Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.63 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 1.0%, or $0.02 per mile, from the week before. Rates climbed 30.5%, or $0.62 per mile, year over year and held 26.4%, or $0.55 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $2.08 per mile, above the top of the nine-year range for this point in the calendar.
All rates cited are linehaul only. They exclude fuel costs and surcharges unless otherwise noted.
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Bellwether states
The flatbed bellwether states averaged $3.16 per mile last week, down $0.02 per mile from the week before and up $0.69 per mile, or 27.7%, year over year. The ten states held 52.3% of national flatbed outbound volume.
Regional rate trends
| Flatbed — Top 10 Origins by Load Share · Week Ending November 6, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW $/mi | YoY $/mi |
| 1 | South Central | $2.22 | +$0.01 | +$0.29 |
| 2 | Great Lakes | $2.87 | +$0.02 | +$0.75 |
| 3 | Southeast | $2.87 | −$0.03 | +$0.65 |
| 4 | Upper Atlantic | $2.57 | +$0.06 | +$0.60 |
| 5 | Ohio River | $3.10 | −$0.14 | +$0.81 |
| 6 | Carolinas | $2.81 | −$0.01 | +$0.71 |
| 7 | California | $2.29 | +$0.04 | +$0.67 |
| 8 | Lower Mountain | $1.83 | +$0.06 | +$0.30 |
| 9 | Florida-So Georgia | $2.24 | +$0.01 | +$0.58 |
| 10 | Lower Atlantic | $2.90 | +$0.03 | +$0.84 |
Lower Mountain and Upper Atlantic held up best week over week, each gaining $0.06 per mile, while Ohio River gave back the most, down $0.14 per mile to $3.10. The top 10 flatbed origin regions accounted for 88.2% of outbound loads moved last week.
Market conditions
Flatbed’s load-to-truck ratio edged up to 42.26 from 41.73 as load posts rose 4.8% and truck posts rose 3.5%. Load posts are 46.6% above a year ago, and against a ratio of 21.14 a year ago, the ratio has nearly doubled.
Spot vs. contract
Contract held above spot in October, using month-end figures. Flatbed spot held at $2.61 per mile and contract at $3.04 per mile, so the spread stayed at +$0.43 per mile, the widest of the three equipment types. That is up from $0.10 per mile in June, when spot peaked at $2.95 per mile, but $0.13 per mile tighter than the +$0.56 per mile of October 2025. Spot is up $0.59 per mile, or 29.2%, year over year, and contract is up $0.46 per mile, or 17.8%. Flatbed is the one equipment type where spot has not crossed above contract at any point this year, which leaves spot the furthest to climb before it reaches contract.
Short-term outlook
The DAT Rate Forecast projects flatbed spot linehaul to edge up to $2.64 per mile 35 days out, against $2.63 per mile last week. The Forecast Low is $2.57 per mile and the Forecast High is $2.70 per mile, a spread of $0.13 per mile, the narrowest of the three equipment types. A year ago the market sat near $2.06 per mile, so the projected level holds well above it. Flatbed demand usually cools around the holiday and into year-end as construction and industrial projects wind down, which fits a forecast that stays level.
