DAT Freight & Analytics

Moving Freight Since 1978🚛💨We’re glad you’re here! Follow along for market updates, info on how to use our products to improve your business, & so much more!

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Brokers are under more pressure than ever to document their carrier management decisions.

To help simplify that process, CSA percentile scores are now available on the Company Profile page in DAT One for Carrier Management Suite users.

Having carrier safety data available in the same place brokers are already managing carrier relationships can help:
📋 Streamline documentation
⚡ Reduce the need to switch between systems
📝 Create a clearer record of carrier evaluation

One less gap between due diligence and getting the load covered.

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

South Texas reefer rates saw a wild produce-season swing 🚛

2 weeks:
📈 Up as much as 40%
📉 Then down as much as 40%

What’s driving it?
🍉 Produce shifts
🌸 Floral demand fading
🥬 CA volumes ramping up
🚚 Capacity repositioning

A reminder how fast reefer markets can turn this time of year. Take a deeper look 👉 https://t.co/NTpqVgorhn

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Catch the full conversation between Chris Caplice and Ken Adamo👀 https://t.co/J2P7CPDZDr

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Records are falling, and the market isn't done yet.

Flatbed spot linehaul rates (rates minus fuel) hit $2.89/mile last week, a new all-time high, beating the June 2021 record by $0.14. That's eleven straight weeks of gains, a 21% surge since Roadcheck Week, and a load-to-truck ratio of 76.71. The ATA tonnage index hasn't declined once in 2026. For carriers running steel, lumber, or machinery lanes, the macro setup still favors holding rates through the summer.

Dry van linehaul rates climbed another $0.05 to $2.32/mile, which is 39% above this time last year and just $0.04 shy of the Week 22 record set in 2021. Meanwhile, the Q1 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index showed freight spending jump 21.8% year-over-year on essentially flat volumes. Shippers are paying more, not because demand broke out, but because supply finally gave way.

On the reefer side, South Texas just gave carriers a reminder: Shortage conditions can reverse in a week. After spiking 25–40% under last week's tight market, rates collapsed by as much as 41% as truck supply normalized. Meanwhile, Yakima Valley availability is tightening without a rate move yet, a classic leading indicator worth watching going into next week.

What does this market look like for your network heading into July 4th?

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Lakeland is one of the hottest reefer markets to watch this week👀🍉

📦 Florida produce volumes up 32%
🍉 Watermelon shipments up 43%
📈 Lakeland outbound rates continue to climb

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

What’s shaping the freight market this week? Take a look👀 https://t.co/mZG2QuOBhw

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Freight volumes remain soft, but dry van rates aren't waiting🚚

📦 Shipments down 4.4% YoY
📈 Linehaul rates up 5.6% YoY
🚛 Tightening capacity continues to support pricing

The market recovery story isn't just about demand anymore. Are you seeing capacity or demand have a bigger impact on rates right now?👀 https://t.co/441sqW1llk

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

When you book a load without picking up the phone

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

South Texas reefer rates just had one of the sharpest swings of produce season🚛

In just two weeks:
⬆️ Rates jumped 40%
⬇️ Then dropped nearly 40% the next week

What caused the whiplash?
🍉 Produce shifts
🌸 Floral demand fading
🥬 California volumes rising
🚚 Capacity repositioning fast

How are you seeing produce season impact reefer pricing?👀 https://t.co/3rCXnHLlMy

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

A unanimous Supreme Court decision could have major implications for freight brokerages🚨

Brokers can now be held liable for negligent carrier hiring, and the ripple effects could impact insurance costs, vetting practices, and smaller brokerages across the industry.

Chris Caplice and Ken Adamo break it all down👀 https://t.co/Jcj3MlIKdH

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Permian activity is picking back up, and flatbed carriers should be watching 🚛

📦 More energy and oilfield freight returning to the Permian Basin
🏗️ Increased demand for equipment and drilling-related materials
📈 Tightening capacity supporting flatbed demand and spot rates

What could this mean for flatbed rates heading into the next cycle? 👀 https://t.co/AdAbvPWbdK

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Most brokerages already use automation, the question is whether it actually works in day-to-day workflows.

On May 28, DAT + TIA are getting practical about freight automation:
⚙️ Where it fits in real brokerage ops
⏱️ Cutting repetitive work
🔧 Making it work without rebuilding everything
📊 Where it drives margin vs where it is just noise

If automation is on your radar this year, join us live 👀https://t.co/WV8701Y2O8

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

The record is official.

Flatbed linehaul rates (minus fuel) hit $2.87/mile last week, an all-time high, surpassing the previous record set in June 2021 by $0.11. Ten consecutive weeks of expansion. Twenty-one percent in ten weeks. That's a structural shift.

Meanwhile, the seasonal handoff in reefer is in motion. Florida corrects, Atlanta rates dropped 24% in a single week after the Mother's Day floral surge, and California steps in. Salinas, Santa Maria, and South/Central CA all posted double-digit increases on East Coast lanes, with Santa Maria → New York up 66%. If you're running reefer capacity, you need to be repositioning west right now.

And the number shippers should be watching: the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index jumped 5.6% year over year in April, the largest annual gain since August 2022, while shipment volumes are still down 4.4% year over year. Rates are repricing before demand has recovered. The market isn't waiting for volume to catch up.

If your contract rates still reflect 2025's market, that math is getting harder to defend every week.

What's your exposure heading into June?

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Here’s what’s driving freight this week👀 https://t.co/4K3A7foDmI

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

California’s Central Valley just became the center of reefer pricing power this week📦❄️

Fresno is at the center of the spring shipping window👀

📦 Salinas, Santa Maria, Kern, Central CA all posting double-digit rate increases
🚛 Salinas → New York up to $17,900
📈 Santa Maria → New York up 66% week over week
🚚 Truck availability running Slight Shortage and tightening

Reefer operators, this is the market to watch this week.

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Today is Memorial Day, the day we remember and honor the service members who lost their lives in service to our country. Thank you, all.

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Myth: One market signal tells you everything.

Reality: No isolated metric can tell the whole story.

Rates, volume, capacity, and timing all matter and sometimes the signals don’t agree. That’s not noise. That’s the insight. If you’re only looking at one number, you’re probably missing part of the story.

What’s one market signal you think people rely on too heavily?

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Florida is correcting and California is surging as the seasonal reefer handoff takes hold📦❄️

🍉 Florida volumes are easing after peak season
🌶️ California is ramping up as produce season builds
🚛 Capacity is shifting west as demand follows the harvest cycle

See what this could mean for your lanes 👉 https://t.co/JC7CVbkhkv

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Home Depot is going all in on pro contractors, and flatbed carriers should be paying attention🚛

📦 More building materials moving through wholesale distribution networks
🏗️ More freight tied to construction materials
📈 Potential for new flatbed freight corridors

How could this impact flatbed rates and capacity this construction season?👀 https://t.co/GfKmpsxsGm

[DAT Freight & Analytics @datfreightteam]

Comparing TL and intermodal rates shouldn’t require separate tools...

📊 Pull IMDL + TL rates side by side in iQ RateView
⚡️ Run intermodal lanes at scale in MLR for RFPs and bids
🔗 Access IMDL data via API and Snowflake
📍 3-digit zip-level rates with avg, range, report count, and contributor count

No add-on required. IMDL rates are now included across all RateView subscription tiers in DAT iQ.