Flatbed spot rates
Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.67 per mile this week, minus fuel, down 1.2%, or $0.03 per mile, from the prior week. Rates ran 32.2%, or $0.65 per mile, above the same week a year ago and held 26.5%, or $0.56 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $2.10 per mile, near the top of the historical range.
All rates cited are linehaul only. They exclude fuel costs and surcharges unless otherwise noted.
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Bellwether states
The 10 flatbed bellwether states posted a moves-weighted outbound rate of $3.32 per mile this week, down 0.9%, or $0.03 per mile, week over week, and up 31.5%, or $0.80 per mile, year over year. The roster carried 52.2% of all U.S. state-outbound flatbed loads, within its 51 to 53% baseline.
Regional rate trends
| Flatbed — Top 10 Origins by Rate Per Mile · Week Ending August 28, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW % | YoY % |
| 1 | Southeast | $3.27 | -1.1% | +42.9% |
| 2 | Ohio River | $3.21 | -0.7% | +43.5% |
| 3 | Carolinas | $3.03 | -1.5% | +42.6% |
| 4 | Great Lakes | $2.85 | +0.3% | +37.6% |
| 5 | South Central | $2.64 | -4.3% | +29.6% |
| 6 | Lower Midwest | $2.58 | -2.8% | +27.0% |
| 7 | Upper Atlantic | $2.52 | -1.4% | +32.4% |
| 8 | California | $2.43 | -3.2% | +39.6% |
| 9 | Florida-So Georgia | $2.36 | +1.0% | +38.7% |
| 10 | Lower Mountain | $1.84 | -2.4% | +27.0% |
The top 10 origins carried 87.4% of all U.S. outbound loads moved this week. Florida-So Georgia was the only top origin to hold above water week over week, up 1.0%, as most of the flatbed map softened.
Market conditions
Flatbed capacity pulled back sharply even as freight built. Truck posts fell 8.8% week over week and 27.1% year over year, while load posts climbed 8.8% on the week and 43.5% year over year. The widening gap pushed the load-to-truck ratio to 41.84 from 35.09 a week earlier, roughly double the 21.27 of a year ago.
Spot vs. contract
[Editor’s note: spot-vs-contract figures were not included in this week’s source doc. Analyst to supply before publishing.]
Short-term outlook
The 35-day DAT Rate Forecast puts flatbed spot linehaul at $2.65 per mile in early October, within an uncertainty band of about plus or minus $0.07 per mile, or 2.6% of the forecast point. Across equipment, the flatbed band sits between the other two. That end-of-forecast rate stands about $0.58 per mile above the actual rate near the same date a year earlier, $2.07 per mile.
