MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The latest quarterly U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index – Rates Edition shows contract and spot rates following different paths from June through August.
Produced in collaboration with DAT Freight & Analytics, the report shows contract rates increasing while spot rates moderated from their June level.
“Fuel made up about 21% of the per-mile broker-to-shipper spot rate on dry van loads in June,” said Patrick Pretorius, general manager shipper segment, DAT. “By August, it was 24%, and diesel is trending higher into the fall. Higher fuel costs push smaller, thinner-margin carriers out of the market, which adds to an already shrinking driver pool. Shippers who’ve spent two years squeezing rate per mile would do well to shift focus to consolidation and network planning, as the market is tightening from two directions at once.”
Dry van spot rates decreased from $2.38 per mile in June to $2.35 in July and $2.17 in August. Contract rates moved higher during the same period, rising from $2.30 per mile in June to $2.38 in July and $2.39 in August. By August, contract rates carried a premium of roughly $0.22 per mile over spot freight.
Fuel costs also played a growing role in overall transportation spending. Average fuel surcharge rates increased from $0.62 per mile in June to $0.70 in August, elevating total freight costs even as spot linehaul pricing softened.
“Fuel costs are increasing while linehaul pricing is softening, making it important for transportation teams to closely analyze the components of their freight spend,” said Jeff Pape, head of transportation for U.S. Bank Corporate Payment Systems.
The Rates Edition, launched in January 2026, complements the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, which the bank has published quarterly since 2017. The Index measures quantitative changes in freight shipments and spend activity based on data from transactions processed through U.S. Bank Freight Payment, which processes more than $46 billion in freight payments annually.
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.
