BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —Total load posts on DAT One fell to 3.57 million last week, down 15% from the prior week, as the Memorial Day holiday shortened the workweek.
“Equipment posts dropped further, down 23% to 166,217, and the capacity pullback kept upward pressure on spot rates,” DAT said. “National 7-day average broker-to-carrier spot rates rose for two of three equipment types.”
7-Day Average Broker-to-Carrier Spot Rates
â–² Dry van: $2.68 per mile, up 5 cents week over week
â–¼ Refrigerated: $3.00 per mile, down 2 cents
â–² Flatbed: $3.26 per mile, up 2 cents
Van: Capacity Tightens Further
â–¼ Van loads: 1,557,294, down 10% week over week
â–¼ Van equipment: 115,097, down 24%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.32 per mile, up 5 cents week over week
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 13.5, up from 11.4 the prior week
“The weekly van linehaul rate hit a new high for 2026, rising 5 cents to $2.32 per mile,” said Dean Croke, industry analyst, DAT Freight & Analytics. “That’s 65 cents higher year over year. The average rate for the top 50 lanes monitored by DAT climbed 7 cents to $2.75 per mile, 43 cents above the overall 7-day national average, and the average rate in the 13-state Midwest region increased 3 cents to $2.67 per mile, continuing a trend of robust pricing.”
Reefer: Rates Soften Slightly
â–¼ Reefer loads: 667,345, down 23% week over week
â–¼ Reefer equipment: 33,507, down 17%
â–¼ Linehaul rate: $2.64 per mile, down 2 cents
â–¼ Load-to-truck ratio: 19.9, down from 21.3
“Reefer was the only equipment type to give ground on rates,” Croke said. “The 2-cent drop in the linehaul rate reflects both Memorial Day softness and the produce season’s normal mid-cycle pause between early-season Southeast harvests and the June ramp-up in the Midwest and West. Produce shipment volumes declined by 13% this past week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, following a steady month-long climb prior to Memorial Day. Current levels are nearly on par with the same post-holiday period last year.”
Flatbed: Another Record Weekly Rate
â–¼ Flatbed loads: 1,349,381, down 16% week over week
â–¼ Flatbed equipment: 17,613, down 25%
â–² Linehaul rate: $2.89 per mile, up 2 cents
â–² Load-to-truck ratio: 76.6, up from 68.6
“The weekly flatbed linehaul rate set a new all-time high,” Croke said. “Last week’s national average spot flatbed linehaul rate reached $2.89 per mile, surpassing the $2.87 record set the prior week. The streak now stands at 11 consecutive weeks of increases, with the weekly average rate adding 58 cents per mile since early March.”
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.
