Flatbed rates are coming down from record highs, but remain elevated even after sharp drops.
There is less activity in Texas which may be related to steel tariffs and the difficulty in securing specialty pipe which is manufactured almost entirely of overseas steel. Flatbed pricing remains volatile with large weekly swings in both directions.
On DAT’s top 78 flatbed lanes, 38 moved higher, 37 were lower, and 3 were neutral.
Hot Markets
Outbound markets with double-digit price increases included Jacksonville, Florida; Roanoke Virginia; and Las Vegas. Here are some of the hottest lanes:
Roanoke to Atlanta jumped a whopping $1.38 to $3.46/mile Las Vegas to Los Angeles jumped 64¢ to $4.93/mile Jacksonville to Miami increased 43¢ to $3.16/mile Reno to Seattle gained 34¢ to $3.06/mile
Falling Markets
Two East Coast ports are seeing a slowdown in pricing: in the last month Baltimore has slipped 12% lower and Savannah dropped by 6.2%. Here are some lanes where flatbed rates declined: Raleigh to Greenville, SC plunged $1.20 to $2.61/mile Cleveland to Harrisburg dropped 74¢ to $3.62/mile Birmingham to Chicago fell 67¢ to $2.49/mile Baltimore to Springfield, MA was down 61¢ to a still-high $4.57/mile.
