DAT spot truckload data for Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2025 (Week 44)

Spot truckload rates cooled ahead of Halloween

Load posts on the DAT One load board dipped by 6% to 2.16 million last week and truck posts declined for the third straight week, slipping 9% to 221,480. The national 7-day average spot linehaul rate was lower across all three equipment types compared to the previous week. The national average price of diesel jumped 10 cents to $3.72 a gallon, returning to levels in September and early October.

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

▼ Dry van: $2.07 per mile, down 1 cent week over week

▼ Refrigerated: $2.44 per mile, down 3 cents

▼ Flatbed: $2.42 per mile, down 2 cents

Dry van

▼ Van loads: 997,487, down 1% week over week

▼ Van equipment: 151,280, down 10%

▼ Linehaul rate: $1.70 per mile, down 2 cents

Reefer

▼ Reefer loads: 479,251, down 14% week over week

▼ Reefer equipment: 41,570, down 9%

▼ Linehaul rate: $2.08 per mile, down 2 cents

Flatbed

▼ Flatbed loads: 684,317, down 6% week over week

▼ Flatbed equipment: 28,630, down 9%

▼ Linehaul rate: $2.05 per mile, down 2 cents

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

▲ $3.72 per gallon, up 10 cents week over week. YOY: ▲ 14 cents

Market notes from Dean Croke, DAT iQ industry analyst:

Historically, dry van load posts have increased 13% during the last week of October as shippers clear their docks and manage last-minute e-commerce replenishment. However, this year, load post volumes decreased by about 1%.

Demand for dry van equipment on the spot market persisted along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, where ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities are affecting capacity. Load posts in these regions surged 17% week over week; notably, the Nogales freight market saw a 35% week-over-week increase in available loads, Laredo jumped by 20%, and McAllen increased by 34%.

Usually, reefer load posts increase by 17% during the week before Halloween. This year, load-post volumes fell by nearly 14%. Uncertainty over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may be affecting shipments of perishable produce: several states, including Florida and New York, announced that November SNAP allotments would end on Nov. 1 due to a lack of federal funding, which is likely to have affected purchasing decisions last week.

Midwest reefer markets, particularly in Missouri, are tightening as fresh turkey production increases ahead of Thanksgiving. Reefer load-post volumes in Missouri surged 10% last week and are up 33% over the past month. Spot rates from Joplin averaged $2.36 per mile last week, up 2 cents from the previous week and 5 cents in the last month.