Flatbed spot linehaul averaged $2.83 per mile this week, minus fuel, down 1.5%, or $0.04 per mile, from the prior week. Rates climbed 39.6%, or $0.81 per mile, year over year and held 32.2%, or $0.69 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average of $2.15 per mile, near the top of the historical range and above the prior nine-year high.
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 $3.58 per mile this week, down 0.6%, or $0.02 per mile, week over week and up 39.7%, or $1.02 per mile, year over year. The roster carried 52.4% 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 July 31, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW % | YoY % |
| 1 | Southeast | $3.48 | -1.0% | +53.6% |
| 2 | Ohio River | $3.29 | -1.7% | +50.4% |
| 3 | Carolinas | $3.20 | +3.1% | +50.2% |
| 4 | South Central | $2.98 | -1.8% | +47.3% |
| 5 | Great Lakes | $2.86 | -1.6% | +39.3% |
| 6 | Lower Midwest | $2.78 | -1.8% | +45.3% |
| 7 | California | $2.63 | -0.3% | +52.2% |
| 8 | Florida-So Georgia | $2.56 | -2.9% | +47.6% |
| 9 | Upper Atlantic | $2.55 | -0.2% | +33.6% |
| 10 | Lower Mountain | $2.03 | -3.5% | +41.3% |
The top 10 origins carried 87.6% of all U.S. outbound loads moved in the week. Carolinas led week over week at +3.1%, while most leading origins eased from the prior week as summer volumes softened.
Market conditions
Flatbed load posts were down 4.2% week over week and up 28.6% year over year. Truck posts were down 8.0% week over week and down 24.8% year over year, so capacity contracted faster than freight. The load-to-truck ratio rose to 41.06, up from 39.47 a week earlier and 24.01 a year ago, nearly double the year-earlier level.
Spot vs. contract
Contract linehaul averaged $2.91 per mile this week against a spot rate of $2.83 per mile, leaving contract $0.08 per mile above spot. Flatbed is the one equipment type where contract still holds the premium, though the gap has nearly closed as spot climbed toward contract. Contract held that premium for roughly 47 months, from April 2022 through February 2026, averaging $0.31 per mile and peaking at $0.53 per mile in January 2023. Across 2022 through 2025, contract ran $0.30 per mile above spot, so the current $0.08 lead is a fraction of the long-run average.
Short-term outlook
The 35-day DAT Rate Forecast puts flatbed spot at $2.83 per mile in early September, essentially flat with this week’s $2.83. The uncertainty band spans about plus or minus $0.07 per mile, or 2.6% of the point forecast, the narrowest of the three equipment types this week, so this is the most confident of the three projections. The end-of-forecast rate would stand about $0.80 per mile above the $2.03 actual recorded near the same date a year earlier.
