Dry Van Rates Per Mile: Where the Numbers Come From and How to Use Them

Every dry van load you book is priced per mile, and every broker you talk to has seen the same national averages you have. The useful part isn't the average itself. It's knowing exactly what the number measures, what pushes it up or down, and how far your lanes sit from it.

This page is updated monthly. The figures below are dated; if you're reading this much later, check the sources at the bottom for the latest week.

Where dry van rate data comes from

Rate data comes from load boards and freight-payment companies that see millions of transactions. The best-known public source for van freight rates is DAT, which publishes a weekly Dry Van Report and national charts on its Trendlines page.

Trucking Dive's rate tracker reported the same $2.26 for the week beginning October 4, 2026, up 5 cents on the week.

Read the fine print on any rate number

• Linehaul vs all-in. DAT's weekly dry van figure is linehaul only. An all-in rate includes the fuel surcharge and is noticeably higher. Never compare one to the other.
• Spot vs contract. Spot is the one-off market; contract rates are agreed for weeks or months and move more slowly.
• National vs lane. A national average blends thousands of lanes. Your lane can sit well above or below it.
• Date. A rate from three months ago is history, not a price.

What moves dry van rates

Van rates move with supply (trucks available) and demand (loads to move). The levers you'll feel on the road:

Load-to-truck ratio

The number of posted loads per posted truck on a board. When it rises, carriers have more choice and rates firm up; when it falls, brokers have the upper hand. DAT publishes it weekly for vans. A high national ratio doesn't guarantee your lane is tight, but it tells you which way the market is leaning.

Season and calendar

Retail restocking, produce seasons pulling trucks into reefer work, holidays, quarter-end pushes and weather all shift van capacity. Short weeks around holidays often squeeze capacity for a few days.

Lane direction

A lane out of a market that ships more than it receives usually pays better than the reverse, because trucks are scarce there. The return lane into a busy freight market may pay less, but it puts you where the next load is. That's why we judge a load with its reload, not on its own.

The load itself

Short hauls pay more per mile than long ones because the truck spends more time at docks per mile driven. Urgent pickups, weekend work, multiple stops, driver assist and heavy weights should all pay extra.

Spot vs contract dry van rates

Small carriers mostly work the spot market, but repeat lanes with the same broker or shipper behave a lot like contract freight. Our guide to dedicated dry van lanes covers how small carriers earn those.

Set your minimum rate per mile

The national average tells you about the market. Your minimum tells you about your business. Work it out from your own numbers:

cost per mile = (weekly fixed costs + your weekly pay) / weekly miles
              + diesel price / mpg
              + maintenance per mile

minimum all-in rate = cost per mile / (1 - dispatch fee)
minimum per loaded mile = minimum all-in rate / (1 - share of miles empty)

Insurance is one of the biggest fixed costs, and it's different for every carrier; see dry van insurance for what drives it. Once you have a floor, check every load against it with the dry van rate per mile calculator, which counts fuel surcharge, accessorials and empty miles.

How to negotiate a better rate on a van load

• Know the load's true miles including deadhead to the pickup, and talk in all-in rate per mile.
• Ask what else is attached. Detention terms, lumper reimbursement, stop pay and appointment times are part of the price.
• Counter, every time. The first posted number is a starting point. Ask for a specific number and give a reason: the lane, the timing, the weight.
• Use the reload. If the delivery city is dead, say so and price the empty miles out.
• Be the easy carrier. On-time pickups, clean communication and fast paperwork earn you the next load at a better rate, especially from brokers you work with repeatedly.
• Walk away from loads below your floor. One bad load can cost more than a day without one.

Our dispatchers negotiate every load this way for our carriers. If you'd rather spend your time driving, see our dry van dispatch service, the kinds of dry van loads we book, and the basics of what a dry van is if you're new to the equipment.

Questions owners ask

How much does dry van cost?

For a shipper, a dry van load costs roughly the per-mile rate times the miles, plus fuel surcharge and any accessorials. As a reference, DAT's national average spot linehaul was $2.26 per mile in its October 13, 2026 report, before fuel. Short hauls, tight capacity and urgent loads cost more per mile; long, easy lanes can cost less.

What is the average dry van rate per mile?

It changes weekly. Use a dated public source: DAT reported a national average dry van spot rate of $2.26 per mile linehaul (excluding fuel) on October 13, 2026, up from $2.21 in its September 8, 2026 report. Always check whether a quoted average includes fuel.

Are van rates going up?

Over the few weeks before this update, DAT's weekly dry van spot figures rose from $2.21 (September 8, 2026) to $2.26 (October 13, 2026). Markets turn quickly, so treat any trend as a snapshot and check the latest weekly report before you plan on it.

What's the difference between DAT dry van rates with and without fuel?

DAT's weekly dry van reports quote linehaul, which excludes fuel. Some charts and rate tools show all-in averages that include a fuel surcharge, which are higher. Compare like with like: a linehaul rate against linehaul, an all-in rate against all-in.

What's a good dry van rate per mile for an owner-operator?

Any rate that covers your cost per mile, your pay and the empty miles around the load. That number is different for every truck. Work out your floor with our minimum rate builder and judge loads against it, not against a national average.

Sources

1. DAT, Dry Van Report: rates climb as load posts fall and capacity tightens, published October 13, 2026
2. DAT, Dry Van Report: rates tick up as truck capacity starts trickling back, published September 8, 2026
3. Trucking Dive, How truck spot rates are shifting, entry dated October 15, 2026
4. DAT Trendlines, national charts, checked October 2026

Rates are market data for context, not a quote or a promise of what any load will pay. Not financial advice.