 14 (March 29-April 4). Load volume refers to the number of loads moved. Rates are aggregated from invoice data submitted to DAT iQ and based on actual loads moved. dat.com
Flatbed carriers remained in high demand during the week of March 1-7, with flatbed loads on the DAT One marketplace up 4% and the average spot rate up 4 cents compared to the previous week.
Truckload freight trends from DAT One and DAT iQ
Spot market data for March 1-7, 2026 (Week 10)
Broker-to-carrier 7-day average spot rates for all three equipment segments:
▼ Dry van: $2.36 per mile, down 3 cents week over week
▼ Refrigerated: $2.75 per mile, down 3 cents
▲ Flatbed: $2.70 per mile, up 4 cents and up 18 cents over the last six weeks
The total number of loads posted to the DAT One marketplace settled lower last week, down 4% to 3.3 million. Truck posts fell to 219,869, also down 4%.
Reduced overall capacity, not a surge in freight volumes, continues to drive long-term spot-market pricing trends. With fuel accounting for roughly one-third of truck operating costs, $5 diesel this week could prompt carriers to park their rigs at least temporarily, exacerbating supply-side pressures.
Van: Load posts ease after weather-driven surge
▼ Van loads: 1.31 million, down 8% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 162,354, down 5%
▼ Linehaul rate: $2.00 per mile, down 2 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 8.1, down from 8.4
Reefer: Produce markets reset as capacity loosens
▼ Reefer loads: 542,704, down 10% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 36,498, down 7%
▼ Linehaul rate: $2.38 per mile, down 3 cents
▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 14.9, down from 15.3
Flatbed: Upward trajectory
▲ Flatbed loads: 1.49 million, up 4% week over week
▲ Flatbed equipment: 21,017, up 1%
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.33 per mile, up 4 cents
▲ Load-to-truck ratio: 70.3, up from 68.9
Market analysis from Dean Croke, Industry Analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics
Flatbed demand continued to press higher. At $2.33 per mile, last week’s national average spot linehaul rate for flatbed freight was 29 cents higher year over year and 16 cents higher than Week 10 in 2018, when flatbed equipment was in high demand. Flatbed load posts were nearly 47% higher year over year.
The produce reefer market just hit a reset. For the first time in weeks, the USDA Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report is showing “Adequate” refrigerated truck availability in all 11 geographic regions. The capacity tightness that defined California, Florida, and South Texas over the past month has fully unwound. Florida outbound continued to a four-week pattern of spot-rate declines, Nogales flipped higher on key lanes, South Texas firmed modestly, and California settled into a holding pattern.
Florida’s weather-damaged crop supply continues to shrink the available reefer load pool faster than capacity can tighten. The Lakeland to Atlanta lane at $1,050–1,250 is remarkably soft but still paying carriers around $100 per load more than a year ago based on DAT 7-day rolling average rates. For context, this lane was $2,100–2,300 just four weeks ago.
Despite declining 8% week over week, dry van load post volumes were 53% higher than the same period last year and nearly double the 10-year average (excluding the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022).
With diesel pushing $5 a gallon, it’s worth noting that, unlike most loads moving under contract, there is no separate fuel surcharge on a spot rate. Carriers and brokers negotiate a single all-in rate per mile, and because spot loads are booked close to the pickup date, that rate is expected to already reflect current diesel prices.
About DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT Freight & Analytics operates DAT One, North America’s largest truckload freight marketplace; DAT iQ, the industry’s leading freight data analytics service; the Convoy Platform automated freight-matching service; Trucker Tools, the leader in load visibility; and Outgo, the financial services platform for truckers. Check out the latest DAT iQ Market Update every Tuesday or on demand: https://www.youtube.com/DATLoadBoards.
Load and truck posts refer to the number of posts on the DAT One marketplace during Week 10 (March 1-7). Load volume refers to the number of loads moved. Rates are aggregated from invoice data submitted to DAT iQ. dat.com
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ALLEN LUND COMPANY, TRANSPORTATION BROKERS, LOOKING FOR REEFER CARRIES: 1-800-404-5863.
A combination of heavy snow, ice accumulation, and dangerous cold made roads treacherous during Winter Storm Fern and for days after, causing widespread paralysis of supply chains and boosting demand for available trucks.
The weather heated up the spot truckload freight market during Jan. 25-31 (Week 5). The total number of loads posted to the DAT One load board topped 3.6 million, a 40% increase from the previous week, and truck posts dropped 18% to 200,769—almost exactly what we’d expect from a storm of Fern’s magnitude. National average spot rates were higher across all three equipment types.
Freight trends from DAT One and DAT iQ
Spot market data for Jan. 25-31, 2026 (Week 5)
Broker-to-carrier 7-day average spot rates:
▲ Dry van: $2.38 per mile, up 11 cents week over week
▲ Refrigerated: $2.85 per mile, up 15 cents
▲ Flatbed: $2.53 per mile, up 1 cent
Dry van
▲ Van loads: 1.65 million, up 55% week over week
▼ Van equipment: 142,817, down 19% week over week
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.01 per mile, up 11 cents week over week
Reefer
▲ Reefer loads: 1 million, up 71% week over week
▼ Reefer equipment: 36,670, down 10% week over week
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.49 per mile, up 15 cents week over week
Flatbed
▲ Flatbed loads: 1 million, up 5% week over week
▼ Flatbed equipment: 21,282, down 18% week over week
▲ Linehaul rate: $2.16 per mile, up 1 cent week over week
Note: Linehaul rates exclude an amount equal to an average fuel surcharge.
Analysis from Dean Croke, Industry Analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics
Last week’s 11-cent increase in the national average spot dry van rate was the largest week-over-week increase in more than three years. That’s nearly 30 cents higher year-over-year and exceeds the five-year average by 36 cents, excluding the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years.
The relative scarcity of available trucks was exacerbated in the refrigerated market as shippers competed for insulated trailers to protect dry van freight from freezing. The freeze-risk pricing premium sent spot reefer rates soaring last week.
At $2.16 per mile, the national average spot flatbed rate increased by 1 cent last week, a modest boost compared to the van and reefer markets. The rate is 19 cents higher year over year, however, and exceeds the five-year average (excluding 2020 and 2021) by 25 cents.
About DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT Freight & Analytics operates DAT One, North America’s largest truckload freight marketplace; DAT iQ, the industry’s leading freight data analytics service; the Convoy Platform automated freight-matching service; Trucker Tools, the leader in load visibility; and Outgo, the financial services platform for truckers. Check out the latest DAT iQ Market Update every Tuesday or on demand: https://www.youtube.com/DATLoadBoards.
Load and truck posts refer to the number of posts on the DAT One marketplace during Week 5 (Jan. 25-31). Load volume refers to the number of loads moved. Rates are aggregated from invoice data submitted to DAT iQ. dat.com
ALLEN LUND COMPANY, TRANSPORTATION BROKERS, LOOKING FOR REEFER CARRIERS: 1-800-404-5863.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reports that global shipping costs surged in the first half of the year due to disruptions in maritime routes and rising operational expenses.
The high costs, the organization adds, are straining the supply chain and may threaten vulnerable economies, raising concerns over trade sustainability, economic growth, and the global effort to achieve sustainable development goals.
UNCTAD attributes much of the increase in freight rates to rerouted vessels, port congestion, and higher operational costs. The report highlights examples like the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), where congestion reportedly more than doubled compared to late 2023.
“As of 18 October 2024, the SCFI was down 45% from its 2024 high and 60% below its record level during COVID-19,” the organization states. “However, it remained 115% above the pre-pandemic average and more than double the 2023 average.”
Due to these conditions, the average rate on the SCFI Shanghai–South America route more than doubled to $9,026 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), marking the highest level since September 2022 from January to July 2024.
“During the same period, the SCFI Shanghai–South Africa route saw its average rate almost triple to $5,426 per TEU (the highest since July 2022), while the SCFI Shanghai–West Africa average rate jumped 137% to $5,563 per TEU (the highest since August 2022),” UNCTAD reports.
U.S. domestic citrus shipments are down overall this year due to lack of volume out of Florida, combined with cost of truck rates from the West Coast. This has resulted in East Coast buyers turning to imports.
The U.S. imports citrus mainly from Mexico, as well as Chile, Peru, and South Africa. In 2023, Mexico exported 1.6 billion pounds of citrus to the United States.
International Fruit Company of Hammonton, NJ reports imports are increasing from Morocco primarily due to the low costs. This year, production of Nadorcott mandarins in Morocco has increased by 20% in volume.
“The company reports if you want to ship fruit from the West to the East Coast, it can cost $10,000. However, from the East to the West, rates go down to $6,000.
East Coast buyers are looking to Morocco, Egypt, or even South Africa because costs are much lower.
There is a similar situation with Argentine lemons. It comes in through the East Coast at a competitive price, and it’s much cheaper to market there directly.
East Coast imports typically will reach as far west as Texas.
There is a good supply of lemons in California at the moment, so exporters would rather send their fruit to the East Coast where prices are more competitive.
Comparing total import volumes, the balance between what comes into the East Coast vs. the West is about 80 percent to 20 percent, company notes.
Import volumes to the West increase only during the California off-season from around May and October. During the season, local producers supply much of the market.
DAT’s 2024 Freight Rate Focus report notes pandemic-sparked disruptions of 2020 and 2021 stretched routing guides beyond their threshold and pushed truckload rates to record highs. The high rates attracted a record number of new carriers, with the number of for-hire interstate carriers nearly doubling.
While truck rates are expected to rise to some degree, the DAT report said it may not be until the middle of 2024.
“The truckload market cycle is bottoming out as carriers continue to exit the industry,” the report said. “However, without any significant change in truckload demand expected before the second quarter of 2024, the market may remain in its current state for quite some time – likely until at least midway through 2024.”
Other shocks to the global supply chain, including war, could change pricing quickly, the DAT report said.
DAT’s prediction is current market conditions will continue until late Q2 when the market should finally find equilibrium.
“The truckload market should revert with spot rates rising over contract rates sometime in the first half of the year, and demand will normalize as the supply chain disruptions that began during the pandemic work their way out of the system,” the report said.
Average U.S. refrigerated truck rates (per mile)
- Jan. 3 — $3.88.
- Feb. 7 — $3.72.
- March 7 — $3.48.
- April 4 — $3.43.
- May 2 — $3.37.
- June 6 — $3.58.
- July 4 — $3.59.
- Aug. 1 — $3.57.
- Sept. 5 — $3.69.
- Oct. 3 — $3.41.
- Nov. 7 — $3.33.
- Dec. 5 — $3.21.
(Source: USDA)
Freight costs for produce shippers declined during 2023, but the rate dip may be setting up a return to firmer pricing in 2024.
In January 2022 for a load of refrigerated produce out of California to the East Coast averaged $5.19 per mile, according to the USDA. By late July, the rate declined to $3.55.
Prices of shipping containers have fallen by two-thirds this year after reaching figures tenfold on major trade routes during 2021, according to Investors’ Chronicle. Rates slowly began falling in the third quarter of 2022 and are expected to continue to drop, the outlet reports.
The estimated cost of shipping a 40 foot container from China to the U.S. West Coast has dropped by 84% since the start of April to $2,470, according to Freightos Baltic Index.
Although the rate is 86% lower year-on-year, it is still 80% higher than in October 2019, before the onset of the pandemic.
Shipping container prices for routes between China and northern Europe began their decline in January, Freightos’ head of research Judah Levine said.
The executive quoted the hit to disposable incomes from higher inflation and the shift in spending from goods to services as the two main factors for the decrease.
Consequently, as lower demand sets in, the congestion issues that have affected major ports around the world is also starting to ease. Prior to the pandemic, only around 3% of global container ships were held up due to this problem. Today, this affects 8% of vessels, a considerable drop from 14% in January 2022.On the other hand, contract rates are also in decline. Shipping data firm Xeneta’s index tracking contract rates from China to Europe recorded its biggest ever month-on-month drop of 8% in October. However, the figure is still 64% higher than in January 2022.
Chilean fruit exporters are experiencing lower profit margins due to the increased cost of ocean freight, according to the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile (ASOEX) and the Agricultural Society of Biobio (Socabio).
ASOEX reports rates are increasing considerably in relation to the freight paid the previous two years.
The exporters association notes a U.S. study shows 25 percent of the price consumers are paying corresponds to the freight issue.
This hike has a direct impact on fruit producers and exporters throughout Chile due to freight increases and is one of the fundamental concerns of the industry is specific commodities, such as cherries, table grapes, peaches, nectarines, and kiwis, cannot directly absorb the increase in the cost of the freight.
Socabio reports the cost of freight has risen 30 to 40 percent, which affects the profitability of the exported crops, although it depends on the crop; in the case of fresh fruit, it becomes more expensive to export because it is important to export the crop quickly.
By Gerald Ebert, ALC Richmond
Is the severity of the “supply chain crisis” a direct result of the COVID pandemic? Probably.
Are 15 months of consecutive Year-Over-Year freight cost increases a direct result of COVID and the “supply chain crisis”? That question is not as easily answered.
Most of us in the freight business work in a right here and right now world. We win and lose looking into a crystal ball that has been very cloudy the last few years. We work hard to find commonalities with past trends to help give us even the slightest advantage.
Even with years of experience and more real-time data than ever before at our fingertips, every tight truck market is the “tightest we have ever seen”, while a loose truck market seems to add hours to every day.
As everything these days is a “crisis”, it is not uncommon to hear that the national reopening that followed the COVID shut down was the beginning of the current capacity “crisis.”
It’s true, that average truckload prices did increase approximately 80% from the end of the COVID shutdown through the close of 2020. This trend continued through 2021. Only as 2021 closed, did we see the Year-Over-Year gap shrink to reasonable comparisons.
With all that has happened since we found ourselves adjusting to a new and often unwelcome reality, it’s easy to forget that before The COVID Shutdown, The Great Reopening, The Workforce Shortage, The Supply Chain Crises, and Surging Inflation, there was January, February, and March of 2020.
I recall having numerous, maybe daily, conversations with colleagues in those three months in which we opined, “This the tightest market we have ever seen.” It wasn’t. In fact, it didn’t really come close in comparison to the capacity challenges we faced in June and July of 2018.
The industry, and those of us that work in it every day, were simply conditioned by an unusually long 24 to 26 month cycle of demand and rate decline. It is likely that the COVID pandemic was just an unpredictable pause of the inevitable rebound we are still dealing with today.
2022 is not showing any signs of a downward correction. Most are predicting mild 3-5% increases when compared to 2021. The reality is that we won’t know until the year concludes. That’s the way transportation works. Hindsight is crystal clear. The only thing crystal clear about the future in transportation is that it will be different than it was the previous year.
The market doesn’t recognize any calendar or bid cycle. It doesn’t show mercy for the unpredictable. When the market destroys your budget, it shouldn’t destroy solid relationships that have been built over years.
2021 proved, yet again, that any commodities market is measured by a simple supply and demand equation. From 2018 through 2019, that equation favored the shipper. For most of 2020 through today, and for the foreseeable right here and right now future, it has forced shippers to battle for capacity. Trusted resources and strong relationships have never been more important. That crystal clear hindsight view will verify those relationships.
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Gerald Ebert began his career with Allen Lund Company as a transportation broker in the San Antonio office. In 1999, Ebert transferred to ALC Richmond and was promoted to the manager of the Richmond office in 2000.