Fuel Updates

Fuel is at $3.75 for the week, which is up from $3.71 the previous week.

This week, the domestic trucking market continues to present a paradox: weak freight volumes alongside rising rates and tightening capacity. Although overall demand remains soft, the shrinking availability of trucks is preventing the market from declining further and setting the stage for a potentially more volatile—and more favorable—environment for carriers toward the end of 2025.

Reefer Freight:

• Spot rates are sitting at $2.46 per mile.
• The reefer load-to-truck ratio increased 5% week-over-week, driven by a 15% drop in available reefer equipment postings and a 10% decline in load postings.
• Capacity remains abundant, continuing to place downward pressure on rates.
• Spot rates vary widely by region, with some areas like Iowa seeing higher averages ($3.85/mile) while others, such as Delaware, are much lower ($1.10/mile).
• The recent rate increase is partly due to pre-tariff shipping of perishable goods, though this is expected to be a short-term factor.

Van Freight:

• Spot rates are sitting at $1.68 per mile.
• Load volumes remain low, with the current week showing a 4.0% decrease in load postings and a 5.4% decline in truck postings, according to DAT.
• Dry van spot rates typically rise during this time of year, but the current market is trending in the opposite direction.
• Contract rates have remained stable, holding around $2.13 per mile since September.
• The load-to-truck ratio increased to 6.59, up from the previous week, driven by a decline in truck postings alongside a slight uptick in load postings.
• Southern border lanes such as Laredo and Nogales have experienced notable increases in load postings, up 20–35% week-over-week.

Flatbed Freight:

• Spot rates are sitting at $2.53 per mile.
• Flatbed spot rates increased slightly to just over $2.07 per mile as of mid-October, marking a $0.10 rise compared to the previous year.
• Strong demand persists in the Southeast, particularly in markets such as Birmingham, Montgomery, and Jackson, driving spot rates higher.
• Load-to-truck ratio: For late October to early November 2025, the ratio increased 1.2% week-over-week. For the week of November 5th–12th, it was reported at 27.16, reflecting a decrease in flatbed load postings alongside a slight increase in available equipment. The flatbed market overall has remained volatile, with fluctuations in both load volumes and capacity impacting the ratio.

We hope you have a fantastic week! If you need any assistance or have any questions, please reach out to your RIM Representative or to our Domestic Team at RIMDomestic@rimlogistics.com.