Truckload linehaul rates surged 5.6 percent year-over-year in April 2026, the largest annual increase since August 2022, according to the Cass Freight Index, as reported by FreightWaves. Dry van spot rates reached $2.58 per mile, with forecasts projecting rates in the $2.75 to $2.90 per mile range by the fourth quarter of 2026.

The rate increases align with improving freight demand signals. May 2026 marks the point at which industry analysts consider the freight cycle shift confirmed, with tonnage posting its strongest year-over-year growth in more than three years and the manufacturing sector expanding for four consecutive months.

Spot market freight had been under pressure through most of 2024 and 2025 as excess carrier capacity weighed on pricing. The combination of improving demand, tighter capacity from carrier exits during the freight downturn, and rising tender rejection rates has shifted pricing power toward carriers in certain lanes and freight types.

Contract freight, which dominates the ATA tonnage index, has followed spot freight improvement with a shorter lag than in prior cycles. The Cass TL linehaul index measures changes in per-mile linehaul rates, excluding fuel surcharges, giving a cleaner view of underlying pricing trends independent of diesel price fluctuation.

Analysts monitoring the FreightWaves SONAR platform have flagged spot-to-contract rate gap compression as a key indicator of continued market tightening through the second half of 2026.

Source: FreightWaves -- https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tl-linehaul-rates-surge-in-april-cass-says