Freight rates per mile in 2026

A truckload price is built from three parts: the linehaul for the truck and driver, a fuel surcharge that tracks the price of diesel, and accessorial charges for anything beyond a normal pickup and delivery. Knowing how each part is set makes it easy to read a quote and to compare one carrier with another.

Part	What it pays for	How it is set
Linehaul	Truck, trailer and driver over the miles	Rate per mile by equipment and distance band
Fuel surcharge	Diesel above a base price	Weekly DOE diesel average, per mile
Accessorials	Waiting, extra stops, tarps, cancellations	Flat or hourly rates, charged when they apply

Linehaul and distance bands

Linehaul is quoted per mile, but the rate per mile is not the same at every distance. A truck spends roughly the same time loading and unloading whether the trip is 150 miles or 1,500, and on a short run that fixed time is spread over fewer miles. A short-haul truck also cannot run as many miles in a day between pickups and drops. So carriers price in distance bands, with the highest per-mile rate on the shortest trips.

You can see this in our own examples. The linehaul on the 428-mile dry van run from Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZ is $2.55 a mile. On the 1,131-mile run from Houston, TX to Chicago, IL it drops to $2.11. Market data works the same way: DAT's national per-mile averages only include lanes of 250 miles or more, and it reports shorter lanes as a price per trip instead.

Equipment matters too. A flatbed costs more than a dry van on the same lane because the trailer is specialized and the driver secures and often tarps the load. On Houston, TX to Chicago, IL, our flatbed example costs $723 more than the dry van.

The fuel surcharge formula

The standard truckload fuel surcharge is a per-mile charge based on the U.S. Department of Energy weekly average price of on-highway diesel, which the Energy Information Administration publishes every Monday:

Fuel surcharge per mile = (DOE diesel price − base price) ÷ miles per gallon

A common industry matrix uses a base of $1.20 a gallon and 6.0 miles per gallon. With diesel at $6.199 for the week of October 5, 2026, the worked example is:

Diesel above the base: $6.199 − $1.200 = $4.999 a gallon
Divided by 6.0 mpg: $0.833 a mile
On a 1,000-mile load: $833.17 in fuel surcharge

Our engine uses the same formula with a miles-per-gallon figure for each type of equipment, so the fuel line on a dry van differs slightly from this example: on the Houston, TX to Chicago, IL load it is $870, or $0.77 a mile. The DOE week used is printed on every quote.

Diesel has moved a lot this year. The DOE average reached $6.529 a gallon in the week of September 21, 2026, and the week before had been the first reading above $6 since 2007. That is why fuel is a separate line: it lets the price follow diesel in both directions without rewriting the linehaul.

Accessorials: charged only if they happen

Some costs cannot be known when you ask for a price, because they depend on what happens on the day. A fair quote lists these as possible charges with their rates, and does not add them to the total. You pay them only if they occur.

Charge	When it applies	Typical market range
Detention	The truck waits past the free time at pickup or delivery	$50 to $75 an hour, after 2 free hours
Layover	The truck is held over to another day	$250 to $500
TONU	The truck is dispatched and the load is cancelled or not ready	$200 to $600
Extra stop	Each pickup or drop beyond the first	$50 to $100 a stop

The ranges come from a carrier's published guide and show what the market charges. Our own rates are listed with every quote. Known extras, such as tarping on a flatbed, are added up front as their own line.

Where the market is in autumn 2026

The truckload market is tight. For the week of September 13 to 19, 2026, DAT reported these national spot averages:

Equipment	All-in (with fuel)	Linehaul only	Linehaul vs a year earlier
Dry van	$2.96/mi	$2.17/mi	Up 33%
Reefer	$3.59/mi	$2.73/mi	Up 38%
Flatbed	$3.55/mi	$2.60/mi	Up 29%

On the cost side, ATRI put the average cost of operating a truck in 2025 at a record $2.336 a mile, of which fuel was $0.482. Costs were highest in the Northeast at $2.52 a mile and lowest in the South-Central region at $2.23. That fuel figure reflects 2025 diesel prices, well below this autumn's, so a carrier's cost per mile today is higher than the published number. A rate far below the market average usually means something is left out.

Example prices

Full truckload, priced by our engine
Load	Route	Miles	Price	Range
Dry van 40,000 lb, Chicago to Atlanta	Chicago, IL → Atlanta, GA	707	$2,113	Firm price
Linehaul (707 mi, dry van): $1,570 · Fuel surcharge (DOE $6.199/gal, week of Oct 5): $544
Dry van 40,000 lb, Houston to Chicago	Houston, TX → Chicago, IL	1,131	$3,255	Firm price
Linehaul (1,131 mi, dry van): $2,385 · Fuel surcharge (DOE $6.199/gal, week of Oct 5): $870
Flatbed 42,000 lb, Houston to Chicago	Houston, TX → Chicago, IL	1,131	$3,978	Firm price
Linehaul (1,131 mi, flatbed): $3,008 · Tarping: $100 · Fuel surcharge (DOE $6.199/gal, week of Oct 5): $870
Dry van 30,000 lb, Los Angeles to Phoenix	Los Angeles, CA → Phoenix, AZ	428	$1,422	Firm price
Linehaul (428 mi, dry van): $1,093 · Fuel surcharge (DOE $6.199/gal, week of Oct 5): $329

Calculated by our online pricing engine on October 7, 2026, with diesel at $6.199/gal (DOE, week of October 5, 2026). Prices include linehaul and fuel surcharge. Your price depends on your exact route, date and load.

These are firm prices for standard loads over 250 miles, with the weight shown. Per mile, they range from $2.88 on the long dry van run to $3.32 on the shortest, and $3.52 for the flatbed. The Chicago, IL to Atlanta, GA van load works out to $2.99 a mile.

How to get a better rate

Enter accurate weight and dimensions. A load that turns out heavier or larger than booked is re-rated.
Be ready at the appointment. Detention and TONU are the most avoidable charges on any invoice.
Give a pickup window, not a single hour, when you can. It is easier to fit a truck to the load.
Combine stops only when it saves a second truck. Each extra stop has its own charge.

For your own lane, the Ryecroft Freight calculator shows the linehaul, the fuel surcharge and the DOE week it used, line by line.

Common questions

Why is my quote higher per mile than the DAT average?

DAT averages only cover lanes of 250 miles or more, and they blend every lane in the country. A short haul, a lane out of a busy market, or a load that needs tarps or extra stops will price above the national number.

What is the difference between linehaul and all-in?

Linehaul is the rate for the truck and driver over the miles. All-in adds the fuel surcharge. DAT publishes both; the all-in figure is the one to compare with a quote that includes fuel.

Does the fuel surcharge change after I book?

No. Your quote shows the DOE diesel week it used, and that fuel surcharge applies to the booking.

What is TONU?

Truck ordered, not used. It is a flat charge when a truck is dispatched and the load is cancelled or not ready, to cover the trip and the day the truck lost. The rate is listed on your quote.

Is the online price firm?

For standard dry van and flatbed loads over 250 miles, yes, as long as the weight and dimensions you enter are accurate. Specialized and oversize freight is shown as a range.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and prices change; your online quote shows the current price for your load.