Freight activity surged prior to Thanksgiving with help from Los Angeles volume. Drivers returned to the road this week, and carriers have figured out where to position their trucks to alleviate some tightness.

The benchmark price of domestic crude oil has dropped by 25% since early October. Historically, that would be a great thing for truckers, but with carriers operating more efficient trucks and oil production tied into the freight economy more than ever, it could be a warning sign for the broader freight market.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, drivers are spending less time on the road and more time at home. This is shrinking the availability of capacity in the market.

Ontario California has toppled the Atlanta market, the reigning capital of freight volume in the country. Surging volume is to blame. How long will the elevated volume last?

The freight market remains slow in most parts of the country except for one. Will it spill into other regions?

Lead times increasing are a sign that shippers are taking capacity shortages seriously. Carriers and brokers that depend on spot market freight are left wanting.

The freight market is showing the first signs of turning in over a month. Is this the start of retail season?

East coast bound containers from China are getting a pre-holiday discount as shippers increase volume to North America in front of tariff increases.

The freight market continues to stabilize, but there should be a little fuel left in the tank for one more seasonal push before the holidays.

Demand for flatbeds always drop off this time of year, but is this a sign of a broader industrial slowdown?

October of 2018 has been very different from the same month a year ago thus far. We have had 2 major hurricanes make landfall and the economy is still strong. So why does it seem so different?

Outbound tender volumes have shot up 26% out of the Savannah market as the Southeast deals with hurricane Michael

Truckload volume continues to decline to annual lows after the first week of October. Freight volume is redistributing out west as Michael hits the Southeast U.S.

Trucking volumes have dropped by 6% since the beggining of the month of October. Is this an indication that the market is slowing or is it a normal seasonal pattern?

October is traditionally a slower month than the 4 preceding it in terms of volume. This year it has happened as soon as the calendar turned. This seasonal swing does not mean it will be a quiet fourth quarter for everyone.

Since the ELD hard mandate went into effect, the trucking market has added 4% more truck capacity

There is plenty of evidence for increased capacity in the freight market. Volumes are higher than they were in March when the spot market was considered more volatile.

Hurricane Florence has practically shutdown any outbound trucking activity out of the North Carolina coastal market

The full brunt of Florence has yet to be felt in the freight market, but there was plenty of regional impact as carriers and shippers scrambled over the past week to mitigate damages.

Charlotte and Atlanta see outsized inbound volumes as carriers move relief suppies into staging areas

Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas. Freight markets are reacting before the first rain drops have fallen.

Truckers are not singing the blues in Memphis (except on Beale Street): It’s currently the number one headhaul market in the U.S.

One year later the memories of Harvey are still fresh. With the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season approaching the first real tropical threat to the U.S. mainland is targeting the central Gulf Coast with flooding rain and storm surge potential.

For the trucking market, the third quarter has been stronger than the second, but no one would know it

It looks like the freight market is waking up from the long running summer doldrums, or is it just a byproduct of the pre-holiday shipper procrastination.

Carriers and brokers have been talking about how slow August has been. Good news: According to our technical indicators, the market is about the turn back in their favor

Volume falls this week in the freight markets but rejections are flattening indicating there are still some spots where capacity is an issue.

The top five trucking origin points represent 18% of the volume in the freight market, according to a new index added to SONAR this past week

This week’s freight market continues the same patter toward stability, but volume remains steady as we move towards a more volatile time of year.

Tesla’s auto production in Fremont and high container volumes out of Oakland are driving demand for trucks in the San Francisco market

Tesla’s auto production in Fremont and high container volumes out of Oakland are driving demand for trucks in the San Francisco market

Wall Street is in a panic over fears that the truckload sector has peaked. Wall Street is wrong. We break down the reasons using data from SONAR.

Introducing the latest additions to our SONAR platform: DAT lane pricing / Lane Tender Rejection Rates

Tender rejections continue to fall towards the May 2nd low, indicating that capacity is loosening in the market. If it reaches the critical level of 19.12%, it could mean that the rest of the summer will be disappointing for carriers that reported a bullish summer outlook.

Freight markets continued to cool last week, but have stalled for the moment. Isolated markets showed increased activity around the international borders. What we should be looking at moving forward as we move into August?

July has started off slower than carriers would like, showing normal freight patterns. Softer demand is also impacting utilization in the market.

The freight markets continue to cool, but looking at the bigger picture provides perspective on what to expect moving forward.

Holidays have a huge impact on the freight markets, with drivers going off-duty and altering their work schedules. In this chart of the week, we examined how different holidays impacted available capacity.

The freight markets took a slight break in the last few days, but this is nothing new and is not a sign of a turning market…yet.

The Freightos Baltic Container Price Index shows the volatility of container prices out of China to the North American West Coast as importers try to adjust to a new era of global trade.

The Cass Shipment Index (CFIS.USA) is showing freight market volumes that are nearly as strong as the 2006 peak season. This is a bullish sign for the second half of 2018.

With the second quarter of 2018 coming to an end this past Saturday, we saw tender rejections spike to their highest level since January at almost 27%. Major markets like Atlanta and Dallas hit highs for the year topping out around 31% and 26% respectively. Both are southern tier markets that have been increasing since […]

The end of the second quarter was explosive in terms of freight market activity. Rates expanded as carriers refused loads. July typically sees volumes fall a bit in relation to June. There is no reason to think it will be indicative of any long run contractions in rates.

Digital trucking apps have a hard road to gaining traction, while the freight markets are not phased by tariff talks, yet.

The Chainalytics-Cowen Indices are indicating a slowing freight market in April, but how does that help us in mid-June?

Canadian National is making good on its promises to fix some of their deteriorated infrastructure and ramp up in response to being challenged on their ability to handle surging freight volumes. The Fed is expected to raise rates while trucking companies invest in the future.

Daimler Trucks of North America reveals 2 new services that take a very datacentric approach. One of them will improve the driver experience.

Daimler released two electric commercial vehicles at yesterdays Market Days event for investors and media. The commercial vehicle maker just let everyone know their intentions to not only play but win the electric game.

Incumbent OEMs like Daimler, Volvo, and VW have seized the reins in the electric truck race. The only question is whether trucks like the Freightliner eCascadia will be able to deliver a performance competitive with Elon Musk’s Tesla Semi.

The L.A. market wakes up after a sleepy early spring. With container prices increasing on the spot market, China could be the main factor.

Capacity is tightening in portions of the Missouri valley as warmer temperatures have agriculture shipment volumes and the need for reefers increasing. This could be a sign of the overall market heating up again.

Retail sales are in. One more indicator the economy is still rolling along. Trucking companies show signs of continuous improvement.

Companies may tell you they are innovative, but a lot of the time standard procedures and internal structure inhibits the creative process limiting a company’s ability to progress. Kenco has found success by dedicating themselves to the cause.

The spring season has yet to see an event big enough to move carriers from their newly executed contracts.

Freight rates have increased significantly in a short period of time over the past year. Aside from shipping volume increases and driver shortages, there is another less discussed factor at play.

Carrier Lists combines their carrier sourcing information with SaferWatch’s assessment data to provide a unique consolidated service for freight brokers.

The first month of the second quarter is in the books. While the economy shows it is still going strong, there is some tempering in the freight market. Trucking companies are still uncertain with what lies ahead.

USA Truck posts a strong first quarter earnings continuing its torrid turnaround pace.

Echol Global Logistics a 3PL based in Chicago busts through earnings estimates in the first quarter. A combination of market conditions and productivity improvements paved the way.

DAT is reporting dry van rates are decreasing. The Tender Rejection Index is indicating this trend should continue over the next few weeks.

The Rose Acre Farms egg recall had im-peck-able timing occuring right after the Easter season. Here is how the freight industry had a hand in egg price increases.

Driver retention is a hot button topic in trucking right now. Some trucking companies are focusing their technological improvements on helping create a better environment for their pivotal employees.

The third installment of CarrierLists and FreightWaves load sourcing survey has more of the same. We dig a little deeper to see something about the industry that is seemingly obvious, but is it?

The third installment of CarrierLists and FreightWaves load sourcing survey has more of the same. We dig a little deeper to see something about the industry that is seemingly obvious, but is it?

ELD hard enforcement had its impact on rates months ago, but the physical impacts to drivers and people on the ground is still an issue. Autonomous vehicle technology is progressing rapidly. 

DAT reported flat to lower rates in this weeks national averages. The TRI has been suggesting a softening market for the past few weeks. 

The first quarter of 2018 has come to a close. While volatile, many transportation companies saw growth and shippers are recognizing a potential shift in who has the leverage in the marketplace for the first time in years. 

XPO announced it is releasing a consolidated digital platform into the marketplace. XPO Connect is the latest digital offering by a transportation provider attempting to offer more visibility an functionality to its customers. 

A push for density-based pricing is happening in the less-than-truckload (LTL) segment of the transportation industry, but it’s nothing new. 

The technological revolution is underway in supply chain management. The big companies are investing heavily in growing this largely ignored aspect of the industry. 

The second wave of survey results from CarrierLists shows a similar result as the first. Little to no freight is being sourced by the digital app. The developers may need to dig a little deeper. . 

Trump and China cool off which should allow the economy and subsequently the transportation industry some respite. China creepily leading the pack on AI. 

Freight market activity is stabilizing as carriers move into new contract cycles. The ELD hard enforcement period appears to be a non-factor so far. 

The Chicago area is considered a keystone to many freight networks and as such a reliable indicator to the overall health of the trucking industry. WIth all the talks of trade wars and ELDs signs point to a remarkably stable environment, but for how long?

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the arrival of the hard enforcement period of ELD carrier compliance, but according to the Tender Rejection Index it has mostly been a non-factor to the overall freight market. 

Transportation is increasing its usage of technology in many areas, but apparently relationships still drive the small to mid-size carrier market when it comes to load generation. Freight brokers could also be blind to an untapped resource…until now. 

Trump and China continue to trade blows as threats of a trade war increase. The ELD mandate gets the next level treatment as enforcement gets real. 

Spring has sprung in the Southeast as warmer weather sends shippers into full throttle. The unofficial capital of the South is leading the way according to a new index. Could this mean higher rates in an already heated market?

A wet pattern continues in the middle to eastern sections of the country, making it difficult for carriers to manage surging spring volumes coming out of the south. This impacts all modes of transportation including the beleaguered rail lines.  

General Mills is citing higher freight costs as a reason for lower than expected earning. This is not an uncommon issue in today’s marketplace. There could be solutions coming in the future. 

An new opportunity in an old port town is being largely ignored by the trucking community. Charleston South Carolina is showing signs of rapid expansion as the freight market cools down in the more voluminous Savannah. 

As record setting winter weather continues to disrupt all forms of transportation in America, the Northeast sees dramatic declines in freight acceptance.