Flatbed rejections have increased sharply in recent months and do not appear to be driven solely by tightening capacity or weather disruptions. The recent tariff ruling could serve as an accelerant to this trend.

Data point suggests the truckload market is both experiencing an fleeting anomaly and shifting to a different state.

Winter storm Fern was the strongest weather event to hit the transportation market since 2021, and will have a long recovery period.

The truckload spot market erupted this holiday season, putting many long-term rates into obsolescence.

Inventory levels dropped at their fastest clip in over ten years according to the LMI in December. This lean management strategy could be a boon for trucking.

Order lead times are difficult to interpret, but the coming year could end a six-year rise and further tighten the trucking market.

Leaner inventories and tighter ordering cycles are necessary to keep costs under control. Companies may be leaning more on transportation services in 2026 and come to find the once abundant supply of capacity has dwindled.

Carriers are rejecting loads at a pace not seen in years, with little to no post-Thanksgiving reprieve. Is this yet another sign that capacity is finally reaching a tipping point?

Truckload spot rates have seen sharp, intermittent spikes this year, though none have lasted. These sharper swings may signal what’s coming next year.

Import demand continues to weaken, and while it is not a purely positive sign for transportation markets, it is not the most dire either.

Truckload rates have increased on a main transcontinental artery, showing that the value of truckload service has grown even though there is less demand for it.

Shippers are signaling a return to just-in-time shipping in reducing the inventory level buffers that they were building. This could pull some freight back into the truckload market.

Truckload contract rates have been remarkably stable over the past few years, but they are about to be tested over the next 12 months.

Truckload demand has collapsed, largely due to the loss of transcontinental freight to intermodal, but tender rejection and spot rates remain on par to slightly higher than last year, an indication that capacity is under far more pressure than demand.

Reports of immigration services targeting truck drivers caused a sharp spike in spot rates this past week, but as of late week tender rejections remained steady. Weak demand may be hiding growing fragility in the market.

The truckload contract market has fallen into stagnation after what looked like a transition late last year. What are the takeaways heading into the late year bid season?

Truckload carriers are not only hauling less freight, but moving it less distance. This has a compounding effect on keeping capacity loose as longer moves take up more capacity. If supply chain strategies normalize, it could have an impact on transportation markets.

Tariffs and a confounding trade policy have helped boost import demand in the first half, but that appears to be settling out to finish the year.

Chart of the Week:  Outbound Tender Volume Index – USA SONAR: OTVI.USA The national Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), which measures truckload demand, jumped 6.5% in the week and a half leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend. While an increase is typical for this period, the scale of this rise is unusual. Let’s break down […]

Are declining import bookings a response to erratic trade policy, or are there broader economic signals to be gleaned?