BEAVERTON, Ore. — Although rising fuel prices clearly were a factor, broker-posted spot rates for refrigerated and flatbed equipment in the Truckstop.com system rose notably during the week ending March 20, even excluding the portion of the rate needed to recover higher fuel costs.
“Total dry van rates eased a bit, but they rose sharply in most regions,” FTR said. “The approaching Easter holiday might have figured into refrigerated’s gain, but the increase was far larger this year than it was two weeks before Easter last year.”
Total Spot Loads
Total load activity increased 2.0% week over week to the highest level since June 2022. Load postings were about 41% higher than during the same 2025 week. Truck postings were flat week over week and the Market Demand Index – the ratio of loads to trucks – rose further to the highest level in just over four years.
Total Spot Rates
The total market broker-posted rate rose about 8 cents week over week to the highest level since July 2022 after increasing more than 10 cents in the previous week. Excluding a calculated fuel surcharge, rates, which increased more than 4 cents, were only marginally lower than they were two weeks earlier and otherwise the strongest since July 2022. Total spot rates were about 18% higher than in the same 2025 week and 9.5% higher excluding a calculated fuel surcharge.
Although carriers operating in the spot market typically do not receive surcharges, the calculation serves as a proxy for the portion of the rate needed to offset higher fuel costs. With diesel prices surging more than $1.17 a gallon in the prior two weeks, FTR estimates that carriers’ fuel costs per mile have risen about 17 cents in just two weeks, assuming an average fuel economy of 7 mpg.
Dry Van Spot Rates
Dry van spot rates dipped six tenths of a cent after jumping 12 cents in the previous week. Excluding a fuel surcharge, rates fell about 4 cents. Broker-posted rates were up about 29% versus the same week last year while rates excluding fuel surcharges were up more than 20%.
While dry van spot rates were sluggish nationally, rates at a regional level once again diverged greatly. In the previous week, rates originating in the Midwest had driven most of the week’s gain. Last week, Midwest rates gave up almost two-thirds of the prior week’s jump, but all other regions except the Northeast recorded week-over-week rate increases of more than 10 cents.
Dry van loads increased 5.9% for the largest gain in seven weeks and were up about 50% versus the same 2025 week. Volume rose in all regions, although load postings were barely above flat week over week in the Midwest.
Refrigerated Spot Rates
Refrigerated spot rates jumped just over 18 cents – the second largest increase of the year so far – after rising more than 10 cents during the prior week. Excluding a fuel surcharge, rates were up close to 15 cents. Broker-posted rates, which were the highest in six weeks, were close to 42% above the same 2025 week and more than 37% higher when fuel surcharges are excluded. Rates increased between 11 and 28 cents in all regions except the Northeast where rates were up only about 5 cents. A larger factor than Easter demand might have been the need to recover costs for rising trailer refrigerated unit fuel costs – a concern that does not exist for dry van and flatbed carriers, of course.
Refrigerated loads rose 17.0% – the largest increase since the major winter storm in week 4 – and were up about 39% versus the same 2025 week. The largest increases in volume were in the Midwest and Mountain Central regions, but load postings were higher week over week in all regions.
Flatbed Spot Rates
Flatbed spot rates rose 9 cents to the highest level since August 2022 after increasing nearly 11 cents in the previous week. Excluding fuel surcharges, flatbed rates increased 5.5 cents and were the highest since August 2022 except for a marginally higher rate during a single week last April. Broker-posted rates were more than 16% higher than they were during the same 2025 week. Excluding fuel surcharges, rates were up nearly 8%. Rate increases were larger than the national gain in the South Central, Southeast, and West Coast, but weaker growth – especially in the Midwest where rates were barely above flat week over week – moderated the total increase.
Flatbed loads declined 1.0% for the first week-over-week decrease in eight weeks. Load postings were slightly less than 42% higher than in the same 2025 week – the weakest prior-year comparison since the beginning of the year. Volume rose substantially in the Mountain West region and on the West Coast but was down in other regions except for the South Central where loads were up less than 1%.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
