Dry van rates per mile in 2026

Dry van is the biggest trailer market in trucking, which makes its rates the most quoted and the most misread. A $3.00 rate means one thing with fuel included and another without. It means something else again after the empty miles to pickup. Here are the current national numbers, each with its source and date, and how to turn them into a decision on a real load.

SPOT VAN $3.01 ALL-IN. $2.17 WITHOUT FUEL. SEPT 2026

Current dry van rates, sourced

SOURCE: Monthly: DAT September 2026 release, Oct 13, 2026. Weekly: DAT via AJOT, Sep 27 to Oct 3 and Oct 10 to 16. Checked Oct 21, 2026.

Dry van spot rates averaged $3.01 per mile with fuel and $2.17 without fuel in September 2026; contract van averaged $3.24 (DAT).

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How to read the 2026 numbers

Fuel did most of the climbing. Spot van rose 12 cents with fuel from August to September, yet linehaul fell 2 cents. Diesel averaged $6.29 a gallon in September, the first month above $6, and the surcharge moved with it. If your fuel costs went up as fast as the surcharge, the higher rate didn't put more money in your pocket.

Year over year, the market is stronger. Spot van was 96 cents higher than September 2025. DAT's mid-October report showed van linehaul about 35% above a year earlier, with truck posts on its board 21% to 27% lower.

Contract sits above spot. Shippers paid $3.24 all-in on contract versus $3.01 on spot. When spot climbs past contract, brokers start losing money on contracted freight and push more loads to the board. Watch that gap.

Loaded rate vs all-in rate

The rate on the rate con divided by loaded miles is your loaded rate. The same pay divided by every mile you drive for the load, including deadhead to pickup, is your all-in rate. National averages are loaded rates. Your costs run on all-in miles.

DRY VAN LOAD, EXAMPLENO. 0141

EXAMPLE

Rate con

$2,100

Loaded miles

690

Loaded rate

$3.04

Deadhead to pickup

85 mi

All-in rate

$2.71

Fuel, 775 mi at 6.8 mpg, $6.29

$717

Detention, 3 hrs after 2 free

Ask: $50 to $75/hr

Left after fuel$1,383

This EXAMPLE load pays the national spot average on paper. Eighty-five empty miles take it to $2.71 a mile. A three-hour wait at a live unload costs a day's hours with nothing to show unless detention is on the rate con. Run your own numbers with the rate per mile calculator.

What moves dry van rates

• Retail and consumer demand. Van freight is groceries, packaged goods, paper, electronics and store inventory. Imports, holiday stocking and e-commerce set the pace.
• Seasons. Volumes usually build from late summer into the fourth quarter, then fall hard in January. Quarter-end pushes, like the one that lifted van rates 11 cents in the week ending October 3, 2026, come and go.
• Direction of the lane. Freight out of big distribution and port markets usually pays less, because trucks pile up there. Freight into small markets pays more, because the truck often comes back empty.
• Diesel. Surcharges trail diesel prices by weeks. DAT's analyst noted that rates usually take three to four weeks to catch up when diesel rises.
• Truck supply. Fewer trucks posting means brokers have to pay more to cover loads.

Live unload vs drop and hook

Two dry van loads with the same rate per mile can pay very differently by the hour. Drop and hook (you drop a loaded trailer and pick up an empty or loaded one) usually takes under an hour. A live load or live unload can take three to six hours at a busy warehouse. If a load is live at both ends, ask about the appointment times, the free time before detention starts, and the detention rate. A slightly lower rate on drop and hook often earns more per day.

Dry van vs reefer and flatbed rates

In September 2026 DAT put the spot averages at $3.01 for van, $3.62 for reefer and $3.61 for flatbed, all with fuel. Van pays the least per mile because more trucks can haul it and there's no reefer unit, tarping or securement. The trade is simpler freight, more loads to choose from, and less equipment to buy. If you're weighing a second trailer type, read dry van vs reefer.

What the numbers mean for your loads

• Know your cost per mile first. Fuel, insurance, truck payment, maintenance, permits and your own pay, divided by all the miles you run in a month.
• Compare like with like. Strip fuel off a quote before comparing it with a linehaul average.
• Price the time. Live loads, extra stops and long waits belong in the rate.
• Plan the next load. A good rate into a dead market can cost more on the way out than it paid on the way in.

Trailer size limits what you can book. See 53 ft trailer dimensions for pallet counts and weights, and dry van trucking for how the business works.

Dispatch for dry van carriers

Van freight is plentiful, which is exactly why cheap offers are everywhere. The work is sorting through them, calling for the better ones and setting up the reload before you deliver. Our dry van dispatching service does that for one-truck and small-fleet carriers. You see every load with its rate, miles and stops, you say yes or no, and the rate con comes from the broker straight to you to sign.