DAT Freight & Analytics

10/16/2026

🚛 Re**er load posts dropped 20.7% last week, but rates still moved higher.

📈 National re**er spot averaged $2.75/mile, up 6 cents week over week
📊 Up 32.7% year over year and 27.6% above the seasonal average
🌾 Upper Midwest led regional gains, up 9 cents to $3.51/mile
⚖️ Load-to-truck ratio fell to 16.75 but remains 56.5% above last year

DAT’s 35-day forecast has re**er edging up to $2.77/mile, still well above where the market sat a year ago.

Carriers, are you chasing Upper Midwest or Great Lakes freight this week?

Full report 👉 https://bit.ly/4jj6aKZ

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Re**er spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.75 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.1%, or $0.06 per mile, from the week before. Rates climbed Re**er spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.75 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.1%, or $0.06 per mile, from the week before. Rate...

10/16/2026

Does rate data built on real transactions have to run a week behind the market? We measured 20 million loads to find out ⏱️

📄 DAT spot data starts at the rate confirmation, before the truck loads
🚚 About a third of broker spot loads reach us before the truck is due to deliver
⏰ Two-thirds are credited within 24 hours of estimated delivery
🛣️ On hauls of 551+ miles, close to six in ten arrive before estimated delivery

Freshness is only one filter, though. Sample depth, contributor spread, and whether a record gets corrected at settlement matter just as much.

What's your read on where data latency actually costs brokers in this market? 👉 https://bit.ly/4hZgu8C

You've probably heard some version of this argument. Rate data built on invoices has to be old, because invoices come after delivery. The argument states We looked at broker spot freight, the largest rate segment DAT collects, across every credited contribution with a 2026 pickup date. That's a litt...

10/15/2026

More than 99% of compromised accounts had no extra login protection turned on. In most cases, there was no sophisticated hack involved, just a single password left to do all the work.

Brokerage accounts hold customer data, carrier contacts, payment details, and load history. That information is valuable to whoever gets in, and a weak or reused password is the easiest way in.

Two habits go a long way: Make your passwords longer and harder to guess by skipping birthdays, company names, and anything predictable. Then turn on multi-factor authentication everywhere it's offered. It adds one quick step at login and blocks nearly all automated attacks, even if a password leaks.

Learn how to build better password habits 👉 dat.com/blog/password-security-and-management-for-brokers

10/15/2026

🚛 Dry van rates climbed last week, even as load posts fell 20.4%.

📈 National dry van spot averaged $2.26/mile, up 5 cents week over week
📊 Up 35.1% year over year and 23.0% above the seasonal average
🌴 California and Ohio River led regional gains, each up 7 cents
⚖️ Load-to-truck ratio eased to 10.50 but sits well above 6.29 a year ago

DAT’s 35-day forecast has dry van near $2.23/mile, still well above where the market sat a year ago.

Carriers, are you feeling the lift out of California or the Ohio River?

Full report 👉 https://bit.ly/3UtQjiy

Dry van spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.26 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.4%, or $0.05 per mile, from the week before. Rates Dry van spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.26 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.4%, or $0.05 per mile, from the week before. Rates clim...

10/15/2026

Autonomous trucks are already hauling freight, so what will it take to make them work for more shippers? 🚛

Chris Caplice talks with Olivia Hu, Head of Autonomous Trucking and Electrification at Uber Freight, as our autonomous freight series continues.

🤝 Bringing autonomous capacity into shipper networks with Aurora and Waabi
📍 What it will take to expand beyond today’s Texas corridors
⚡ Why autonomous and electric trucks are finding different roles in freight
⛽ The potential for fuel savings, shorter transit times and higher truck utilization

Catch the full episode 👉 https://www.dat.com/podcast/freightvine

Back to Dat Podcasts Freightvine Podcast PODCAST SHIPPER SHIPPER INSIGHTS MARKET ANALYSIS Bi-Weekly 30–45 min 100+ Episodes Join Dr. Chris Caplice of DAT

10/14/2026

More ways to procure trucks than ever, but shippers are still rebuilding every mini-bid from scratch in Excel and chase responses across email threads. 📊

Procurement outside the annual cycle has become the new reality. It's time for a tool built to make the process easier.

See a different way to run your next bid 👉️

10/14/2026

🚛 Flatbed load posts dropped last week, but rates are holding near the top of the nine-year range.

📈 National flatbed spot averaged $2.65/mile, up 1 cent week over week
📊 Up 28.8% year over year and 25.4% above the seasonal average
🏗️ The Carolinas led regional gains, up 19 cents to $3.00/mile
⚖️ Load-to-truck ratio eased to 36.60 as load posts fell 12.5%

DAT’s 35-day forecast has flatbed near $2.59/mile, still well above where the market sat a year ago.

Carriers, where’s the better flatbed pay right now, the Carolinas or the Great Lakes?

Full report 👉 https://bit.ly/4yFnxK9

Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.65 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 0.4%, or $0.01 per mile, from the week before. Rates Flatbed spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.65 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 0.4%, or $0.01 per mile, from the week before. Rates clim...

10/14/2026

Customers want consistent capacity and consistent rates. Carriers want the exact same thing, plus a better number.

Balancing those two is the job. That balance comes down to trust, and trust comes down to knowing the market. DAT gives you a read on where a lane is headed based on years of history, so you're not guessing at seasonality, you're reading it.

If you've been doing this long enough, it's a gut feeling. The data just proves the gut feeling was right.

🎙️ Chris Jolly of FreightCoach

10/13/2026

Fewer loads, higher rates, and diesel isn’t done yet.

Load posts fell 20.4% for dry van, 20.7% for re**er, and 12.5% for flatbed this week, but spot rates minus fuel still climbed in all three. Dry van hit $2.26 per mile, re**er $2.75, and flatbed $2.65. Truck posts are down more than 20% from a year ago, so even a lighter load board has little slack.

Diesel is adding to the squeeze. After 19 straight days of declines, retail diesel has risen $0.03 over the last three days and sits near $6.30 a gallon, $2.00 above where it was in early March. What’s your plan if diesel climbs back toward $6.75?

10/12/2026

🎃 Pumpkin season is heating up re**er freight across the Midwest and Northeast.

🔥 Hot region is Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan
📈 Refrigerated rates are up 41% year over year
💵 Averaging $3.65 per mile this week
🚚 Pumpkins are moving from farms to grocers and pumpkin patches ahead of Halloween

With rates already elevated, the seasonal produce push could add more competition for re**er capacity through October and into Thanksgiving.

Re**er carriers, are pumpkin loads on your radar? 👇

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