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.
A Unit-Economics Reality Check Looking at the shocking December 2025 metrics, we couldn’t help but wonder how brokers are surviving. While, by almost any surface-level metric, freight brokerage volumes look healthy. Loads are moving. Capacity is abundant. Rates have stabilized off the bottom. And yet, across the industry, broker layoffs continue, balance sheets remain under […]
The key diesel benchmark fell again, but broader markets barely reacted to the Venezuelan news.
Order lead times are difficult to interpret, but the coming year could end a six-year rise and further tighten the trucking market.
The latest benchmark diesel price closed out 2025 pretty much where it finished up 2024.
Another decline in the benchmark price of diesel has sent that number down by the biggest amount in a five-week period in two years..
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.
The benchmark used for most fuel surcharges fell for the fourth consecutive week.
(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) In a major legal battle at the U.S. Supreme Court, 29 states plus the District of Columbia have joined forces to support a truck accident victim. Their amicus or “friend of the court” […]
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?
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges has plummeted over the last two weeks.
Truckload spot rates have seen sharp, intermittent spikes this year, though none have lasted. These sharper swings may signal what’s coming next year.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is down 11 cents/gallon in two weeks.
SONAR goes much deeper in volume data with a new tender source.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined after four weeks of increases.
Import demand continues to weaken, and while it is not a purely positive sign for transportation markets, it is not the most dire either.
TITAN Containers is making a bold play to redefine what sustainable cold storage looks like with the launch of ArcticStore Horizon, a portable cold room engineered to slash energy use and global warming potential at a scale the industry hasn’t seen before. Horizon delivers an average 55% reduction in energy consumption and uses a near-zero-GWP […]
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges has risen for four straight weeks.
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.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is at its highest price since July 2024.
The SONAR platform offers numerous applications and abundant data to help brokers stay ahead in the increasingly volatile truckload market. Unique datasets—such as tender rejections and volumes—help users recognize when the market is shifting and understand the depth of its impact beyond transactional activity. SONAR also provides robust spot and contract rate data derived from […]
Executive Summary At the F3 event in Chattanooga, a series of new products and platform updates were showcased, all centered on making data more accessible, easier to use, and actionable for users. The updates spanned the entire Sonar platform, introducing new dashboards, powerful AI-driven insights, and key partnerships to create a more integrated user experience. […]
Major impacts to travel are happening across the midwest as an early season storm brings snow and ice to the regions.
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.
The diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for a second consecutive week.
Truckload contract rates have been remarkably stable over the past few years, but they are about to be tested over the next 12 months.
The weekly diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose the most it has increased since June.
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.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges dropped in excess of 4 cents/gallon for the third consecutive week, with the price at the pump catching up to significant declines in futures prices from several weeks ago. The Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration average weekly retail diesel price fell 4.5 cts/g to $4.62/g, effective […]
Over the past several years, the transportation industry has struggled to keep pace with soaring e-commerce demand. Against this backdrop, Amazon developed the Amazon Freight Partner program to create opportunities within its middle-mile logistics network for both leaders looking to start a transportation business and professional CDL-A drivers looking to expand their driving career.
Futures market in ULSD weakening on projections of significant oversupply.
Last week, SONAR released a new dashboard within the Container Atlas application, titled Maritime Trade Console. This is the latest of the dashboards added to SONAR and, like the others, is intended to enhance SONAR’s usability and is powered by Google Looker. It includes details on ocean data that haven’t been released elsewhere, as bookings […]
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.
Final-mile courier Frontdoor Collective is testing a fleet of Chevy electric vans on delivery routes for Target.
The benchmark used for most fuel surcharges declined to its lowest level in about two months.
A new Google Chrome plug-in, SONAR Quick Rates, is now available in the Chrome Web Store, bringing the power of SONAR’s market intelligence directly into users’ browsers for faster quoting and decision-making. The extension is designed to create efficiency for brokers, shippers, carriers, and logistics professionals by allowing them to access critical data without leaving […]
Link Logistics boosts sustainability through energy efficiency gains and solar expansion across its nearly 500 million-square-foot last-mile portfolio.
Diesel price benchmark edges up, highlighting market stability amid oversupply and Chinese oil buying.
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?
The price used for most fuel surcharges rose one cent in a market that has featured stability for weeks Stability in the retail price of diesel remains the prevailing condition in the market, with the benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges moving a mere one cent this week. The Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration […]
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.
Last week, SONAR released enhancements to their map widget, this week, they made maps easier to access and use. Enhanced Map Widget SONAR redesigned the Map Widget to make it more powerful, intuitive, and user-friendly than ever. What’s New This week, SONAR added Maps to the main menu in the UI to make the overall […]
If you haven’t checked out SONAR lately, be sure you do! We’ve rolled out more features and product enhancements this year than in many of the past years combined—and the F3 Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga this October is the best place to see them in action. Download the attached white paper here for a summary […]
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.
Thoughts from Motive’s CEO: Motive patent case victory over Samsara secures leadership in road safety tech.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the second straight week.
The benchmark price used as the basis for most fuel surcharges rose after five weeks of declines.
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 […]
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined for the fifth straight week.
Are declining import bookings a response to erratic trade policy, or are there broader economic signals to be gleaned?
Global supply chain risk leader extends reach to over one million logistics professionals, delivering 15+ years of proven weather analytics through industry leading freight intelligence platform SAN MARCOS, Calif. and CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – August 19, 2025 – Everstream Analytics, the global leader in supply chain risk management and predictive insights, today announced a strategic partnership […]
The basis for most fuel surcharges is down 5.8 cts/g over the last three weeks.
Two of the three primary freight demand indicators have fallen into significant slides with only intermodal holding up, but for how long?
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges posted its second consecutive small decline.
Allianz Commercial’s annual Safety and Shipping Review has found that cargo theft is increasing in frequency, scope, and sophistication.
Diesel has raced ahead of crude in recent months, and the causes don’t appear to be short term.
Just in case ordering has diminished the truckload market’s utility, specifically for cross continental freight, but that mechanism may come undone later in the year.
Reliance Partners joined with sponsors and expert speakers to host another successful freight industry event. This two-day seminar brought together industry leaders to discuss key topics impacting trucking and logistics, including litigation trends, reshoring, insurance strategies, shipper insights, and more.
The benchmark retail price of diesel rose for the 7th time in eight weeks and is now about where it was a year ago.
The widening gap between regional rejection rates underpins the growing fragility of the truckload market.
Matthew Leffler, The Armchair Attorney, explains why the U.S. Supreme Court must act now to resolve a widening circuit split over whether the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act preempts state common-law negligent hiring claims against freight brokers.
Shippers often face a false choice between the speed and security of truckload and the lower cost of LTL. Shared Truckload (STL) offers a third option, and it is gaining traction as shippers look for ways to reduce costs without sacrificing reliability. Flock Freight’s FlockDirect® service enables STL at scale by pooling multiple shipments from […]
A completely redesigned experience for SONAR’s Supply Chain Intelligence (SCI) has been launched allowing SCI to deliver faster insights, deeper market intelligence, and more actionable guidance for shippers managing their RFPs. The updated platform merges the previous Opportunity View and List View into a single, powerful page called Lane View. This consolidation allows users to […]
Building upon SONAR intermodal and dry van contract rate data already available in the platform, as of today, intermodal savings rates are now included in SONAR, as a national average, for 63 individual lanes, and two indices. The LA to Dallas lane is competitive between truckload and intermodal with a 9% average intermodal savings rate. […]
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the fifth time in six weeks.
SONAR, a leading global supply chain intelligence platform, is pleased to announce an enhanced partnership with WeatherOptics, a leading weather impact and risk intelligence provider. This collaboration allows mutual customers to customize the Critical Events module within the SONAR platform by easily uploading their own specific locations and facilities, enabling them to better anticipate and […]
Container imports surged to a multi-year high in early July, driven by importers racing to recover lost time after tariff disruptions. While volumes spiked, this early peak doesn’t necessarily signal stronger demand.. As inventories grow more expensive to hold, maritime carriers are bracing for softer demand and more volatile shipping patterns in the months ahead.
(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.) Shippers don’t partner with LSPs just to move freight—they rely on them to orchestrate complex, responsive, and cost-efficient networks on their behalf. Whether managing global air freight for pharmaceutical companies, regional FTL capacity […]
Staying ahead of the freight market just got easier. We’re excited to roll out a new enhancement to our charting experience: Seasonally Adjusted Moving Average Projections. This feature forecasts a trendline six months into the future, giving you a clear, data-driven view of where the market might be heading based not only on historical patterns, […]
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose this week for the fourth time in five weeks.
SONAR is proud to announce significant upgrades to its integration with Oracle Transportation Management (OTM), bringing real-time freight market intelligence directly into OTM workflows through a partnership with Redwood Connect. Just in time for the OTM Sig conference, this enhanced integration also introduces SCORE, SONAR’s exclusive shipper consortium, enabling actionable benchmarking insights and accelerated return […]
SONAR has launched a new capability allowing users to search and visualize spot rates at the lane level and compare year-over-year seasonality directly within its charts. This enhancement to the high-frequency freight market intelligence platform aims to provide shippers, carriers, and brokers with critical insights for navigating the volatile transportation market. The ability to track […]
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined after three weeks of big increases.
Surface transportation rates took a hard right to start the year, thanks to shifting supply chain strategies and a slowing economy. Is this just a pause or is there further to fall?
The trucking industry’s “driver shortage” debate has persisted for decades. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) claims a chronic shortage since 1987, citing nine studies. Yet, researchers and industry experts argue the labor market functions well when freight demand is strong. A December 2024 study by Professors Jonathan Phares, Jason Miller, and Stephen Burks, published by […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is intensifying enforcement of English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards, signaling major operational changes for the trucking industry. As of today, June 25, 2025, drivers who fail to meet these requirements face immediate grounding, potentially straining trucking capacity, increasing tender rejections, and driving up national truckload rates. FreightWaves estimates […]
NOAA forecasts above-average activity for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose to its highest level in almost a year.
The increase in oil prices in early trading after the U.S. attack on Iran was strong but not overwhelming.
Chart of the Week: Carrier Details Net Revocations – USA SONAR: CDNR.USA Carrier Net Revocations—which measure how many truckload operators (businesses) are exiting the industry—have remained unseasonably elevated throughout the first half of the year. The current pace of exits is 16% higher than during the same period in 2024. Although new authority issuances have increased this […]
A stretch of Interstate 40 between the Tennessee and North Carolina border has been shut down from flooding and a rockslide according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation
The benchmark diesel price used as the basis for most surcharges reported its biggest one-week gain since January.
The success of the Israeli military can be linked back to support from the U.S.
Container bookings data has rebounded back to previous year levels. Is a wave of freight coming to surface markets?
Oil and diesel prices soared on the Israeli attack on Iran.
Prices reached just over $72 a barrel on Thursday evening.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for just the second time in nine weeks.
Uncertainty springing from erratic policy implementation in 2025 has made it challenging for businesses to make long-term commitments. That has kept the trucking sector from having its expected breakout moment this year.
SONAR has released a suite of summer product upgrades designed to let users get even more specific with their data comparison needs.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is at its lowest level in more than 3 1/2 years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted “above-normal” hurricane activity this summer in its annual outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
After 1 increase, latest weekly price picks up earlier trend of declines.
Capacity is tighter in the Eastern half of the U.S. as carriers appear to be stuck on or targeting the West Coast freight.
Microsoft has joined a sustainable aviation fuel program managed by its logistics provider and a major cargo airline.
Truckload capacity tightened noticeably during the annual CVSA International Roadcheck inspection period.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges fell for the fifth straight week.
Shipping is ramping in parts of southern Asia as companies scramble to keep a buffer on inventories. How sustainable and effective is this strategy, and will it substantially mitigate the influence of prohibitive tariffs on China?
Roehl Transport wins the American Trucking Associations’ President’s Award for the fifth time, cementing the company’s reputation as the gold standard in truckload carrier safety.
The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is down for the fourth week in a row.
Southern California is at the epicenter of freight coming from China. Domestic demand patterns have not changed much since “Liberation Day,” but no one expects this to last.
