DAT: Truckload rates rise in September as diesel tops $6 a gallon

Fuel-inclusive rates rose across all three equipment types, but rates excluding fuel fell for dry van and flatbed freight.

Rhea-AI Summary

DAT Freight & Analytics reported higher September truckload rates across all three equipment types as average diesel prices exceeded $6 a gallon. Fuel-inclusive spot and contract rates rose from August for dry van, refrigerated and flatbed freight. Refrigerated spot rates reached a record $3.62 a mile; refrigerated and flatbed contract rates also set records.

Rates excluding estimated fuel surcharges told a different story: dry van and flatbed rates fell in both markets, while refrigerated rates increased. Freight volumes declined from August for dry van and refrigerated loads but increased for flatbed; all three remained below year-earlier levels. Average diesel cost $6.291 a gallon, and estimated fuel surcharges reached records across all three equipment types.

News Explained

For a truck traveling 500 miles a day at six miles per gallon, DAT estimates September fuel cost at $524 a day versus $310 in February; its analyst says carriers pay fuel costs while rates catch up with rising diesel prices.

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PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Record diesel prices helped push truckload rates higher in September despite lower volumes for dry van and refrigerated (“reefer”) freight compared with August, according to DAT Freight & Analytics.

Spot and contract rates including fuel rose for all three equipment types as the monthly national average on-highway diesel price surpassed $6 for the first time. Excluding fuel, van and flatbed rates declined in both markets while reefer rates increased.

Monthly freight volumes were mixed, but all three equipment types remained below year-earlier levels. The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI) fell from August for van and reefer loads and increased for flatbed:

• Dry van: 252, down 1% from August and down 1% year over year
• Reefer: 178, down 5% from August and down 10% year over year
• Flatbed: 298, up 2% from August and down 7% year over year
  
  

Spot and contract rates increased month over month

National average broker-to-carrier spot rates rose for all three equipment types:

• Dry van: $3.01 a mile, up 12 cents from August and up 96 cents from September 2025
• Reefer: $3.62 a mile, up 24 cents from August and up $1.18 from September 2025
• Flatbed: $3.61 a mile, up 7 cents from August and up $1.11 from September 2025
  
  

The monthly average reefer spot rate set a record, topping the previous high of $3.60 in January 2022. Reefer spot linehaul rates rose 9 cents from August to $2.70 a mile, while van fell 2 cents to $2.17 and flatbed fell 10 cents to $2.60. Linehaul rates exclude an amount equal to an average fuel surcharge.

National average contract rates paid by shippers to brokers also rose for all three equipment types:

• Dry van: $3.24 a mile, up 13 cents from August and up 82 cents from September 2025
• Reefer: $3.58 a mile, up 16 cents from August and up 82 cents from September 2025
• Flatbed: $4.04 a mile, up 12 cents from August and up 99 cents from September 2025
  
  

Monthly average reefer and flatbed contract rates set records. Excluding fuel, contract linehaul rates changed by 5 cents or less from August: van fell 1 cent to $2.40 a mile, reefer rose 1 cent to $2.66, and flatbed fell 5 cents to $3.03.

Fuel surcharges set records

Spot rates are typically negotiated as a single price per mile. DAT estimates the fuel portion of spot and contract rates using an average fuel surcharge, and in September that estimate reached a record for all three equipment types:

• Dry van: 84 cents a mile, up 14 cents from August
• Reefer: 92 cents a mile, up 15 cents from August
• Flatbed: $1.01 a mile, up 17 cents from August
  
  

The previous highs were set in June 2022: 75 cents for van, 82 cents for reefer, and 90 cents for flatbed. DAT’s monthly records go back to 2010.

For a truck traveling 500 miles a day at 6 miles per gallon, fuel cost about $524 a day at September’s average diesel price of $6.291 a gallon, compared with $310 in February when diesel averaged $3.722. That’s an additional $214 a day, or about $1,070 over a five-day week.

“On the spot market, where there is no separate fuel surcharge, what matters for carriers is whether the rates they negotiate can cover their higher fuel bills,” said Dean Croke, DAT’s principal industry analyst. “Rates usually take three to four weeks to catch up with rising diesel prices, and carriers have to pay for fuel in the meantime.”

About the DAT Truckload Volume Index

The DAT Truckload Volume Index measures monthly changes in loads with a pickup date during that month for hauls of 250 miles or more in the United States and Canada. A baseline of 100 equals the number of loads moved in January 2015, based on data from DAT RateView, part of the DAT iQ freight analytics platform. Rates are derived from invoice data submitted by shippers, brokers, and carriers, who provide transaction records directly from their TMS systems. Monthly average spot rates reflect amounts paid by the broker to the carrier. Contract rates are paid by shippers primarily to asset-based carriers and brokers. Fuel prices come from U.S. Energy Information Administration surveys.

About DAT Freight & Analytics

DAT Freight & Analytics operates the DAT One truckload freight marketplace; Convoy Platform, an automated freight-matching technology; DAT iQ analytics service; Trucker Tools load-visibility platform; and DAT Outgo factoring and financial services for truckers. Shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations, and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trends and data insights, informed by nearly 700,000 daily load posts and a database exceeding $1 trillion in freight market transactions.

Founded in 1978, DAT is a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 500. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, DAT continues to set the standard for innovation in the trucking and logistics industry. Visit dat.com for more information.

Media Contact

Georgia Jablon
georgia.jablon@dat.com

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FAQ

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What were DAT’s September truckload spot and contract rates?

September national average spot rates were $3.01 a mile for dry van, $3.62 for refrigerated freight and $3.61 for flatbed. National average contract rates were $3.24, $3.58 and $4.04 a mile, respectively. All included fuel and increased from August.

How much did September diesel prices increase daily trucking fuel costs in DAT’s example?

A truck traveling 500 miles a day at 6 miles per gallon incurred about $524 in daily fuel costs at September’s average diesel price, compared with $310 in February. The increase was $214 a day, or about $1,070 over a five-day week.