Three weeks. Same #1 reefer market.

Sioux Falls, SD is not giving up the top spot. Omaha and Fargo are still right behind it. The Plains have owned reefer for three straight weeks and this week there’s no sign of a handoff. But if you only look at the top three, you’ll miss the real story — because markets nobody was watching just blew up all over the reefer board.

Meanwhile, Bowling Green finally knocked Memphis off the top of the flatbed board. And dry van keeps sliding overall but is flashing green on the day. Here’s the full August 17 breakdown, powered by a morning snapshot of the Spotter Index.

Dry Van Hot Markets: Evansville Takes the Top Spot

San Diego has been the #1 dry van market for weeks. Not anymore. Evansville, IN just jumped to #1 — a sign the Midwest is becoming a real dry van story, not just a reefer one.

San Diego drops to #2, McAllen, TX cracks the top three, and Cape Girardeau and Ontario round out the top five. California is still very much in the conversation, but the board is diversifying.

The daily moves are encouraging. Phoenix jumped 7.8% on the day. Duluth popped 5.4%. Augusta, ME had one of the wilder moves on the board at 8.7% — not a market you expect to see making headlines. Nearly every market ticked up on the day even as the weekly numbers keep drifting lower. The overall dry van market is still sliding, but the daily signal says it may be getting close to a floor.

Avoid: Miami, Brooklyn, and Lakeland are parked at the bottom again. The Pacific Northwest and Northeast continue to underperform week after week.

Reefer Hot Markets: The Plains Hold — But Watch What’s Happening Everywhere Else

Sioux Falls at #1. Omaha at #2. Fargo at #3. Week three. The Plains are locked in and comfortable.

But the story this week isn’t the top three — it’s everything happening below them. Markets that have been quiet all summer just woke up in a big way:

Decatur, AL jumped 18.3% in a single day. Birmingham, AL popped 15.3%. Roanoke, VA surged 9.2%. Flagstaff, AZ climbed 10.1%. Tucson, AZ gained 10.6%. North Platte, NE added 9.8%. Oklahoma City jumped 6.2%.

That’s a lot of markets moving a lot in one day. Whether this is a one-day spike or the start of a broader shift, these are the numbers to watch heading into next week. If the Southeast and Mountain West reefer markets start holding those gains, the Plains could have some competition at the top soon.

What to avoid: Miami is near dead last in reefer again, Lakeland and Jacksonville are struggling, and Tallahassee dropped 3.6% on the day. Florida reefer remains one of the softest spots on the board.

Flatbed Hot Markets: Bowling Green Finally Dethrones Memphis

It had to happen eventually.

Memphis, TN has been the #1 flatbed market for what feels like the entire summer. This week Bowling Green, KY jumped past it to take the top spot — and Memphis dropped to #2. N. Charleston, SC cracked the top three, and Nashville is back in the mix at #4.

The Southeast is stacked from top to bottom. Decatur, Louisville, Evansville, Lexington, Birmingham, South Bend, Jackson, Chattanooga — the whole region is running. Look at the daily changes across the flatbed board and you’ll find almost nothing red. Green top to bottom.

The overall flatbed market is down from last week’s highs, but with a board this consistently positive on the day, the underlying demand is clearly still there.

What Is the Spotter Index?

The data in this breakdown comes from the Spotter Index, which measures profitability per hour by freight market in real time. It accounts for rate, load characteristics, and time — giving a cleaner read on where trucks actually make money compared to rate-per-mile alone.

The snapshot used here was pulled on the morning of August 17. Markets move throughout the day, but the broad regional trends tend to hold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hottest freight markets this week?

For the week of August 17, the hottest reefer markets are Sioux Falls, SD (third straight week at #1), Omaha, NE, and Fargo, ND. Top dry van is Evansville, IN, which just knocked San Diego out of the #1 spot. Flatbed is led by Bowling Green, KY — which dethroned Memphis, TN for the first time in months.

Why is Sioux Falls the top reefer market three weeks in a row?

The Plains and upper Midwest have sustained elevated reefer demand through mid-August, likely driven by late-summer agricultural freight. The California corridor, which dominated earlier in the summer, has softened considerably and hasn’t found a reason to bounce back to the top.

What caused the big single-day reefer spikes in Decatur, Birmingham, and Flagstaff?

Markets like Decatur (up 18.3%), Birmingham (up 15.3%), and Flagstaff (up 10.1%) posted some of the biggest single-day moves on the reefer board this week. Single-day moves this large can be volume-driven, capacity-driven, or both — the key question is whether they hold next week or snap back.

Is dry van freight recovering?

The overall dry van market is still down week over week, but nearly every market posted a positive daily change on August 17 — a pattern we’ve seen building for a couple of weeks. A floor may be forming, but it hasn’t fully confirmed yet.

How often is this market report published?

This breakdown is published weekly, based on a morning snapshot of the Spotter Index. Subscribe to the newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday before you dispatch.

Where to Run Your Trucks This Week

Reefer: the Plains are still where the money is. Sioux Falls, Omaha, Fargo. But keep an eye on Decatur, Birmingham, Flagstaff, and Tucson — if those gains hold, the Southeast and Mountain West could become real options next week.

Dry van: Evansville and the Midwest are worth a look alongside the California corridor. The daily green is encouraging even if the weekly trend is still soft.

Flatbed: Southeast all day. Bowling Green just took the top spot, Memphis is right behind it, and the board is green from top to bottom.

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Market data powered by the Spotter Index. Real-time profitability data, snapped fresh this morning.