Here’s the setup that traps carriers every fall: the load boards light up, everybody’s busy — and the average rate quietly slips while you’re running hard. Last week was exactly that week.
The news
The November 2 Truckstop/FTR spot market report, covering the week ending October 30, shows load activity up 8.5% — the largest weekly increase in six weeks — with truck postings essentially flat. The Market Demand Index, the ratio of loads to trucks in the Truckstop system, hit its highest level in four weeks.
But rates went the other way. The total broker-posted rate fell 1.3 cents to $3.23 per mile, and it was the first time since mid-August that rates fell for all three principal equipment types in the same week: dry van down 2.5 cents to $2.85, refrigerated down 3.5 cents to $3.45 (its third straight weekly decline), and flatbed down 1.6 cents to $3.31, even though flatbed load activity rebounded 11.2%.
The context matters more than the cents. That $3.23 average is still 41.5% above the same week in 2025. Strip out the calculated fuel surcharge and rates are up less than 34% year over year — about seven points of the headline gain is fuel money passing through, not money that stays with the carrier. Truckstop/FTR also noted the softness largely followed seasonal patterns, and that dry van and reefer rates typically rise in the week that follows this reporting period.
What this means for car haulers
Busy is not the same as profitable. Loads up 8.5% with rates down means the freight is there — the question is which freight. A week like this rewards haulers who pick lanes instead of grabbing whatever posts first. More loads chasing the same trucks should be your leverage, not a reason to accept the first number offered.
Price the lane, not the national average. The national dip hid real regional strength: West Coast rates rose — dry van loads out of the West Coast were nearly 65% above last year, the strongest year-over-year comparison of 2026 — while the Midwest dropped sharply. Car hauling is regional the same way: a Chicago-to-Southeast lane and a Northeast lane are different markets on the same day. This is where dispatching that works lanes daily earns its cut — somebody watching regional movement instead of one national number.
Watch the fuel line, not just the rate line. Seven points of the year-over-year rate gain is fuel surcharge math. Quote all-in and you can think you’re up 41% while the money that covers your truck, insurance, and tires is up less. Know your per-mile cost at today’s diesel price before you call a load “good.”
Don’t panic over one soft week — or spend it. The report itself flags seasonality, and the typical pattern is a bounce in dry van and reefer rates the following week. One down week at $3.23, still 41.5% over last year, is a reason to negotiate harder — not a reason to discount your work or park good equipment.
The bottom line
The freight is moving — 8.5% more loads against the same trucks — and rates are still historically strong even after a soft week. Haulers lose money in weeks like this by running busy instead of running smart: pick the lane, price the region, and keep the fuel math separate from the rate math.
Want your truck kept on the lanes that pay? Our dispatching team works car haulers daily — or call Victor at 954-947-3096.
Sources: Truck Driver News, “Latest Spot Market Results Show Rates Down, Loads Up” (November 2, 2026) — https://truckdrivernews.com/latest-spot-market-results-show-rates-down-loads-up/ , reporting the Truckstop/FTR spot market data for the week ending October 30, 2026. Figures describe activity in the Truckstop system and national broker-posted averages for van, reefer, and flatbed equipment; they are market context, not a rate quote for any specific car-hauler lane.
