USDOT signs on as a customer of SONAR’s high frequency freight market data

Through this contract, USDOT will incorporate SONAR datasets and freight market indicators to improve visibility into freight activity, market dynamics, and supply chain conditions across the United States.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology works at the dynamic intersection of new and emerging technologies, transportation data, policy, research and all modes of transportation across the Department. With SONAR’s aggregated and anonymized freight market data — covering truckload, intermodal, ocean, and air cargo activity — USDOT can deliver real-time context on how freight moves through the U.S. economy.

“As we continue to modernize our processes in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it is vital that the USDOT have access to the most robust and current data sources,” Lee White, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at USDOT said in a prepared statement. “Our agreement with SONAR is another step we are taking on our journey to modernize our systems here at the USDOT.”

The collaboration reflects a growing recognition of the value that real-time, market-based freight signals can add alongside traditional transportation and economic datasets. SONAR’s platform captures daily freight market activity at the point of booking and procurement, providing earlier visibility into shifts in transportation demand, network utilization, and capacity conditions across the freight ecosystem.

Supporting Data-Driven Transportation Policy and Industry Transparency

USDOT has placed increasing emphasis on roadway safety, fraud prevention, supply chain resiliency, and greater transparency across the trucking industry. Access to timely freight market information offers additional operational context around changing market conditions, carrier utilization trends, and freight network activity.

The collaboration with Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology comes as transportation stakeholders in both the public and private sectors continue to prioritize:

•        Enhanced visibility into freight market conditions and capacity trends

•        Data-informed approaches to roadway safety and compliance

•        Improved freight network resiliency and infrastructure planning

•        The efficient and sustainable movement of goods throughout the U.S. economy

In addition to its core market intelligence datasets, SONAR has expanded its transportation risk and compliance capabilities with tools that centralize publicly available carrier safety, inspection, and operational data. These enhancements help carriers, brokers, and shippers better evaluate operational risk, streamline compliance workflows, and improve decision-making across transportation networks.

“Freight is the heartbeat of the U.S. economy, and policymakers shouldn’t have to wait months to take its pulse,” Craig Fuller, the founder and CEO of FreightWaves said in that statement. “The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology has long set the standard for transportation information, and we’re proud that SONAR’s real-time freight market data will now strengthen that work — helping build a stronger, safer, and more resilient supply chain.”

FreightWaves SONAR is a freight market intelligence and analytics platform that provides real-time visibility into transportation and supply chain activity across major freight modes. SONAR aggregates high-frequency datasets and market indicators to help organizations monitor freight demand, capacity, pricing, network conditions, and supply chain trends.