August week 2

BIG MIKE’S FREIGHT & RATES REPORT | August 2026

If you spend enough time on trucking Facebook, eventually somebody will explain that freight is dead, brokers have all the money, fuel costs $97 a gallon, and apparently nobody has made a dollar since 2019.

So let's skip the internet economics lesson and look at actual freight that moved last week.

And before we get hypnotized by rate-per-mile numbers, here's the most important thing in this entire report:

RATE PER MILE DOESN'T PAY YOUR BILLS. PROFITABLE TRUCK MOVEMENT DOES.

Every time rates improve, I watch the same disease spread through owner-operators.

Suddenly everybody becomes obsessed with the highest possible rate per mile.

A 150-mile load paying $5.00/mile looks amazing.

A 500-mile load paying $3.50/mile somehow looks worse.

Except one generates $750 in revenue and the other generates $1,750.

Then the market eventually softens, the $5/mile unicorns disappear, and some owner-operators respond by running fewer and fewer miles because they refuse to accept that their favorite RPM isn't available anymore.

Eventually the truck doesn't generate enough revenue to support the business.

And then apparently the broker, dispatcher, president, fuel station and alignment of Jupiter are responsible.

That's why I want to concentrate this week's report on something much more important:

THE 400–600 MILE SWEET SPOT

For an owner-operator, this is some of my favorite freight on the board.

Long enough to generate meaningful revenue.

Short enough to complete efficiently.

Usually manageable within normal legal HOS planning.

Still short enough that market pricing can produce excellent RPM.

And most importantly:

Repeatable.

That's the word that matters.

A business isn't built around the craziest load you booked this month.

It's built around what you can repeat Monday through Friday.

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THE MONEY ZONE: 400–600 MILES

Look at some of the freight that actually moved last week:

Tomahawk, WI → Kansas City, MO
495 miles — $2,400 — $4.85/mile

Mount Airy, NC → Perryville, MD
422 miles — $1,800 — $4.27/mile

Bedford Park, IL → South St. Paul, MN
410 miles — $1,700 — $4.15/mile

Birmingham, AL → South Boston, VA
554 miles — $2,250 — $4.06/mile

Goodwater, AL → Bradenton, FL
528 miles — $2,100 — $3.98/mile

Those are the numbers that should get an owner-operator's attention.

Not because one of them has some ridiculous $10/mile headline.

Because these are real truck-sized loads.

Keep going:

Louisville, KY → Durham, NC
550 miles — $2,050 — $3.73/mile

Bowling Green, KY → South Boston, VA
538 miles — $2,000 — $3.72/mile

Tuscaloosa, AL → Summerville, SC
478 miles — $1,700 — $3.56/mile

Wapakoneta, OH → Statesville, NC
479 miles — $1,700 — $3.55/mile

Bowling Green, KY → Export, PA
521 miles — $1,800 — $3.45/mile

Mosinee, WI → Bellefontaine, OH
541 miles — $1,800 — $3.33/mile

That's the kind of freight I want owner-operators studying.

A truck doesn't need a screenshot-worthy rate on every load.

It needs revenue, miles, good positioning and another opportunity waiting after delivery.

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MOST SUSTAINABLE LOADS OF THE WEEK 

If you asked me which freight from this board represents the kind of business I would want to build around, I'm looking right at that middle-distance category.

Tomahawk, WI → Kansas City, MO

495 miles | $2,400 | $4.85/mile

That's damn near owner-operator perfection.

Meaningful miles. Strong gross revenue. Exceptional RPM. One pickup and one delivery, and the truck travels almost 500 productive miles.

Birmingham, AL → South Boston, VA

554 miles | $2,250 | $4.06/mile

This is another beautiful business load.

Not a 100-mile lottery ticket.

Not a 1,500-mile commitment.

More than $2,000 of revenue attached to 554 productive miles.

Goodwater, AL → Bradenton, FL

528 miles | $2,100 | $3.98/mile

Again: 528 miles and $2,100.

This is the type of freight owner-operators should be excited about.

Not because it's flashy.

Because you can build a trucking business around freight like this.

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FREIGHT UNICORN OF THE WEEK 

Okay.

Now we can have some fun.

Fairmount, GA → Scottsboro, AL

102 loaded miles.

$1,100.

$10.78 per loaded mile.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Beautiful.

Sexy.

Screenshot-worthy.

And absolutely NOT something I want an owner-operator building his business expectations around.

That's why it's called a unicorn.

Enjoy it when you catch one.

Take the money.

Smile.

Maybe buy your dispatcher lunch.

Then go back to running your business.

If your entire business strategy becomes:

«“I'm not moving because yesterday we got $10.78 a mile…”»

Congratulations.

We have successfully turned a fantastic load into a terrible business lesson.

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BEST LOAD OF THE WEEK 

My pick is:

Bethlehem, PA → Orlando, FL

1,039 miles | $4,250 | $4.09/mile

Now this gets interesting.

Four bucks a mile is already impressive.

But combine that with more than 1,000 productive miles and $4,250 in gross revenue on one load, and you're talking about something completely different from a short-haul RPM unicorn.

One pickup.

One delivery.

1,039 loaded miles.

$4,250.

And you're delivering into Florida with enough money already attached to the inbound move that your next decision doesn't have to be made out of desperation.

That's a business load.

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LONG MILES STILL HAVE A PLACE

I don't want owner-operators walking away from this thinking 500 miles is some magical maximum.

Absolutely not.

If the economics work, more productive miles can be even better.

Look at these:

Brownsville, TX → Dickson, TN
1,110 miles — $4,000 — $3.60/mile

Muscatine, IA → Jacksonville, FL
1,152 miles — $4,000 — $3.47/mile

Reese, MI → Lakeland, FL
1,266 miles — $4,203.59 — $3.32/mile

Salina, KS → Ocala, FL
1,344 miles — $4,100 — $3.05/mile

Dallas, TX → Miami, FL
1,329 miles — $4,000 — $3.01/mile.

People sometimes look at that last $3.01 and compare it with a $5/mile 200-mile load.

Wrong comparison.

A 1,329-mile load at $3.01 generates $4,000 of revenue with one pickup and one delivery.

Now we're talking about revenue per truck, utilization and time, not winning an RPM beauty contest.

Those things matter.

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SHITTIEST LOAD OF THE WEEK 

We had some excellent freight.

The market also offered some certified garbage.

Our winner:

Longwood, FL → Corinth, MS

685 miles | $1,000 | $1.46/mile

That one deserves its own tiny tombstone.

R.I.P. Rate Confirmation.

Nearby in the cemetery:

Orlando, FL → Cartersville, GA
483 miles — $800 — $1.66/mile

Tampa, FL → Mobile, AL
515 miles — $900 — $1.75/mile

Lakeland, FL → Birmingham, AL
602 miles — $1,125 — $1.87/mile.

And this is another lesson.

The existence of $1.46 freight doesn't mean the market pays $1.46.

It means somebody offered $1.46.

Those are two completely different statements.

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FLORIDA: STOP JUDGING THE WEEK BY ONE DIRECTION

Florida continues to be a perfect example of why you manage the trip, not one rate confirmation.

There was ugly outbound freight.

But look at freight coming home:

Bethlehem, PA → Orlando, FL
1,039 miles — $4,250 — $4.09/mile

Newport, TN → Sarasota, FL
771 miles — $3,000 — $3.89/mile

Effingham, SC → Lakeland, FL
496 miles — $1,900 — $3.83/mile

Hamlet, NC → Clewiston, FL
663 miles — $2,500 — $3.77/mile

La Porte, TX → Fort Myers, FL
1,090 miles — $3,800 — $3.49/mile

Muscatine, IA → Jacksonville, FL
1,152 miles — $4,000 — $3.47/mile

Reese, MI → Lakeland, FL
1,266 miles — $4,203.59 — $3.32/mile.

That's why saying “Florida pays bad” doesn't tell me much.

What did you make coming into Florida?

What did you take leaving?

Where did the outbound load position you?

What did you book after that?

What did the entire truck produce?

Now we're talking business.

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BIG MIKE'S DISPATCH LESSON 

Here's the trap I want owner-operators to avoid as this market improves:

Don't let higher rates teach you bad habits.

When rates rise, everybody feels smart.

Suddenly:

$3.00 isn't enough.

Then $3.50 isn't enough.

Then somebody books $5.00 on 180 miles and decides that's the new market.

So he starts rejecting productive miles.

The truck runs 2,500 miles.

Then 2,000.

Then 1,600.

Then 1,200.

The RPM screenshot looks fantastic.

The settlement looks like shit.

And when the market eventually changes, the owner-operator has trained himself to operate a business model that only works when freight is extremely hot.

That's dangerous.

A good trucking operation should be able to adapt.

Run the 450-mile freight.

Run the 550-mile freight.

Run the 1,000-mile freight when the economics and destination make sense.

Take the short-haul home run when somebody wants to hand it to you.

But don't become addicted to it.

Miles still matter.

Gross revenue still matters.

Time still matters.

Destination still matters.

What happens after delivery still matters.

RPM is one number inside the equation.

It isn't the business.

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OWNER-OPERATOR IQ TEST 

Truck A runs:

200 miles at $5.00/mile.

Gross revenue: $1,000.

Truck B runs:

500 miles at $3.50/mile.

Gross revenue: $1,750.

Truck A posts his rate confirmation on Facebook.

Truck B quietly deposits another $750.

Which one do you want to own?

Now add the next load.

And the next one.

And the next one.

That's when trucking stops being a rate-per-mile competition and starts becoming a business.

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BIG MIKE'S HOT TAKE 

The freight board last week wasn't telling owner-operators to chase $10/mile loads.

It was telling us something much better.

There is good, usable, sustainable freight available.

And some of the freight I like most isn't particularly glamorous.

It's that 400–600 mile workhorse freight producing $1,700, $1,800, $2,000, $2,250 and sometimes $2,400.

That's where a truck can keep moving.

That's where revenue accumulates.

That's where good dispatch can connect one profitable move to another.

And when the opportunity makes sense, stretch it out to 1,000+ miles and put $4,000 on the truck with one pickup and one delivery.

Then, every once in a while, grab the $10.78/mile unicorn and laugh all the way to the bank.

Just don't confuse the unicorn with the business model.

The owner-operators who understand that distinction are the ones I'm betting on when the market changes again.

And if you're reading these reports every week wondering:

“Why doesn't my freight look like this?”

Maybe the question isn't what the market is doing.

Maybe it's who is working your truck.

— Big Mike
Voyager Nation