Truckload Spot Rates Climb as Holiday Freight Surges
DAT One data for the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2026 shows load posts and spot rates rising across van, reefer and flatbed equipment.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Economic Indicators
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DAT One recorded 2.85 million load posts for the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2026, while total equipment posts fell 2% to 171,389. Spot linehaul rates rose 2 to 9 cents a mile across equipment types, with the reefer spot rate reaching $3.70 per mile.
Why it matters
Rising spot rates signal tighter truck capacity heading into the holiday season, which can raise freight costs for shippers and retailers. Holiday restocking of retail goods and food is pulling freight out of distribution centers.
DAT One recorded 2.85 million load posts and 171,389 equipment posts for the week, with van spot at $3.11 per mile and flatbed at $3.65 per mile. Van and reefer linehaul rates are 35% and 34% above last year, though the source does not explain the full cause of the year-over-year gap.
The players
DAT One
DAT One is a freight marketplace platform that publishes weekly load and equipment posting data used to track truckload spot market conditions.
The details
Dry van load posts fell 2% to 1,257,623, while reefer load posts rose 16% to 631,561 and flatbed load posts rose 5% to 965,338. The fuel surcharge portion of the dry van spot rate is 85 cents per mile, and higher diesel prices added 1 to 2 cents to fuel surcharges.
Timeline
Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2026: Week of reported DAT One spot market figures.
Nov. 3, 2026: USDA truck rate report issued.
Mid-December 2026: Van linehaul forecast to reach $2.32 per mile.
Economic Indicators
The DAT iQ RateCast forecast projects van linehaul rising to $2.32 a mile by mid-December, extending the current week's rate increases. Reefer linehaul is forecast to ease to $2.76 a mile while flatbed edges up to $2.64.
Higher truckload spot rates can raise the cost of shipping holiday goods and produce, which may feed into retail prices. Shoppers may see these freight costs reflected in grocery and retail prices during the holiday period.
The takeaway
Holiday freight demand and tighter truck capacity are pushing truckload rates higher, so businesses that ship goods should watch spot rate trends closely before the year-end peak.
What happens next
USDA's truck rate report is due Nov. 3, 2026, and the DAT RateCast forecast projects van linehaul reaching $2.32 per mile by mid-December.
Further reading
Track the broader picture in Economic Indicators, where freight rates are read alongside other measures of the national economy.
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