DAT Freight & Analytics

05/29/2026

Freight volumes are still soft, but dry van rates are telling a different story🚚

According to the latest Cass Freight Index:
📦 Shipments were down 4.4% year over year
📈 Linehaul rates increased 5.6% year over year
🚛 Tightening capacity continues to put upward pressure on pricing
⚠️ Shippers waiting for demand to rebound may find rates have already moved

The freight recovery story isn't just about volume anymore. Capacity is playing a bigger role in where the market goes next. Are you seeing capacity or demand have a bigger impact on pricing right now? 👉 https://bit.ly/43A2f3d

All rates cited below exclude fuel surcharges, and load volume refers to loads moved unless otherwise noted. The rate charts

05/29/2026

Last week, our team was in Las Vegas for Manhattan Momentum 2026✨

AI was the big topic all week, especially around how it’s already showing up in real workflows and making supply chains faster, smarter, and more connected. We also got to hear from legendary Coach K on leadership, teamwork, and what it takes to navigate change when the stakes are high.🏀

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and caught up with us throughout the week🙌

05/28/2026

South Texas re**er rates just pulled off one of the wildest swings of produce season🚛

In just two weeks:
⬆️ Rates surged as much as 40%
⬇️ Then collapsed nearly 40% the following week

What caused the whiplash?
🍉 Produce season shifts
🌸 Mother’s Day floral demand fading
🥬 California ramping up volume
🚚 Capacity rapidly repositioning across markets

For carriers and brokers, it’s another reminder of how fast re**er markets can turn this time of year. How are you seeing produce season impact re**er pricing in your market? 👀 https://bit.ly/3RDISnc

**erMarket

Data analysis for week of May 28, 2026 for truckload produce shipper, carriers, and brokers The big picture The produce

05/28/2026

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

Chris Caplice is joined by Ken Adamo, Chief Strategy Officer at Ease Logistics, to break down the Montgomery case and what it means now that brokers can be held liable for negligent carrier hiring.
⚖️ Why this ruling could reshape broker liability
📈 The potential impact on insurance costs
🚛 How small and mid-sized brokers may be affected most
🔍 Why carrier vetting is now under a bigger spotlight
🛠️ The tools and practices brokers may need moving forward

If you work in brokerage, shipping, or carrier operations, this is a conversation worth paying attention to👀 https://bit.ly/42ZxUuS

A unanimous Supreme Court decision could have major implications fo...

05/27/2026

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

📦 Oilfield and energy freight returning to the Permian Basin
🏗️ More demand for equipment, materials, and servicing tied to drilling activity
📈 Tightening capacity helping support flatbed demand and spot rates

As rigs come back online, freight tied to energy production is starting to move again across key Texas lanes.

What could renewed Permian activity mean for flatbed rates heading into the next cycle?👀 https://bit.ly/4x9tyiC

All rates cited below exclude fuel surcharges, and load volume refers to loads moved unless otherwise noted. The rate charts

05/27/2026

Most brokerages are already using some form of automation. The real question is whether it's actually working for the workflows your team uses every day.

On May 28, DAT is joining TIA to get practical about freight automation. Here's what we're covering:
⚙️ Where automation fits inside a brokerage's existing operations
⏱️ How to cut the repetitive tasks that eat into your team's time
🔧 How to make it work without rebuilding your entire process
📊 Where automation creates real margin impact, and where it's more noise than value

If automation is a priority for your brokerage this year, join us live👀 https://bit.ly/4wOQnYO

05/26/2026

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 re**er 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 re**er 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?

05/26/2026

Here’s what’s driving freight this week👀 https://bit.ly/4e4JCdI

Welcome to DAT iQ Live, DAT's weekly freight market podcast hosted ...

05/25/2026

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

The region is entering its peak spring shipping window, and Fresno is sitting right at the center of it👀

📦 Salinas, Santa Maria, Kern, and Central CA all posting double-digit rate increases this week
🚛 Salinas → New York hitting as high as $17,900
📈 Santa Maria → New York up 66% in a single week
🚚 Truck availability across California origins running Slight Shortage and tightening further
🍓 Lettuce, berry, and vegetable volumes building across the valley

Florida lanes are cooling while California demand builds, and the next several weeks will be shaped by Central Valley freight.

Re**er operators, this is the market to watch this week.

**erMarket

05/25/2026

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.

05/22/2026

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?