Spot Market Insights - March 23, 2026
Refrigerated and flatbed spot rates rise strongly again
Although rising fuel prices clearly were a factor, broker-posted spot rates for refrigerated and flatbed equipment in the Truckstop.com system rose notably during the week ended March 20 (week 11) even excluding the portion of the rate needed to recover higher fuel costs. Total dry van rates eased a bit, but they rose sharply in most regions. The approaching Easter holiday might have figured into refrigerated’s gain, but the increase was far larger this year than it was two weeks before Easter last year.
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