DAT One and DAT iQ spot truckload data for Nov. 23-29, 2025 (Week 48)

Posting activity took a holiday during Thanksgiving week

The Thanksgiving holiday took a bite out of the spot market last week (Nov. 23-29, Week 48), with load posts on DAT One down 48% week over week to 1.3 million. The total number of truck posts dropped 30% to 251,080. Thanksgiving can have an outsized effect on load and truck postings: freight swells the week before, then drops sharply during the holiday week when many shippers and receivers close for an extended weekend.

DAT iQ broker-to-carrier 7-day average spot rates:

▲ Dry van: $2.11 per mile, up 7 cents week over week

▲ Refrigerated: $2.50 per mile, up 5 cents

— Flatbed: $2.37 per mile, unchanged

Dry van

▼ Van loads: 685,607, down 43% week over week

▼ Van equipment: 129,687, down 31.3%

▲ Linehaul rate (net fuel): $1.75 per mile, up 7 cents

Reefer

▼ Reefer loads: 304,717, down 48% week over week

▼ Reefer equipment: 35,336, down 26%

▲ Linehaul rate (net fuel): $2.13 per mile, up 5 cents

Flatbed

▼ Flatbed loads: 313,284, down 54% week over week

▼ Flatbed equipment: 19,982, down 36%

— Linehaul rate (net fuel): $2.01 per mile, unchanged

U.S. National Average Diesel Price (Source: EIA)

▼ $3.85 per gallon, down 6 cents week over week (ending Nov. 24). ▲ 32 cents YOY

Market notes from Dean Croke, DAT iQ industry analyst:

The annual surge of reefer truckload demand is underway in the Philadelphia region, fueled by South American produce imports. The Port of Philadelphia is now receiving high-value perishables like Peruvian blueberries and Chilean grapes. This influx creates an immediate logistical challenge: perishable cargo must be quickly moved from port cold storage, leading to a sudden spike in demand for temperature-controlled trailers.

• Outbound reefer volumes are already 16% higher than last year, while spot rates have risen 4% to average $2.25 per mile.
• For carriers and logistics providers, this represents peak operational opportunity as shippers fiercely compete for available trucks.
• The arrival of Southern Hemisphere fruit provides a dependable seasonal shock to the Eastern reefer market, demanding proactive planning from everyone in the cold supply chain.

At $2.01 per mile, the national average flatbed spot rate held steady for the third consecutive week. This rate is currently just 3 cents higher year over year.