Dry van spot linehaul rates paid to carriers averaged $2.26 per mile excluding fuel in the week ending November 6, according to DAT Freight and Analytics. The figure was up 34.9%, or 58 cents per mile, from a year earlier and 2.8% higher than the prior week. It also sat 23.4% above the nine-year seasonal average of $1.83 per mile, near the top of the historical range.

Tight capacity remains the main driver. Load posts on the DAT network ran 26.5% above a year ago, while truck posts were 33.9% below year-ago levels. The dry van load-to-truck ratio eased slightly to 10.90 from 10.93, but remained far above the 5.70 recorded a year earlier.

Regional rates were led by California at $2.77 per mile, a weekly gain of 15 cents, followed by the Great Lakes at $2.52 and the Ohio River region at $2.49. In the Southeast, the Lower Atlantic region averaged $2.11 per mile, the Southeast region $2.04 and the Carolinas $1.97, with each posting year-over-year gains of 33 to 45 cents per mile.

Contract pricing has also moved up. DAT data for month-end October showed contract dry van rates at $2.45 per mile, their highest level of the year and 21.9% above a year earlier, while spot rates rose to $2.22 per mile. The contract premium over spot narrowed to 23 cents per mile from 34 cents in October 2025.

The DAT Rate Forecast projects dry van spot linehaul rising to $2.32 per mile over the next 35 days, with holiday retail restocking ahead of Thanksgiving expected to support freight volumes through late November.

Source: DAT Freight and Analytics - https://www.dat.com/blog/dry-van-report-tight-capacity-keeps-spot-rates-climbing