The Waterfall Theory of Freight
The waterfall theory of freight explains the factors behind how rates can fall out of contract and into the spot market. Learn how access to the best supply chain data on the market can help you manage costs at sonar.freightwaves.com.
Who Cares About Data Integrity?
We do. Much has been made in recent weeks about supply chain data providers changing historical metrics. Users across the industry have been coming up with their own theories, scrambling to match and compare historicals with their provider, and wondering what they can consider to be “truth.” You’ll never guess where I’m going with this. […]
The Long Road to Just-in-Time
The adage goes, “It takes a long time to become an overnight success.” It’s also a long road to meet just-in-time delivery. For years prior to the pandemic, the consistency and integrity of global trade lanes meant that the industry viewed costs and lead times as assumptions rather than obstacles, especially as each generation of […]
Forecasting trends with aggregated flatbed data
It’s building season. Housing starts are calling for lumber kits, industrial purchasers are ordering products for their projects, and construction companies are planning their moves and strategies for the year. Shippers often manage transportation for these projects with historical data, bids from trusted carriers and a lot of guesswork. That’s getting ready to change. The […]
FreightWaves SONAR flatbed data now available in Trucker Tools app
FreightWaves SONAR is dedicated to creating a fair and transparent marketplace for all transportation players to manage their businesses effectively and efficiently. In order to build that brighter future, we need to establish clear market signals that all players can agree upon to act fairly and equitably. This builds stronger relationships and boosts service and […]
How quickly the market turns
Earnings season is upon us and executives of publicly traded transportation companies are providing their results from the first quarter. They are also providing updates on current market conditions and what they see ahead. The first major player to report earnings was J.B. Hunt, the largest domestic intermodal player in the industry. As expected, earnings […]
How Edge Logistics uses FreightWaves SONAR to Automate Years of Tribal Knowledge
View the Full Case Study The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented uncertainty to the freight market, sending freight rates from some of the lowest levels in recent years to record-high levels in just 18 months. When looking for partners, shippers are seeking those that actively participate in the freight market in addition to providing strong service […]
Mutual Customers of TAI TMS and SONAR will have a new way to view SONAR data
Mutual customers of Tai TMS and FreightWaves SONAR have an easier viewing of SONAR data. The new partnership brings SONAR data right into Tai’s transportation management system (TMS), eliminating the need to toggle between multiple applications. Current SONAR customers who have a SONAR API subscription to our Capacity Market or Lane Scores and/or FW TRAC […]
Why do carriers expect pricing momentum to continue into 2022?
Earnings season is here and the general theme across truckload carriers is carrying higher rate momentum into 2022. Carriers have benefited from increased freight rates across the board, but not every carrier experienced record revenue in the fourth quarter. Market conditions are still quite favorable for carriers, but driver retention and recruiting continue to be […]
Tough sledding ahead for 2022 bid season
Shippers are facing a tough road in 2022. A relief valve to remove all the pressure on transportation networks isn’t coming, at least in the near future as capacity constraints are seemingly endless. The semiconductor shortage, a tight labor market, increased consumer spending and congestion at the ports are all constraints that haven’t improved over […]
What is expected during peak season?
All three major modes of transportation – maritime, intermodal and truckload – all have very different peak season timelines. The maritime sector has been operating at peak season-like levels for much of the past year. Traditional maritime peak season has passed, with goods needed for the holiday season already stateside. Traditionally, intermodal volumes peak in […]
Building a bridge between ocean and domestic transportation markets
Understanding ocean shipping trends is vital to understanding the freight flows in domestic transportation markets. The easiest identifier is linking rises (and falls) in import volumes that are clearing U.S. Customs in port markets with increases (and decreases) in both truckload and intermodal volumes in the markets. The free white paper, Ocean markets drive the […]
Trucking rate relief in 2022? Not so fast
Shippers hoping for trucking rate relief in 2022 are going to be severely disappointed. The trucking freight market is one of the most volatile markets on the planet, especially since 2014. What is causing these massive swings? Supply and demand, naturally. If you really want to understand the market’s rate direction, you must understand how […]
A Primer on SONAR SCI Lane Acuity
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SONAR: Predictive Freight Rate Accuracy
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[PODCAST] What is SONAR?
“The Logistics of Logistics” is a podcast dedicated to exploring how things get places and the people who get them there. It is hosted by Joe Lynch, who talks with logistics and supply chain leaders about innovation, industry trends and the future of the logistics business. On a recent episode, Lynch spoke with Adam Robinson, […]
Good news: The freight market is about to turn up
Freight market forecasting is a tricky game these days. Historical freight market data models provide good reference points, but because of the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 (a classic example of a black swan event), we have to rely on current data to understand what is taking place in the freight market. The good news is […]
Why historical spot rates alone are not the best predictor of future spot rates
History tends to repeat itself, or does it? A common thought in the trucking industry is that looking at historical spot rates are good indicators of what to expect each year. It is true to an extent that historical trends do well to predict certain aspects of future spot rates, such as seasonal movement, but […]
