Spot market rates are trending up in mid-September after two months of seasonal decline. As of September 15, van rates were already up 3.1% compared to August, reefer rates had rebounded 2.6%, and even flatbeds nudged up by 1.2% compared to the August average. Rates for both vans and reefers were higher in mid-September than they were in July, as well, while flatbed rates returned to the July level of $1.74 per mile for line haul.
Rates are derived from thousands of broker rate agreements with carriers, collected and analyzed in TransCore’s Truckload Rate Index. The rates referenced above are for line haul only, and do not include fuel surcharges, accessorials or other fees.
National average rates tend to mask strong regional trends, which we discuss in other blog posts, as well as in the Rate Trend of the Week feature of TransCore Trendlines. I am also available here on the Freight Talk blog to answer your questions about spot market trends on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Rates declined seasonally in July and August on the spot market but rebounded in mid-September for all equipment types. Rates displayed above are national average spot market (“broker buy”) rates, not including fuel surcharges or other fees. Source: TransCore’s Truckload Rate Index – Spot Market Rates.
