Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Spot Truckload Rates Poised to Set Records in June

Spot truckload rates on the DAT Solutions network of load boards rose again for the week ending June 16 and are on track to achieve the highest ever monthly average for van, refrigerated, and flatbed freight.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
June 21, 2018
Spot Truckload Rates Poised to Set Records in June

Spot truckload rates  rose again and are on track to achieve the highest ever monthly average for van, refrigerated, and flatbed freight.

Source: DAT Solutions

2 min to read


Spot truckload rates on the DAT Solutions network of load boards rose again for the week ending June 16 and are on track to achieve the highest ever monthly average for van, refrigerated, and flatbed freight, according to the freight matching service provider.

Despite a 6% drop in posted loads and 5.4% jump in the number of available trucks from the week before, national average rates gained for all three equipment types. The flatbed rate set a record while van and reefer rates were just shy of their all-time high:

Ad Loading...
  • Van: $2.30 per mile, up 1 cent

  • Flatbed: $2.82 per mile, up 1 cent

  • Reefer: $2.70 per mile, up 1 cent

Van load posts fell 5% while truck posts increased 4% compared to the previous week. The van load-to-truck ratio declined 8% to 10.3 to 1.

The number of available loads increased by double-digit percentage points in key markets such as Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta. Looking at spot rates, most of the top-gaining van lanes were in the West, including:

Ad Loading...
  • Stockton, California to Seattle, up 31 cents to $3.80 per mile

  • Stockton to Salt Lake City, up 30 cents to $2.87 per mile

  • Los Angeles to Seattle, up 23 cents to $3.75 per mile

In contrast, Houston to Dallas retreated 14 cents to $2.83 per mile last week.

Flatbed load posts slipped 7% and truck posts increased 7% last week, which pushed the flatbed load-to-truck ratio down to 88.7 to 1. It was 109 to 1 the previous week.

Reefer load posts fell 9%, truck posts increased 6%, and the reefer load-to-truck ratio dipped from 14.7 to 1 to 12.6 to 1.

Last week's increase in capacity had a bigger impact on reefer markets than on dry vans, according to DAT. While the national average reefer rate ticked upward, many high-traffic lanes had lower prices. Among them:

Ad Loading...
  • Dallas to Houston fell 3 cents to $3.57 per mile

  • Elizabeth, New Jersey to Boston was down 11 cents to $4.52 per mile

  • Chicago to Kansas City declined 16 cents to $2.56 per mile.


Related: How Trucking Fleets Are Dealing With a Hot Flatbed Sector

More Fleet Management

Erik Neandross, President of Clean Transportation Solutions at TRC.
Fleet Management•by Staff•November 8, 2026

Fleet Costs Shape ACT Expo 2027 Agenda

With diesel prices high and operating expenses under pressure, ACT Expo's 2027 agenda emphasizes fuel efficiency, AI, safety and the return on fleet technology investments.

Read More →
HDT Talks Trucking YouTube thumbnail with host Deborah Lockridge and guest Bill Cain of TMW
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•November 5, 2026

Does Your Trucking Fleet Need a New TMS? [Video]

Cloud technology, AI and new integrations are changing what transportation management systems can do. But does taking advantage of those advances mean replacing your existing TMS?

Read More →
Saegic TrackRR Gateway solar-powered trailer telematics device shown alongside screenshots of the Saegic Cloud Platform displaying trailer location, tire monitoring, and equipment status.
Fleet Management•November 4, 2026

Road Ready Becomes Saegic, Launches New Trailer Telematics Gateway

Clarience Technologies is rolling out new hardware and expanding its plans for connecting trailer telematics, maintenance data, and video.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
HDT Cyber Stop graphic pairing a laptop displaying binary code with a person using a clipboard to inspect a truck chassis, against a background of padlock icons.
Fleet Management•November 2, 2026

Give Your Trucking Fleet a Cybersecurity Walkaround

Your fleet's cybersecurity policies may look good on paper. These seven checks can help you find out whether they’re working.

Read More →
Western Star pulling double trailers in the Permian Basic for Atlas Energy Solutions
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 30, 2026

Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking

An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.

Read More →
Illustration with Star of David and EEOC logo
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 28, 2026

ITS Logistics Settles Religious Harassment Case

The Nevada-based logistics firm agreed to pay more than $396,000 to settle a religious harassment charge involving an employee's Jewish identity.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Truck on divided interstate highway driving toward sunrise
Fleet Management•October 27, 2026

Your Trucks Are Busy. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Winning.

High utilization doesn’t always mean strong margins. Looking beyond the current load can help fleets make better dispatch decisions and get more value from each truck’s time.

Read More →
ATA economist Bob Costello speaking beside a graph showing truckload operating costs rising as freight revenue per mile declined after 2022.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 22, 2026

Why This Trucking Recovery Is Different

Freight demand remains sluggish, but rising costs and tougher enforcement have taken enough capacity out of the market to change the outlook for motor carriers.

Read More →
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Screen capture showing PrePass Intelligence data on tolls
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data

PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.

Read More →