Rates regained momentum in April, surge into spring

Spot Market Paid Rates for Flatbed, Reefer and Dry VanPer-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.

Spot Market Flatbed Rates

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.

 

Spot Market Reefer Rates

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.

Spot Market Dry Van Rates

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.