BEAVERTON, Ore. — After huge gains – especially for van equipment – during the previous week due to International Roadcheck, broker-posted spot rates in the Truckstop.com system rose again for all equipment types during the week ending May 22 as the Memorial Day holiday approached.
“Dry van spot rates posted the strongest increase and were only about 12 cents below their all-time high in late December 2021,” FTR said. “Refrigerated spot rates were about 30 cents below their record, which was during the same week.”
Total Spot Loads
Total load activity eased 0.6% week over week after the 21% jump during International Roadcheck week. Volume was more than 59% higher than in the same 2025 week, driven mostly by flatbed’s extraordinary prior-year comparison, although all equipment types were up year over year. Truck postings increased 3.6% after the large drop during Roadcheck week, and the Market Demand Index – the ratio of loads to trucks – declined modestly from the previous week’s level, which had been highest in five years.
Total Spot Rates
The total market broker-posted rate rose by just under 9 cents a mile – down only a penny from the increase during Roadcheck week. As discussed below in the context of individual equipment types, week-over-week rate performance varied quite sharply by region.
The all-in total rate again was at a record level, and the latest week’s increase also pushed the rate excluding a calculated fuel surcharge to an all-time high. Although carriers operating in the spot market typically do not receive surcharges, the calculation is a proxy for the portion of the rate needed to offset higher fuel costs.
All-in broker-posted rates were 45.6% higher than in the same week last year while rates excluding a calculated surcharge were about 41% higher.
For both broker-posted and fuel-adjusted rates, the year-over-year comparisons are the strongest since June 2021 when comparisons were still skewed by the collapse in rates during April 2020 that were just beginning to recover in May and June of that year. Year-over-year comparisons peaked at more than 85% in mid-April 2021.
Since International Roadcheck moved to its mid-May timeframe in 2021 (previously it was held in early June except for 2020 when it was held in September), the pattern mostly has been for van rates to level off or even decline slightly for a few weeks after Memorial Day before the inevitable late June surge. However, tighter capacity and the need for fuel cost recovery obviously have disrupted seasonality for dry van and refrigerated equipment. Moreover, flatbed spot rates have risen in all but one week for the past six months – performance that bears no connection to seasonal patterns.
Dry Van Spot Rates
Dry van spot rates rose by 13 cents jumping nearly 24 cents during the previous week. All-in dry van spot rates, which were at the highest level since January 2022, were about 48% higher than the same week last year while rates excluding a fuel surcharge were up close to 43%. Rates were up week over week in all regions except for a small decrease on the West Coast, but the largest gains were for loads originating in the Southeast and Midwest.
Dry van loads declined 3.2% after jumping more than 36% during Roadcheck week. Volume was more than 41% higher than in the same 2025 week. Load postings were down in all regions except for a small increase in the Southeast and a larger one in the low-volume Mountain Central region.
Refrigerated Spot Rates
Refrigerated spot rates increased about 6 cents after surging by a record 52.2 cents during Roadcheck week. Like dry van, refrigerated rates were at their highest level since early January 2022. Broker-posted rates were 48% higher than in the same 2025 week while rates excluding a fuel surcharge were up 44%. Of the principal equipment types, refrigerated rates were skewed the most regionally. Rates on loads originating in the Southeast provided the overwhelming bulk of week-over-week rate growth. The South Central region was the only other region to see any increase at all.
Refrigerated loads fell 11.4% after surging just under 43% during Roadcheck week. Volume was 11% higher than in the same 2025 week. Load postings were down in all regions, although volume held up far better in the Southeast than elsewhere at a decrease of less than 2% week over week.
Flatbed Spot Rates
Flatbed spot rates rose by 7.7 cents to another record. Rates have risen for 21 straight weeks and in 26 of the past 27 weeks. All-in flatbed rates were more than 45% higher than in the same 2025 week while rates excluding a surcharge were up a little more than 41%. Rates rose strongly on loads originating in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast but were either down or barely higher week over week in other regions.
Flatbed loads increased 2.7% to their highest level since May 2022 after rising nearly 15% during Roadcheck week. Volume was about 82% higher than in the same 2025 week. Load postings were up in all regions except the Northeast, although increases in the South Central and Mountain Central regions were under 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.
