Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.72 per mile last week, minus fuel, down 2.4%, or $0.07 per mile, from the prior week. Rates climbed 35.7%, or $0.71 per mile, year over year and held 28.8%, or $0.61 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 10 flatbed bellwether states posted a moves-weighted outbound rate of $3.43 per mile this week, down 2.0%, or $0.07 per mile, week over week and up 37.8%, or $0.94 per mile, year over year. The roster carried 52.3% of all U.S. state-outbound flatbed loads, in the middle of its 51 to 53% baseline.
Regional rate trends
| Flatbed — Top 10 Origins by Rate Per Mile · Week Ending August 14, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW % | YoY % |
| 1 | Southeast | $3.21 | -5.7% | +40.7% |
| 2 | Ohio River | $3.18 | -4.2% | +41.9% |
| 3 | Carolinas | $2.94 | -3.7% | +36.3% |
| 4 | Lower Atlantic | $2.78 | -3.4% | +29.8% |
| 5 | Great Lakes | $2.74 | -3.3% | +34.1% |
| 6 | South Central | $2.71 | -6.1% | +37.3% |
| 7 | California | $2.53 | -3.6% | +45.3% |
| 8 | Upper Atlantic | $2.44 | -3.3% | +26.5% |
| 9 | Florida-So Georgia | $2.36 | -4.8% | +36.9% |
| 10 | Lower Mountain | $1.89 | -2.5% | +31.4% |
The top 10 origins carried 87.3% of all U.S. outbound loads moved in the week. Great Lakes held up best week over week at -3.3%, with every leading origin easing from the prior week as summer volumes softened.
Market conditions
Load posts were down 6.0% week over week and up 25.9% year over year, while truck posts were down 2.2% week over week and down 25.3% year over year. With freight easing faster than capacity, the load-to-truck ratio eased to 34.45, down from 35.85 a week earlier but still well above 20.43 a year ago.
Short-term outlook
The 35-day DAT Rate Forecast puts flatbed spot linehaul at $2.65 per mile in mid-September, within an uncertainty band of about plus or minus $0.07 per mile (2.5% of the forecast point). Across equipment, the flatbed band ranks middle. That end-of-forecast rate stands about $0.62 per mile above the actual rate near the same date a year earlier ($2.03 per mile).
