FREIGHT & MARKETS · NEWS BRIEF
Spot market tightens into November, DAT reports show
DAT Freight & Analytics released its latest dry van, reefer, and flatbed market reports on November 2, 2026, covering the week ending October 31. All three equipment categories experienced increased load postings and reduced truck postings. The load-to-truck ratio measures posted loads relative to posted available trucks in DAT's marketplace.
The numbers
Dry van load postings increased 8.4% while truck postings declined 5.7%; the dry van load-to-truck ratio rose from 9.51 to 10.93. DAT also reported dry van load postings 26.8% higher than a year earlier, with available truck postings 26.1% lower. Reefer load postings rose 1.8% and truck postings fell 4.3%. DAT's reported national spot linehaul averages, excluding fuel surcharges, were: dry van $2.23 per mile, reefer $2.71 per mile, flatbed $2.61 per mile.
A discrepancy to flag, not hide
DAT's November 2 reports described weekly increases in all three categories, but those reported changes do not reconcile with the national averages published in DAT's October 26 reports (dry van $2.24, reefer $2.73, flatbed $2.63) — the November 2 figures are lower. Haul Press is therefore reporting the current averages as published, without presenting the disputed weekly rate changes as established market movements. Tighter posted capacity entering November is supported by the posting counts; a continued rise in national rates is not established by these figures alone.
Sources: Truck Stop Talk, Weekly Trucking Market Report, Nov. 4, 2026, reporting DAT's November 2 market reports; FreightWaves, Nov. 4, 2026, on tender rejections and spot conditions.