Week of May 5, 2026. Spot market shows a familiar pattern: dry van flat, reefer firming on California produce ramp-up, flatbed still soft on weak construction starts. Numbers below blend DAT RateView and Truckstop national averages.
Dry van: $1.78/mile linehaul
| Metric | This week | WoW | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linehaul $/mile | $1.78 | flat | -$0.04 |
| All-in $/mile | $2.41 | +$0.02 | -$0.06 |
| Tender rejection | 4.1% | -0.2pp | -0.5pp |
Rejections under 5% means brokers are still in control. Capacity is loose. Don't expect a sustained dry van rate move until rejection rates climb back above 6%.
Lanes worth watching:
- LA → Dallas: $1.94/mile, up 3 cents WoW (early produce backhauls firming)
- Atlanta → Miami: $2.21/mile, flat (consistent retail demand)
- Chicago → New York: $2.08/mile, down 5 cents (weakest in 8 weeks)
- Memphis → Atlanta: $2.18/mile, flat (reliable lane both directions)
Reefer: $2.14/mile linehaul
| Metric | This week | WoW | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linehaul $/mile | $2.14 | +$0.04 | +$0.02 |
| All-in $/mile | $2.78 | +$0.05 | +$0.04 |
| Tender rejection | 6.8% | +0.4pp | +1.1pp |
The reefer-to-dry-van premium widened to 36 cents/mile — back to the 5-year average after running narrow most of 2024-2025. California produce ramp is on schedule; expect another 5-10 cent firm in reefer over the next 3-4 weeks.
Lanes worth watching:
- Salinas → Chicago: $3.06/mile, up 8 cents (peak produce just starting)
- McAllen → Atlanta: $2.41/mile, up 4 cents (Mexican produce strong)
- Twin Falls → LA: $2.18/mile, flat (potatoes steady)
- Plant City → New York: $2.84/mile, up 3 cents (Florida strawberry tail)
Flatbed: $2.03/mile linehaul
| Metric | This week | WoW | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linehaul $/mile | $2.03 | -$0.02 | -$0.11 |
| All-in $/mile | $2.66 | -$0.02 | -$0.13 |
| Tender rejection | 7.2% | -0.3pp | -2.4pp |
Flatbed has been the softest mode for a year and the data isn't turning yet. Construction starts down 6.8% YTD per Census Bureau April release; steel mill outbound is the only firm pocket.
Lanes worth watching:
- Houston → Salt Lake City: $2.41/mile, flat (oil & gas equipment moves)
- Birmingham → Dallas: $1.94/mile, down 4 cents (steel oversupply)
- Pittsburgh → Atlanta: $2.06/mile, down 2 cents (manufacturing weak)
What it means for owner-ops
If you're running dry van: rates aren't moving until tender rejections do. Hold your minimum and let weak loads pass — there's another one in 20 minutes.
If you're running reefer: this is your season. Get into California by mid-May, lock in committed produce lanes if you can, and capture the back-half premium. Same playbook works in the McAllen-Atlanta corridor.
If you're running flatbed: this market wants you to hold on through the summer. Diversify into wind/oil-field if you have the equipment for it; pure construction-side flatbed is going to bleed.
Cashflow when rates are soft
A soft market isn't just lower revenue — brokers stretch payment terms, and 45-60 day pay starts showing up on dry van. If you can't wait, factoring converts the invoice in 24 hours so you can keep dispatching. We covered the math in factoring when rates are soft.
For the full freight rates beat — including weekly updates and the spot vs contract decision framework — see our freight rates hub.
Sources
- DAT RateView, week ending May 5, 2026
- Truckstop.com Market Demand Index
- U.S. Census Bureau, Construction Spending, April 2026 release