Per-mile rates on the spot market again saw strong gains in April, according to monthly rates data from Truckstop.com. All three major truckload segments — dry van, reefer and flatbed — surged in the month, and all three flirted with all-time highs since Truckstop.com began reporting monthly rate averages.
Flatbed in the month jumped 9 cents to an all-time high (according to Truckstop.com’s records) of $2.66 a mile. That’s up 44 cents from the same month last year, and 60 cents a mile from April 2016.
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Reefer’s monthly average climbed 23 cents, to $2.71 a mile. Other than January’s $2.80 a mile average, April’s rate was the highest since Truckstop.com began reporting monthly averages. April’s reefer average was up 69 cents from April 2017.
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Van rates also jumped 9 cents in April from March, to $2.49 a mile. That monthly average is second only to January’s $2.54 a mile in Truckstop.com’s records. Van’s April average was up 61 cents from the same month last year.
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New inclusion: Specialized rate averages
A few Overdrive readers noted in recent months the lack of monthly rate averages for specialized haulers, such as tanker and aggregates haulers. Below a look at specialized rate averages from March and April, compared to the same months last year. Unlike van, reefer and flatbed, specialized rates dipped in April from March.
April 2018: $2.70
April 2017: $2.66
March 2018: $2.89
March 2017: $2.47
