Per-mile rates on the spot market were a mixed bag in March, as reefer and flatbed ticked up slightly from February averages and dry van rates slipped, according to data from Truckstop.com All three segments were well below March 2018 rate averages.
Per seasonal trends, March is typically the last month of a three-month rates slowdown before a run-up from April to June.
Flatbed rates in March climbed three cents a mile from February to $2.38, according to Truckstop.com’s data. That’s 19 cents lower than March 2018, but 22 cents higher than March 2017. Flatbed rates most recent peak was last June’s $2.88 a mile.
Reefer rates also averaged $2.38 a mile in March, a two-cent climb from February 2018 but a 10-cent decline from March 2018. However, reefer rate were 40 cents a mile higher than March of 2017.
Lastly, dry van rates slipped 6 cents in March to $2.13 a mile. The segment’s rate average was down 25 cents from last March, but up 29 cents from March 2017.
