Reefer spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.75 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.1%, or $0.06 per mile, from the week before. Rates climbed 32.7%, or $0.68 per mile, year over year and held 27.6%, or $0.60 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $2.15 per mile, in 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 reefer bellwether states averaged $3.66 per mile last week, up 4 cents week over week and up 99 cents, or 37.3%, year over year. The ten states held 41.0% of national reefer outbound volume.
Regional rate trends
| Reefer — Top 10 Origins by Rate Per Mile · Week Ending October 10, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW change | YoY change |
| 1 | Great Lakes | $3.41 | +7¢ | +96¢ |
| 2 | South Central | $2.15 | +1¢ | +34¢ |
| 3 | California | $2.77 | −1¢ | +57¢ |
| 4 | Upper Atlantic | $2.75 | −7¢ | +72¢ |
| 5 | Southeast | $2.41 | +6¢ | +51¢ |
| 6 | Ohio River | $3.30 | +7¢ | +89¢ |
| 7 | Lower Mountain | $2.30 | −5¢ | +38¢ |
| 8 | Upper Midwest | $3.51 | +9¢ | +98¢ |
| 9 | Lower Midwest | $3.23 | +5¢ | +87¢ |
| 10 | Pacific Northwest | $3.09 | +3¢ | +98¢ |
The top 10 reefer origin regions accounted for 84.1% of outbound loads moved last week. Upper Midwest held up best week over week, adding 9 cents to $3.51 per mile. Upper Atlantic fell the furthest, down 7 cents to $2.75.
Market conditions
Load posts dropped 20.7% last week as the calendar-driven freight that filled the final days of the third quarter cleared. Truck posts ticked up 2.4%, and the reefer load-to-truck ratio fell to 16.75 from 21.65 the week before last. The ratio is still 56.5% above the 10.71 from the same week last year. Reefer rates rose even as freight cooled, which points to capacity, not demand, setting the price.
Short-term outlook
The DAT Rate Forecast projects reefer spot linehaul will edge up to $2.77 per mile 35 days out, from $2.75 last week. The 70% confidence band runs from $2.68 to $2.86, the widest of the three equipment types, which signals more uncertainty for reefer over the horizon. The projected level holds well above where the market sat a year ago.
