Reefer rates bucked the trend in September, being the lone standout to not experience a rate drop in the month, according to Internet Truckstops’ monthly per-mile spot market rate data, released this week.
Flatbed and dry van both dropped three cents each to $2.08 per mile and $1.92 per mile, respectively. Reefer rose one cent to $2.31 a mile.
Moreover, rates in all three segments are well above rates reported in the same month last year, with reefer leading the year-over-year gaps at 15 cents higher than September 2012, and flatbed and dry van following suit at 11 cents and 10 cents higher, respectively.
All three segments are still riding a wave of big rate boosts that came in May and June, which pushed all three to all-time highs.
Seasonally, rates generally decline in the late summer and early fall before jumping slightly in November and then beginning steady climbs in late winter into early summer.
Below are the rates for each segment in September, along with a graph showing rates since January 2011.
Flatbed: $2.08
Reefer: $2.31
Dry van: $1.92