What Is a Good Rate Per Mile in 2026? Van, Reefer, and Flatbed Compared

There's no single answer to what counts as a good rate per mile. It depends on your equipment, your lane, your cost structure, and what the market is doing that week. But there are benchmarks, real math behind them, and a clear framework for deciding whether a load is worth taking. That's what this covers.

Why rates vary so much by equipment type

Brokers and shippers pay for the scarcity and specialization of the equipment they need. Dry van is the most common trailer type in the country, which means more supply and more price pressure on rates. Reefer and flatbed require specialized equipment, more operating costs, or more driver skill, and the market prices that in.

Dry van

Dry van spot rates nationally have ranged from roughly $1.70 to $2.40 per mile in recent years, with significant swings by season and lane. During freight recessions (like 2023-2024), spot rates for van fell below $2.00 on most lanes. In tighter markets, $2.00 to $2.50 is more typical. For data you can trust, check the DAT One or Truckstop.com load boards daily. Those platforms publish current market averages by lane and are the closest thing to a real-time rate index in trucking.

Reefer (refrigerated)

Reefer typically commands a premium of $0.15 to $0.40 per mile over comparable dry van loads on similar lanes. The premium reflects reefer fuel costs (the refrigeration unit burns 0.4 to 0.8 gallons per hour around the clock), higher equipment cost, the risk of product spoilage claims, and FSMA food safety compliance requirements. On strong produce lanes out of California, Florida, and the Southeast, reefer rates can run significantly higher during peak season.

Flatbed

Flatbed rates also tend to beat dry van on a per-mile basis, typically by $0.10 to $0.35. The premium compensates for tarping (which takes real time and physical effort), securement responsibility, and the fact that flatbed freight can't be loaded or unloaded without coordination at both ends. Construction and manufacturing freight dominates flatbed, so rates follow those industries seasonally. Spring and summer usually see stronger flatbed rates than winter.

The only rate that matters: rate minus your CPM

A van load paying $2.20 per mile is not automatically good, and a load paying $1.90 is not automatically bad. What matters is the spread between the rate and your cost per mile. If your all-in CPM (fixed costs, fuel, maintenance, deadhead amortized) is $1.75, then $2.20 leaves you $0.45 per loaded mile for owner compensation and profit. That's reasonable. If your CPM is $1.95 and the rate is $1.90, you're paying to run the truck.

Before you can judge any load, you need your cost per mile figured out. See our guide on calculating trucking CPM if you haven't run those numbers recently.

The deadhead adjustment

Rate per loaded mile is a starting number, not the final answer. If a load pays $2.30 per mile for 900 miles but requires 250 miles of empty running to reach the shipper, your effective rate is $2,070 divided by 1,150 total miles, or $1.80 per mile all-in. That changes the math significantly. Always calculate your effective rate including deadhead before deciding whether a load is worth taking.

Contract rates vs. spot rates

Spot rates (what you negotiate day-to-day on a load board) are more volatile than contract rates (agreed rates with a broker or shipper for a set period). When the spot market is good, spot beats contract. When it crashes, carriers on contracts are glad they locked in. Building even a few contract lanes with reliable brokers smooths out the revenue swings that kill small carriers in freight downturns.

Red flags that make a rate worse than it looks

• Long detention windows with no detention pay above a short free time allowance
• Multiple stops that add time without adding miles
• Tight delivery windows that force you into costly routing or overnight stops
• Lumpers not covered by the broker
• Brokers who habitually low-ball and never move off their first number

Where to check current rates

For current market rates by lane and equipment, DAT One and Truckstop.com are the industry standards. Both publish spot and contract rate indices updated regularly. DAT's rate data is also available via their load board per-search. For a quick pulse on where the national market sits, check the DAT Trendlines or Truckstop's weekly market report. Always verify current rates at rigbird.com/rates before quoting a broker.