Reefer Loads Jump 18% as Spot Rates Diverge by Equipment

Refrigerated spot-market load volume rose 18% last week, the largest weekly gain since International Roadcheck in May, while DAT's national reefer linehaul average increased 9 cents to $2.77 per mile.

The broader market did not mirror that strength. Total broker-posted spot rates fell almost 2 cents week over week but remained 41% higher than a year earlier. FleetOwner author Jenna Hume characterized the equipment moves as “within seasonal expectations,” while noting that the flatbed decline ran slightly steeper than usual.

What changed across the three equipment types?

• Dry van: FTR said spot rates rose more than 4 cents last week and stood 49% higher year over year; dry van loads increased 6%. DAT's national linehaul spot rate rose 6 cents, averaging $2.26 per mile.
• Refrigerated: FTR reported a rise of just over 7 cents in spot rates, which were more than 41% higher than last year, alongside an 18% load increase. DAT's national linehaul spot rate rose 9 cents to $2.77 per mile.
• Flatbed: FTR said spot rates fell almost 6 cents last week, although they remained nearly 40% higher year over year, while loads rose just over 6%. DAT's national linehaul spot rate rose 2 cents, averaging $2.63 per mile.

Hume also cited FTR's description of the reefer volume result as “the biggest jump since International Roadcheck back in May.” The source gives no absolute shipment count or year for the May event, so the 18% figure has no broader volume baseline in the release.

What does the divergence mean for shippers?

DAT's national averages put reefer at $2.77 per mile, 51 cents, or about 23%, above dry van at $2.26. Flatbed averaged $2.63, 37 cents, or about 16%, above dry van. For shippers, those figures establish relative national price levels, not the cost of a specific lane.

Put simply, DAT's weekly increases translate arithmetically to $60 for dry van, $90 for reefer and $20 for flatbed over 1,000 miles, assuming a constant per-mile rate. The source provides no lane quotes, minimum charges or accessorial detail.

The annual direction matters more for budget planning than the mixed weekly tape. FTR's rates stood 49% above last year for dry van, more than 41% above for reefer and nearly 40% above for flatbed. Shippers therefore faced a uniformly higher year-over-year benchmark even where one weekly measure softened.

Carriers saw firmer weekly pricing in reefer and dry van, but the flatbed evidence conflicts. FTR recorded an almost 6-cent flatbed decline while DAT recorded a 2-cent increase to $2.63 per mile. The source does not reconcile the two series or explain their methodology, so neither result works as a universal flatbed-market verdict.

For forwarders, the spread makes an equipment check more defensible than reliance on one headline index. The source's total market measure fell almost 2 cents even as DAT's averages rose 6 cents for dry van, 9 cents for reefer and 2 cents for flatbed. The source does not say whether those measures use the same basket, so the divergence cannot support one conclusion for all lanes.

Does the load surge prove capacity is tight?

Not on its own. The 18% reefer load increase measures changes in load volume, not capacity utilization. The source gives no capacity percentage, absolute load count, tractor or trailer inventory, empty-equipment ratio or contract-rate benchmark. It supports firmer reefer spot pricing, but not a quantified claim that trucks or trailers are unavailable.

The flatbed data also needs caution. Loads rose just over 6%, yet FTR's posted rate fell almost 6 cents; DAT's rate rose 2 cents. The combination does not establish why the posted rate moved. Without capacity, utilization or rate-history series, the source does not identify the cause.

One final caveat concerns timing. The source describes last week's movements and compares them with normal seasonal behavior, but it gives no exact calendar date, forward booking curve or policy change. Any conclusion that reefer strength will outlast the season remains a forecast rather than a reported fact.

What should shippers watch next?

If reefer's 18% load gain persists, its $2.77-per-mile DAT average is likely to stay firmer than dry van's $2.26, while flatbed's almost 6-cent FTR decline shows how quickly equipment markets can diverge.