Flatbed Report: Industrial demand softens, pulling rates back from July highs

Flatbed spot linehaul averaged $2.87 per mile this week, down 2.7%, or $0.08 per mile, from the prior week. Rates climbed 40.6%, or $0.83 per mile, year over year and held about 33%, or $0.72 per mile, above the nine-year seasonal average, near the top of the historical range.

Bellwether states

The 10 flatbed bellwether states posted a moves-weighted outbound rate of $3.62 per mile in Week 30, down 2.3%, or $0.09 per mile, week over week and up 41.6%, or $1.06 per mile, year over year. The roster carried 52.2% of all U.S. state-outbound flatbed loads, in the middle of its 51 to 53% baseline. Flatbed runs a smaller load-count base than van or reefer, so its weekly share can swing more sharply, but it held steady this week.

Regional rate trends

| Flatbed — Top 10 Origins by Rate Per Mile · Week Ending July 24, 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Rank | Origin Region | Avg RPM | WoW % | YoY % | | 1 | Southeast | $3.51 | -1.9% | +54.3% | | 2 | Ohio River | $3.34 | -6.3% | +48.4% | | 3 | Carolinas | $3.10 | -1.8% | +46.2% | | 4 | South Central | $3.04 | -2.2% | +50.3% | | 5 | Great Lakes | $2.90 | -4.2% | +43.5% | | 6 | Lower Midwest | $2.83 | -5.0% | +40.9% | | 7 | California | $2.64 | -0.1% | +55.3% | | 8 | Florida-So Georgia | $2.64 | -1.6% | +53.8% | | 9 | Upper Atlantic | $2.56 | -3.6% | +32.5% | | 10 | Lower Mountain | $2.10 | -6.8% | +43.1% |

The top 10 origins carried 87.2% of all U.S. outbound loads moved in the week. California held up best week over week at -0.1%, while every leading origin eased from the prior week as summer volumes softened.

Market Conditions

Flatbed load posts in Week 30 were down 9.2% from the prior week but up 34.5% from a year ago. Equipment posts edged down 1.6% on the week while running 27.9% below last year, so both volumes softened with loads leading the decline. The load-to-truck ratio settled at 40.66, off 7.7% for the week yet 86.4% above a year ago, nearly double the year-earlier level.

Short-term outlook

RateCast projects flatbed spot edging up to $2.91 per mile by day 35 (08-29-26), about 0.7%, or $0.02 per mile, above the current $2.89. The day-35 uncertainty band spans roughly plus or minus $0.07, or 2.5% of the point forecast, between van and reefer this week. The end-of-forecast rate would stand well above the $2.03 actual recorded near the same date a year earlier.