Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.65 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 0.4%, or $0.01 per mile, from the week before. Rates climbed 28.8%, or $0.59 per mile, year over year and held 25.4%, or $0.54 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $2.11 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 flatbed bellwether roster averaged $3.24 per mile last week, up 1 cent week over week and 70 cents, or 27.4%, year over year. The 10 states held 51.7% of national flatbed outbound volume.
Regional rate trends
| Flatbed: Top 10 Origins by Share of Outbound Loads · Week Ending October 10, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW Change | YoY Change |
| 1 | South Central | $2.35 | +1¢ | +41¢ |
| 2 | Great Lakes | $2.91 | +11¢ | +81¢ |
| 3 | Southeast | $3.16 | −4¢ | +82¢ |
| 4 | Upper Atlantic | $2.61 | −5¢ | +64¢ |
| 5 | Ohio River | $3.28 | +5¢ | +99¢ |
| 6 | Carolinas | $3.00 | +19¢ | +93¢ |
| 7 | California | $2.21 | +2¢ | +60¢ |
| 8 | Florida-South Georgia | $2.26 | −1¢ | +61¢ |
| 9 | Lower Atlantic | $2.85 | 0¢ | +77¢ |
| 10 | Lower Mountain | $1.71 | +4¢ | +23¢ |
The top 10 flatbed origin regions handled 87.7% of outbound loads last week. The Carolinas held up best week over week, adding 19 cents to $3.00 per mile. Great Lakes followed with a gain of 11 cents, while the Southeast and Upper Atlantic slipped.
Market conditions
Flatbed’s load-to-truck ratio slipped to 36.60 from 44.13, the smallest pullback of the three equipment types, as load posts fell 12.5% and truck posts rose 5.6%. Against 27.16 a year ago, the board is still 34.8% tighter.
Short-term outlook
The DAT Rate Forecast projects flatbed spot linehaul to ease to $2.59 per mile 35 days out, against $2.65 last week, inside a 70% confidence band from $2.52 to $2.65. That’s the narrowest of the three equipment bands. The projected level holds well above where the market sat a year ago.
