Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Spot Truckload Freight Rates Continue Seasonal Strength

Seasonal increases in spot truckload freight rates are continuing, according to new figures posted by the freight matching service provider DAT Solutions.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
June 22, 2016
Spot Truckload Freight Rates Continue Seasonal Strength

Four-week spot freight market trends. Graphic: DAT

2 min to read


Four-week spot freight market trends.Graphic: DAT

Seasonal increases in spot truckload freight rates are continuing, even as the fuel prices that make up part of those spot rates declined slightly, according to new figures posted by the freight matching service provider DAT Solutions.

Both flatbed and reefer rates posted an average gain of 2 cents for the week ending June 18 compared to the previous week, coming in at an average of $1.95 per mile and $1.96 per mile, respectively. Compared to three weeks earlier, flatbeds are up 3 cents but reefers are 9 cents higher.

Ad Loading...

Reefer demand remained strong last week, although numbers were down compared to the previous week, which was the first full week following Memorial Day. Reefer load posts declined 4% while truck posts increased 7.8%. The load-to-truck ratio fell 11%, from 5.9 to 5.3 loads per truck, but that represents the second highest ratio since early January, according to DAT.

Flatbed load posts dropped 1.8% following a spike the previous week. Capacity added 9.7%, which dropped the load-to-truck ratio 10% to 18.2 loads per truck.

In the dry van sector, the average rate was unchanged from the week before at an average of $1.61 per mile. This is 1 cent lower than two weeks ago but 7 cents higher than three weeks earlier.

Ad Loading...

The van load-to-truck ratio remained strong last week, although down 12% from the previous week. Van load posts were down 2.9% last week after spiking the week before while truck posts were up 10%. The load-to-truck ratio hit its second highest mark of the year, at 2.7 loads per truck, according to DAT.

Overall, DAT’s spot market saw the number of available loads fall 2.7% last week while available truck capacity increased 9.7% as fuel prices edged down 0.2%.

More Fleet Management

Red Kodiak-branded autonomous tractor with Charger-branded trailer backed up to warehouse
Fleet Management•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 →
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 →
Ad Loading...
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 →
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 →
Ad Loading...
Computer screen showing examples of what fleets could ask Motive AI Agents to do
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 20, 2026

Motive Adds AI Agents for Fleet Operations

New tools automate follow-up on fleet data, from maintenance work orders to driver alerts, with two-way voice conversations planned for later this year.

Read More →
Graphic art with a heavy-duty tractor trailer and a work truck with the words "trivia lunch"
Fleet Management•by Lauren Fletcher•October 19, 2026

Can You Beat Our Trucking Trivia Challenge?

Test your truck knowledge with 19 trivia questions from Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange. Can you keep up with the fleet pros?

Read More →
Four horizontal and two vertical video screens show different aspects of BeyondTruck's new compatibility engine
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

BeyondTrucks Adds Rules Checks to Dispatch

New Compatibility Engine checks driver qualifications, equipment requirements and fleet policies before loads are dispatched.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand fueling a truck beside a graphic listing ATRI’s top three trucking concerns for 2026: fuel prices, lawsuit abuse reform and CSA.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

Diesel Prices Hijack Trucking’s Worry List

ATRI’s annual survey finds cautious optimism about freight, but diesel costs, litigation, and insurance continue to squeeze fleets. Drivers have different priorities on several issues.

Read More →