Spot truckload freight trends from DAT One and DAT iQ

Truck posts rise, spot rates decline post-Labor Day

There were almost 2 million loads posted on DAT One during the week of Sept. 7-13, the first full shipping week after the Labor Day holiday. That’s almost unchanged from the prior week. Truck posts rose 11%. National average spot rates declined by 3 cents for all three equipment types.

Broker-to-carrier 7-day average spot rates (national average):

▼ Dry van: $2.03 per mile, down 3 cents week over week

▼ Refrigerated: $2.39 per mile, down 3 cents

▼ Flatbed: $2.40 per mile, down 3 cents

Dry van

▼ Van loads: 900,703, down 6% week over week

▲ Van equipment: 161,916, up 13%

▼ Linehaul rate: $1.66 excluding fuel, down 3 cents

▼ Loads per truck: 5.6, down from 6.7

Reefer

▼ Reefer loads: 420,998, down 8% week over week

▲ Reefer equipment: 45,448, up 2%

▼ Linehaul rate: $2.02 excluding fuel, down 3 cents

▼ Loads per truck: 9.3, down from 10.2

Flatbed

▲ Flatbed loads: 678,130, up 16% week over week

▲ Flatbed equipment: 30,796, up 17%

▼ Linehaul rate: $2.03 excluding fuel, down 3 cents

▼ Loads per truck: 22.0, down from 22.2

Market notes from Dean Croke, DAT iQ industry analyst:

Dry van linehaul spot rates decreased by 3 cents last week to an average of $1.66 per mile. That’s 3 cents above Week 37 in 2024.

The average linehaul rate for DAT’s top 50 van lanes by load volume fell 2 cents to $2.01 per mile, 35 cents better than the national average. In the 13 key Midwest states, which represent 46% of national load volume and often indicate future national trends, spot rates were down a penny to $1.91 per mile.

Last week saw a significant increase in flatbed load post volumes to their highest point in nearly two months. This surge pushed volumes 22% higher compared to the same period in the previous year. Even with carriers re-entering the market after Labor Day and various truck shows nationwide, the flatbed load-to-truck ratio held steady at 22. Spot rates were 10 cents per mile higher than last year and 14 cents higher than in 2023.