Dry van spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.25 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 5.5%, or $0.12 per mile, from the week before. Rates climbed 33.5%, or $0.56 per mile, year over year and held 21.6%, or $0.40 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $1.85 per mile, well into the upper half 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
Bellwether states are high-volume freight markets whose spot rates move in near-lockstep with the national average. The 10 dry van bellwether states averaged $2.99 per mile last week, up $0.08 per mile week over week and up 38.6%, or $0.83 per mile, year over year. The group held 35.6% of national dry van outbound volume.
Regional rate trends
| Origin region | RPM | WoW | YoY | Loads share |
| Great Lakes | $2.59 | +10¢ | +68¢ | 17.0% |
| South Central | $1.91 | +2¢ | +33¢ | 15.0% |
| Southeast | $2.12 | +3¢ | +49¢ | 10.6% |
| Upper Atlantic | $2.28 | +3¢ | +55¢ | 10.3% |
| California | $2.45 | +7¢ | +57¢ | 7.8% |
| Ohio River | $2.54 | +7¢ | +63¢ | 7.7% |
| Carolinas | $2.11 | +3¢ | +47¢ | 6.4% |
| Lower Midwest | $2.21 | +5¢ | +45¢ | 4.9% |
| Florida-So Georgia | $1.42 | +2¢ | +28¢ | 4.2% |
| Lower Atlantic | $2.23 | +5¢ | +56¢ | 3.9% |
The top 10 dry van origin regions accounted for 87.8% of outbound loads moved last week. Great Lakes held up best week over week, adding 10 cents per mile to $2.59, the largest gain among the leading origins.
Market conditions
Dry van load posts climbed 17.5% last week while posted trucks slipped 2.4%. The load-to-truck ratio firmed to 13.72, up from 11.40 the week before last and from 7.67 a year ago. Demand pulled forward to the calendar while committed capacity thinned, the signature of a quarter-end push.
Short-term outlook
The 35-day DAT Rate Forecast puts dry van spot linehaul near $2.24 per mile, against $2.25 last week, inside a 70% confidence band of $2.17 to $2.31. That is the middle of the three equipment bands, and the projected level holds well above where the market sat a year ago.
