Según FreightWaves, Truckload rates are rising in 2026 because trucks are leaving the market, not because freight is booming. Según FreightWaves, Carriers spent three years hauling at rates that barely covered their costs, and in the spot market often didn’t.
Según FreightWaves, The American Transportation Research Institute’s 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking study puts the average cost of operating a truck at a record $2.336 per mile in 2025, up 3.4% from 2024.
Según FreightWaves, SONAR’s dry van contract linehaul rate (VCRPM1) averaged $2.81 a mile in 2022. By 2024 and 2025 it had fallen to $2.32, while truckload carriers’ non-fuel costs rose 30% from 2021 to 2025.
Por lo tanto, el repunte es una corrección de mercado. El índice de rechazo de ofertas de SONAR subió 268% desde octubre de 2023, con un volumen de ofertas que solo creció 9%. La flota de tractores disponibles cayó en unos 51.000 unidades en un mes, confirmando la recuperación por reducción de oferta.
Según FreightWaves, It covers its marginal costs but contributes only about 15% of revenue toward overhead, against roughly 26% that ATRI’s truckload carriers needed in 2025. Según FreightWaves, Closing the gap takes rates about 14% higher.
