Amarillo at #1 in dry van. Reno jumping 30 spots in reefer. Denver up 39% in a single day on the flatbed board. This week had some moves nobody saw coming.

The Plains are still anchoring reefer at the top, Memphis is back where it belongs in flatbed, and dry van keeps drifting lower even as some surprising markets push their way up the board. Here’s the full August 24 breakdown, powered by a morning snapshot of the Spotter Index.

Dry Van Hot Markets: Evansville Takes the Top Spot

Dry Van Hot Markets: Amarillo Takes the Top Spot

Nobody had Amarillo, TX at #1 on their bingo card this week — but here we are. Fargo, Duluth, and Hutchinson, KS round out the top four, making it an almost all-Plains-and-Midwest top ten. The Midwest has been creeping into dry van for a few weeks now and this week it fully took over.

The bigger story is what’s missing from the top. California is noticeably softer — San Diego dropped to #13, Los Angeles to #22, Ontario to #20. McAllen fell from the top three all the way to #33. Cape Girardeau and Evansville, which owned the top spots last week, both slid considerably. The overall dry van market dropped again week over week — it’s been sliding since mid-July and hasn’t found a floor yet.

Sioux Falls, Fayetteville, Las Vegas, and Green Bay are all holding in the top twelve, keeping the Midwest and Plains relevant even as California fades.

Avoid: Miami, Brooklyn, Lakeland, and the Pacific Northwest are all near the bottom. Same story as the past several weeks.

Reefer Hot Markets: Plains Hold the Top, But the Board Is All Over the Place

Omaha at #1. Sioux Falls at #2. St. Cloud and Minneapolis right behind them. The Plains and upper Midwest have now owned the top of the reefer board for a month straight — and they’re not showing any signs of letting go.

But below the top four, this week’s reefer board is one of the most volatile we’ve seen all summer. The big movers:

Reno, NV jumped 30 spots to crack the top five — up 17.8% in a single day. San Antonio popped 17.8% on the day too. Laredo gained 16.7%. North Platte added nearly 14%. Albuquerque climbed 11.7%. Greenville jumped 12.9%.

That’s a lot of markets making big moves in one day. The Sun Belt and Southwest are waking up — whether that holds into next week is the question.

On the other side, Bowling Green collapsed nearly 10% — a rough week after sitting at #1 in flatbed not long ago. Nashville fell over 6%. Seattle dropped nearly 8%. The reefer board gave and it took away in equal measure this week.

Avoid: Miami popped 26.8% on the day but is still near dead last. Jacksonville, Lakeland, and Savannah are parked at the bottom.

Flatbed Hot Markets: Memphis Takes Back the Crown

Bowling Green had its moment at #1. This week Memphis came back and reclaimed the top spot — and it’s not close. Memphis at #1, Bowling Green at #2, N. Charleston holding at #3. Nashville, Evansville, and Decatur all in the top seven. The Southeast is still running the flatbed show.

The headline number on the flatbed board this week is Denver — up 38.8% in a single day, the biggest move on the entire flatbed board. That’s not a market you associate with big flatbed swings, so it’s worth watching to see if it holds.

The overall flatbed market is essentially flat week over week — same as last week, same as the week before. Steady, consistent, and still the most reliable of the three modes right now.

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 24. Markets move throughout the day, but the broad regional trends tend to hold.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Dry van: Midwest and Plains. Amarillo, Fargo, Duluth, Hutchinson — that’s where the top of the board is right now. California is still viable but it’s not leading anymore.

Reefer: Plains at the top, but keep an eye on Reno, San Antonio, and Laredo — those markets had big days and could be building momentum.

Flatbed: Southeast, same as always. Memphis, Bowling Green, N. Charleston. The board is green and the demand is steady.

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