DAT spot market data for May 17-23, 2026 (Week 21)

Capacity returns after Roadcheck, and spot rates hold firm

Total load posts on DAT One eased to 4.16 million last week, down 7% from the prior week, as freight volume normalized following CVSA’s International Roadcheck inspection event the week before. Equipment posts rose 2% to 202,042 as carriers that had parked their trucks during Roadcheck week returned to the market. National 7-day average broker-to-carrier spot rates increased for van and flatbed freight, and held firm for reefer freight:

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

▲ Dry van: $2.63 per mile, up 5 cents week over week

▼ Refrigerated: $3.02 per mile, down 3 cents

▲ Flatbed: $3.23 per mile, up 7 cents

Van: Linehaul rates edge up despite easing demand

▼ Van loads: 1,717,530, down 6% week over week

▲ Van equipment: 142,619, up 0.3%

▲ Linehaul rate: $2.27 per mile, up 5 cents week over week

▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 12.0, down from 12.9 the prior week

Reefer: Rates give back 3 cents

▼ Reefer loads: 851,020, down 13% week over week

▲ Reefer equipment: 37,087, up 1%

▼ Linehaul rate: $2.65 per mile, down 3 cents

▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 23.0, down from 26.7

Flatbed: Rate hits a record

▼ Flatbed loads: 1,590,377, down 3% week over week

▲ Flatbed equipment: 22,336, up 18%

▲ Linehaul rate: $2.87 per mile, up 7 cents

▼ Load-to-truck ratio: 71.2, down from 86.7

Market analysis from Dean Croke, Industry Analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics

The week after International Roadcheck usually means the spot rates that spiked during the inspection blitz give back most of those gains. Instead, dry van and flatbed linehaul rates both rose week over week, and reefer gave back only 3 cents of its 32-cent Roadcheck gain. Underlying demand, particularly the start of produce season and pre-Memorial Day positioning, is providing a floor that’s holding rates well above where they sat through April.

Last week’s national average spot flatbed rate was a record $2.87 per mile, beating the prior peak (the June 2021 freight boom, which topped out at $2.74) by 13 cents. This milestone follows 10 consecutive weeks of increases, during which the weekly average rate has added 56 cents per mile.

The average van linehaul rate on DAT’s 50 busiest lanes by volume increased by 17 cents to $2.68 per mile, 41 cents above the overall national 7-day average. In the Midwest, a 13-state economic bellwether that handles nearly 50% of national load volume, the average van rate climbed by 20 cents to $2.64 per mile, sustaining its strong performance in major corridors.