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Truckload Freight Rates Per Mile — Live Spot Rates for Carriers, Brokers & Shippers

Current trucking rates per mile across dry van, reefer, flatbed, power only and hotshot — blended from real LoadBoot marketplace bookings and published national benchmarks. See what the truck gets paid, what freight brokers buy and sell at, and what shippers pay — every side of the spot market on one page. Refreshed weekly.

8Equipment types
3Market sides
WeeklyBenchmark refresh
LiveFrom real bookings
EquipmentCarriers get paidBrokers buy / sellShippers pay
Loading live market rates…
National spot-rate averages, all-in linehaul per mile. Lane-level rates (state → state, low/average/high, 12-week trends) are free inside a LoadBoot account.

One market. Three prices. Know yours.

Every truckload move has three numbers: the rate the carrier hauls for, the spread the broker works within, and the price the shipper ultimately pays. Free rate charts usually show only one side — LoadBoot shows you yours, so everyone negotiates from real data and keeps their margin.

For Carriers & Owner-Operators

Know what a lane pays the truck before you call anyone — and never haul below your cost per mile.

  • Spot rates per mile for your exact equipment
  • Low / average / high spread — spot a cheap load instantly
  • Industry minimums: $2.00+ dry van, $2.50+ reefer & flatbed
  • Every LoadBoot load shows the full rate card: detention, layover, TONU, lumper — in writing
See what YOUR lanes pay →

For Freight Brokers

Buy-side and sell-side on one screen — benchmark spot rates, protect your margin, quote shippers with confidence.

  • BUY: what carriers accept on the lane (real bookings)
  • SELL: shipper-side guidance with a typical 12–18% brokerage margin
  • Rate suggestions inside load posting — under-market posts get flagged before they sit unbooked
  • Auto-generated, immutable rate confirmations on every load
Unlock lane-level buy/sell rates →

For Shippers

Budget freight with real numbers — see what moving your load should cost before you tender it.

  • Shipper-side rates per mile by equipment
  • Benchmark broker quotes against the live market
  • Plan seasonal budgets with 12-week trendlines
  • GPS-tracked delivery and documented settlement on every LoadBoot move
Check your shipping cost →

What moves trucking rates per mile

⛽ Diesel pricesFuel is ~25–30% of a truck’s cost per mile. Rate benchmarks move within weeks of sustained diesel swings.
📦 Load-to-truck ratioMore loads than trucks on a lane pushes spot rates up fast — the classic hot-market signal.
🍅 SeasonalityProduce season lifts reefer rates to $3.50–$4.50/mi in Southeast corridors; construction season lifts flatbed.
📍 Lane densityHeadhaul lanes into dense freight markets pay less than backhaul-starved rural destinations.
🚛 Equipment & serviceReefer and flatbed carry premiums over dry van; team drivers add 20–30%; hazmat ~15%.
📄 Spot vs contractSpot rates (this page) price single loads today; contract rates lock a lane for months and lag the spot market.

Current rates by equipment type

Dry van rates per mile anchor the market — the most trucks, the most loads, the tightest spread. Reefer rates per mile carry a $0.40–0.70 premium for the trailer, fuel for the unit and produce-season risk. Flatbed rates per mile run highest of the big three: tarping, securement and specialized freight. Power only prices below van (the trailer is the shipper’s), while hotshot rates track expedited small-load demand. The live table above updates weekly; inside LoadBoot each number sharpens with every real booking on the platform.

How we calculate these freight rates

Three blended layers, honestly labeled: (1) Real LoadBoot bookings — actual accepted rates on our marketplace, the strongest signal, refreshed continuously; (2) Published national benchmarks — published national industry indices, refreshed weekly; (3) Confidence labels — every lane result says whether it comes from lane-level bookings (HIGH), platform-wide data (MEDIUM) or the national benchmark (LOW). A rate is a guide, not a quote — but you always know exactly where it came from.

Freight rate FAQs

What is the average trucking rate per mile right now?

National spot averages currently run roughly $2.00–$2.70/mi for dry van, $2.15–$3.40 for reefer and $2.20–$3.70 for flatbed — the live table above shows this week’s numbers by equipment and market side.

What is a good rate per mile for trucking in 2026?

A good rate beats your all-in operating cost (~$1.80–$2.00/mi for most owner-operators) by at least 20%. Practical minimums: $2.00–$2.50/mi dry van, $2.50+ reefer and flatbed, $2.00+ hotshot.

How much do freight brokers charge shippers?

Brokers typically add a 12–18% margin on top of the carrier rate. That is why the shipper column above runs higher than the carrier column on the same lane — both sides are shown so everyone negotiates informed.

What is the difference between spot rates and contract rates?

Spot rates price one load, today, on the open market — they move daily with supply and demand. Contract rates lock a lane for 3–12 months and typically sit below spot in hot markets and above it in soft markets.

Is there a free freight rate calculator?

Yes — inside every free LoadBoot account: pick origin state, destination state, equipment and miles, and get low/average/high per-mile and flat rates for your side of the market, with a 12-week trend.

Stop guessing. Price every load with live market data.

Free LoadBoot account — lane-level rates, GPS-tracked loads, signed rate confirmations, documented settlement. Carriers haul at fair rates; brokers protect margin; shippers budget with confidence.

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