US truckload spot rates have climbed to a multi-year high, signaling a tightening freight market after a prolonged downturn. The National Truckload Index, a seven-day moving average of booked dry van spot rates with fuel included, reached a cycle high near 2.82 dollars per mile in 2026, with more recent readings breaking out toward 2.89 dollars per mile.

That level represents an increase of about 23 percent from a year earlier, when the same measure sat near 2.33 dollars per mile. Analysts attribute the move to capacity leaving the market and to firmer demand, a combination that gives carriers more pricing leverage. Outbound tender rejection rates climbed toward 13 percent nationally, the highest since early 2022, indicating carriers are increasingly willing to turn down loads.

The data points to a freight cycle shifting in favor of carriers after several years of rate pressure that pushed many small operators out of business. Rising tender rejections often precede further rate increases because they show shippers are struggling to secure committed capacity. The figures reflect national dry van activity and can vary by lane and equipment type.

Source: FreightWaves - https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckload-volumes-and-spot-rates-hit-multi-year-highs