Higher fuel costs lifted April truckload rates; freight volumes eased
PORTLAND, Ore., May 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Truckload spot and contract rates climbed sharply in April, but the gains came almost entirely from higher fuel costs, reported DAT Freight & Analytics, provider of the industry's leading load board and freight analytics.
The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI), an indicator of loads moved in April, declined month over month for van, refrigerated, and flatbed equipment types:
Van TVI: 251, down 3% from March, up 2% year over year
Reefer TVI: 183, down 9% from March, up 1% year over year
Flatbed TVI: 306, down 3% from March, up 3% year over year
Modest movement in linehaul rates
Driven largely by fuel costs, national average spot truckload freight rates rose in April and were significantly higher year over year:
Van: $2.67 per mile, up 15 cents from March and 71 cents higher year over year
Reefer: $3.11 per mile, up 14 cents from March and 83 cents higher year over year
Flatbed: $3.46 per mile, up 37 cents from March and 94 cents higher year over year
Linehaul rates—the portion of the spot rate that excludes fuel—moved modestly. The average van linehaul rate rose 5 cents to $1.96 per mile; reefer increased 4 cents to $2.34; and flatbed climbed 25 cents to $2.61. The flatbed increase was the only move large enough to suggest a meaningful rise in demand.
“Fuel was the story in April,” said Dean Croke, principal industry analyst at DAT. “Linehaul rates barely moved in van and reefer, and the volume of loads moved fell across the board. Small carriers continue to exit the market under sustained cost pressure. That’s not what a demand-based truckload freight recovery looks like.”
Per-mile fuel surcharges in April hit their highest monthly averages since July 2022:
