Freight Trucking Rates
Truck Freight Rates: July 2026 Van, Reefer & Flatbed Update
ACT Research provides consolidated, forward-looking freight rate analysis — helping carriers, brokers, and shippers plan contract strategy with confidence.
Freight & Trucking Rate
July 2026 Update
July 31, 2026
As of July 2026, the truckload rate environment has tightened further, with pricing strength extending across equipment types and into contract markets. The primary driver remains supply: driver availability is still acutely tight, capacity continues to contract, and regulatory enforcement is making it more difficult to add trucks and drivers. Freight demand is improving in places, but ACT’s July Freight Forecast characterizes the current rate cycle as primarily supply-driven.
Aggregate spot rates, excluding fuel, were 43% higher year over year in June and accelerated further during the first half of July. Contract pricing also strengthened, confirming that the market reset is moving beyond short-term spot volatility. Aggregate DAT contract rates increased again in June and were 13% above year-ago levels.
Below are the latest dry van, flatbed, and reefer rate insights from ACT Research’s July 2026 Freight Forecast.
Dry Van
Dry van spot rates accelerated in June, rising 45% year over year, excluding fuel. Available capacity remained exceptionally tight around the end of June and the July 4 holiday, as an increasingly difficult driver market compounded several years of for-hire capacity contraction.
Dry van contract rates also moved higher, rising 12% year over year in June. The combination of spot strength and tightening capacity is shortening the normal lag between spot and contract pricing. Shippers should expect less pricing relief than during the prior downcycle, while carriers are regaining leverage as stronger spot conditions move into contract negotiations.
Flatbed
Flatbed remains one of the strongest truckload segments. Spot rates reached another record in June, increasing 15 cents from May and rising 39% year over year, excluding fuel. Construction season, data-center development, related power-generation demand, and energy-sector activity have contributed to unusually tight specialized capacity.
Flatbed contract rates were 17% higher year over year in June, providing further evidence that the improvement is not limited to short-term spot conditions. Some easing began in July, and lower oil prices could reduce part of the segment’s recent pressure as construction season moderates. Even so, specialized capacity and regulatory enforcement remain important pricing supports.
Reefer
Reefer pricing also strengthened in June. Spot rates rose 39% year over year, excluding fuel, and moved above contract rates for the first time since February 2022. Rates continued to run ahead of normal seasonal patterns in early July.
Reefer contract rates increased 12% year over year in June. The market remains sensitive to produce volumes, beverage demand, extreme temperatures, and the availability of specialized equipment. A softer produce season limited some of the recent increase, but continued capacity constraints leave reefer pricing exposed to further seasonal volatility.
Contract Rates
Contract rates are responding more clearly to sustained spot-market strength. Aggregate DAT contract rates—combining dry van, reefer, and flatbed—increased seven cents in June to $2.41 per mile, excluding fuel, and were 13% higher year over year. Aggregate spot rates remained above contract rates, a signal of acute market tightness.
ACT expects recent spot-rate gains to continue moving into contract pricing during the second half of 2026. For shippers, transportation budgets and bid strategies will need to reflect a less favorable purchasing environment. For carriers, stronger contract rates should improve revenue quality, although insurance, labor, equipment, financing, and other operating costs remain significant constraints on profitability.
Summary
Entering July 2026, truckload rates are strengthening through a supply-driven cycle. Dry van conditions remain exceptionally tight, flatbed continues to lead the rate market, and reefer carries additional upside risk during seasonal peaks.
Some pressure could moderate during the third-quarter seasonal lull, particularly if higher driver pay helps stabilize availability. However, the market’s pricing direction is clearer than earlier in the year. Shippers, carriers, brokers, fleets, and investors should continue monitoring spot-contract spreads, driver availability, regulatory enforcement, seasonal demand, and whether rising rates translate into healthier carrier profitability and renewed capacity investment.
To see how freight trucking rates change in the future, and for detailed analysis and forecasts, see ACT's freight & transportation forecast.
“While contract rates continue to accelerate and aggregate spot rates were 43% higher year over year in June, the July reports reinforce that the current market upturn remains primarily supply-driven rather than the result of a broad freight-demand surge. Driver availability remains acutely tight, for-hire capacity continues to contract, and regulatory enforcement is adding further pressure. These conditions have shifted leverage toward carriers, although profitability remains uneven as insurance, financing, equipment, labor, and other operating costs absorb part of the benefit from higher rates.
Class 8 orders more than tripled year over year in June and improved 25% sequentially on a seasonally adjusted basis, led by stronger tractor demand. Backlogs reached a 38-month high, improving OEM production visibility, while retail activity also strengthened. Even so, the equipment market continues to reflect disciplined replacement, capacity planning, and EPA 2027 positioning more than broad-based fleet expansion. With total cost of ownership elevated and the durability of freight demand still uncertain, fleets remain selective and focused on replacement timing, regulatory readiness, profitability, and cost control.”
Tim Denoyer
VP & Sr. Analyst
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