U.S. van spot hits $3.49 a mile as contract rates reach 52‑week high

Market Context & Direct Impact

Truckload pricing is rising on both the spot and contract side. Van spot rates reached $3.49 per mile on November 9th, up from $3.44 in September, according to FreightWaves' SONAR data. A contract benchmark for vans sits at $2.85 per mile, a 52-week high, in the same update. When spot and contract climb together, the move looks demand-led rather than a one-week spike, and that reading suggests renewal offers will come in higher.

Demand is firming while the diesel data disagree. Truckload demand climbed nearly 5% week over week as of November 9th, and tender rejections were near 13%. The U.S. Energy Information Administration lists on-highway diesel, all types, at $6.127 a gallon for the week of 9 November. The 2 November reading was $6.292, which by my arithmetic is about 16.5 cents lower. FreightWaves, citing Department of Energy data, reports that the diesel price was down about 6 cents week over week as of November 9th, so the two readings do not reconcile and fuel-surcharge tables should be checked against a named series. DAT's dry van linehaul, which excludes fuel, averaged $2.26 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 2.8%. The DAT Rate Forecast projects dry van spot linehaul rising to $2.32 per mile 35 days out, and holiday retail restocking ahead of Thanksgiving typically draws dry van freight out of distribution centers through late November. On the ocean side, according to Xeneta, Asia-U.S. West Coast spot rates in October were 343% above their February 28 level and stood 14% below their pandemic-era record.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Renew on the indexA contract benchmark at a 52-week high suggests carriers will push renewal offers up, so price your lanes against it before bids close.
• Match the fuel basisDAT's linehaul excludes fuel, so compare it with FreightWaves' spot average only after confirming each source's basis.
• Ocean relief forecastXeneta's outlook says global ocean spot rates could fall 30% in 2027, though the benefit will vary by route.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Dual-quote three lanes

   Request spot and contract quotes on three high-volume van lanes this month, with fuel shown as a separate line, so the renewal call rests on one basis.

2. 2
   Audit fuel schedules

   Check each carrier's fuel-surcharge table against the EIA weekly diesel series after each release, and record which series your contracts name.

Filed 09:26 GMT, 11 November 2026, for the first edition of 11 Nov.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Freight Demand Jumps 5% as Spot Rates ClimbFreightWaves, published 9 November 2026
2. Retail Prices for Diesel (On-Highway) - All TypesU.S. Energy Information Administration, published 10 November 2026
3. Gasoline and Diesel Fuel UpdateU.S. Energy Information Administration, published 3 November 2026
4. Dry Van Report: Tight capacity keeps spot rates climbingDAT Freight & Analytics, published 9 November 2026
5. Asia-U.S. West Coast ocean container spot rates up 343% since start of Iran war, says XenetaFreightWaves, published 9 November 2026

Claims ledger: 14 facts and where each comes from

• Van spot rates reached $3.49 per mile on 9 November, up from $3.44 in September.¹
• The van contract rate per mile linehaul index (BCRPM1) hit $2.85 per mile, a 52-week high.¹
• Truckload demand climbed nearly 5% week over week as of 9 November.¹
• Tender rejections were near 13%.¹
• The U.S. Department of Energy diesel price was down about 6 cents week over week as of 9 November, though still up 9 cents month over month.¹
• U.S. on-highway diesel, all types, was $6.127 a gallon for the week of 9 November, including taxes (EIA weekly series, released 10 November 2026).²
• U.S. on-highway diesel, all types, was $6.292 a gallon for the week of 2 November, including taxes.³
• Derived: about 16.5 cents a gallon lower, from $6.292 (2 November) minus $6.127 (9 November), both U.S. on-highway diesel, all types.²
• Dry van spot linehaul averaged $2.26 per mile for the week ending 6 November, minus fuel, up 2.8%.⁴
• The DAT Rate Forecast projects dry van spot linehaul rising to $2.32 per mile 35 days out.⁴
• Holiday retail restocking ahead of Thanksgiving typically draws dry van freight out of distribution centers through late November.⁴
• Xeneta says Asia-U.S. West Coast spot rates in October were 343% above their 28 February level and 14% below their pandemic-era record.⁵
• Xeneta's latest ocean market outlook says global ocean container spot rates could fall 30% in 2027.⁵
• Xeneta says the benefits of falling rates are likely to vary substantially by route.⁵

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.