Flatbed Freight Hits 2008 Highs—Why Brokers Are Sweating
Spot market load volumes surge 20% year-on-year as AI infrastructure drives flatbed demand to levels unseen since 2008.
Freight operators are facing a market defined by stark contrasts: soaring spot volumes in some segments, persistent cost pressures, and a legal landscape that is reshaping broker liability. Truckstop’s latest data reveals a 20% year-over-year surge in spot market load volumes for September, with flatbed freight leading the charge, hitting levels not seen since 2008.
Sean Dehan, Chief Operating & Strategy Officer at Truckstop, broke down the numbers in an interview with FreightWaves, offering a granular view of a market where demand, capacity, and compliance are pulling in different directions. Flatbed freight is the undisputed leader, fueled by a wave of data center construction and AI infrastructure investment. “We’re about 15% year over year in September, and we’re about two-thirds of the way through September,” Dehan said. “So I’d expect us to be somewhere around 20% year over year up on load volume in September.".
Truckstop’s platform shows flatbed volumes at their highest since 2008, eclipsing even the COVID-era spike. The driver? A surge in data center construction and broader AI infrastructure projects, which have created a sustained demand for heavy-haul freight.
In contrast, van and reefer segments are telling a different story, one of capacity constraints rather than demand growth. Shippers facing proposed contract rate increases of 10% to 15% on linehaul box freight are increasingly exploring intermodal alternatives. However, Dehan cautioned that even if intermodal doubled its share, it would remain a small fraction of the overall truckload market. “Drayage capacity is already tight,” he said, underscoring the limits of shifting freight modes in the current environment.
Cost Pressures and Legal Uncertainty Reshape the Landscape: flatbed freight
While demand is surging in some segments, carriers are grappling with mounting cost pressures. Insurance premiums have risen 10% to 20% annually for four or five consecutive years, and diesel prices have reached record levels, including a historic $10 per gallon in California. “Spot carriers have some natural buffer because spot rates adjust faster than contract fuel surcharges,” Dehan explained. “But prolonged fuel increases can still erode margins, particularly on unfamiliar lanes.”
The legal landscape is also shifting, with recent rulings like Montgomery and Lupus increasing liability risks for brokers. “Really being ignorant to the data is not going to be a defense in the court of law that you had a reasonable standard of care,” Dehan warned, reflecting the heightened scrutiny on carrier safety data. Truckstop is responding by developing tools that allow carriers to proactively share safety metrics with brokers, a move aimed at mitigating legal risks while improving transparency.
Dehan framed the broader rate environment through an internal Truckstop chart that plots dry van linehaul rates against an inflation-adjusted baseline starting around 2005. After years of running below that line, rates have only recently climbed back to it. “All we’ve really done after going way below that average adjusted inflation line is we finally have gotten back to it, we’re just barely above it,” he said, noting that regulatory and safety-compliance frameworks have effectively re-baselined the market to an inflationary rate floor.
For operators seeking to navigate this complex landscape, Truckstop’s platform offers a critical toolkit, real-time data, safety compliance tools, and market insights designed to turn volatility into opportunity. The question now is whether the industry can keep pace with the changes or risk being left behind.
Sign up free to ask CAMAL AI for a summary, the key points or anything else about this story.
Related stories
CAMAL AI
Financial Ports Newsletter
The maritime economy, every morning
Ports, shipping and freight markets in one short email. Free.
