The spot market continued a record-setting tear during International Roadcheck last week, as some parked their rigs to avoid the hassle of increased inspection scrutiny.
Truckstop.com and FTR Transportation Intelligence in their weekly report noted a $3.48/mile average for spot rates across the dry van, reefer and flatbed segments. Flatbed rates remain the highest among the three, but an extraordinarily strong week in the reefer segment brought reefer rates almost even with flatbed rates.
The average rate for flatbed loads during the week ending May 15 was $3.60/mile, up 7 cents from the prior week. This marked a record high for both all-in rates and rates excluding a calculated fuel surcharge. All-in flatbed rates were about 42% higher than in the same 2025 week while rates excluding a surcharge were up about 36%.
Overdrive’s 2025 Small Fleet Champ Wes Oberman with Oberman Logistics joined this week’s edition of Overdrive Radio and spoke, in part, to the improvements he’s seen in the flatbed market.
Reefer rates, meanwhile, surged an astounding 52.2 cents per mile during the week to a $3.59/mile average. All-in refrigerated rates, which were at the highest level since early January 2022, were 45% higher than in the same 2025 week; up 39% when excluding a fuel surcharge.
Dry van also saw a very strong week last week with rates improving by 23.7 cents to $2.84/mile. That’s the second-highest weekly increase for dry vans on record, trailing only the week in December 2017 when the electronic logging device mandate took effect, FTR and Truckstop noted. All-in van rates were at their highest since February 2022 -- up 47% year-over-year, and up 39% year-over-year excluding a fuel surcharge.
DAT Freight & Analytics also tracked notable weekly rates increases across all three segments.
Dry van rates in the DAT system improved by 21 cents last week to $2.58/mile; reefer was up 32 cents to $3.05/mile; flatbed up 10 cents to $3.16/mile.DAT Freight & Analytics
DAT market analyst Dean Croke noted that Roadcheck resulted in a 12% reduction in equipment posts last week across the three segments, with flatbed equipment posts down 20%.
“The capacity drop during Roadcheck is real but somewhat behavioral,” Croke added. “Many carriers are still running, just being more selective about loads, lanes, and inspection-heavy corridors. Last week’s truck-post counts likely overstate the physical capacity loss but accurately reflect the market dynamic that spot rates respond to.”
Croke said the trend “typically reverses” during the week after Roadcheck “as parked capacity returns and pulled-forward freight is already covered.”
Not much relief at the pump
While spot rates continue to rise, diesel prices truck along at high levels seen since the onset of the military action in Iran in March.
During the most recent week, diesel’s national average fell 4.3 cents to $5.60/gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. Diesel prices are up $2.06/gallon from the same week a year ago.
California, which has taken the hardest hit on fuel prices in recent months, saw the biggest decline in fuel prices last week with a 9.9-cent decrease. The state’s prices are still in excess of $7/gallon at $7.22 -- $2.39/gallon higher than the same week a year ago.
The Rocky Mountain and West Coast less California regions were the outliers for the week and were the only two to see increases. Prices in the Rockies increased by 5.8 cents, while West Coast states outside California saw a 1.5-cent increase.
The Gulf Coast and Lower Atlantic regions hold the nation’s cheapest diesel at $5.12/gallon and $5.23/gallon, respectively.
Prices in other regions, according to EIA:
- New England -- $5.81
- Central Atlantic -- $5.82
- Midwest -- $5.75
- Rocky Mountain -- $5.55
- West Coast less California -- $5.92
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week climbed by 9.6 cents to $5.57/gal. nationwide. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $7.33/gal., and the cheapest in the Rocky Mountain region at $5.11/gal.
