Refrigerated Rates
September 2026 Reefer Freight Rates: Spot & Contract Market Trends
ACT Research delivers data-driven insight into refrigerated freight rate movements, helping industry leaders navigate seasonal volatility, capacity constraints, and demand-driven pricing shifts.
Reefer Truckload (TL) Sector
September 2026 Update
September 28, 2026
Spot Rates
Reefer spot rates declined from July and moved back below contract rates in August, while remaining above year-earlier levels. ACT’s September Freight Forecast identifies differing fuel treatment as an important part of that change.
Contract Rates
Reefer contract rates increased from July, continuing to reflect the earlier tightening in the market.
Market Meaning
Softer spot linehaul pricing does not remove the risks associated with an aging refrigerated trailer fleet and constrained specialized capacity. For temperature-controlled transportation, equipment availability, maintenance exposure, and seasonal shipment needs remain useful checks on a national rate headline. ACT’s Freight Forecast helps place those signals in a broader rate, volume, and capacity outlook.
To see how reefer rates are projected to evolve, and for detailed TL, LTL, and intermodal forecasts, see ACT’s Freight & Transportation Forecast.
“As of September 2026, reefer pricing remains well above year-ago levels, although spot rates moderated in August. ACT’s September Freight Forecast shows reefer spot rates, excluding fuel, declined 18 cents to $2.59 per mile, still up 32% year over year. Spot rates moved below contract rates after three consecutive months above them, largely reflecting carriers’ incomplete recovery of higher diesel costs. The decline therefore does not establish that refrigerated capacity has normalized. An aging refrigerated trailer fleet, tight driver availability, and summer heat continue to test specialized capacity and contribute to differences across lanes.
Food, beverage, frozen, and other temperature-controlled freight provide a continuing demand base, while broader freight demand is beginning to contribute more to the truckload recovery. Reefer contract rates, excluding fuel, increased 2 cents to $2.65 per mile in August, up 16% year over year, as earlier spot-market strength continued to influence contract pricing. Equipment replacement needs and elevated labor, maintenance, insurance, financing, and fuel costs remain constraints on capacity investment and profitability. Seasonal moderation is easing some spot-market pressure, but equipment condition, driver availability, weather, and regional demand remain central to refrigerated transportation planning.”
Tim Denoyer
Vice President & Senior Analyst
Freight's supply-driven upturn: How long will rates rise?
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