Index-Linked Contracts: A New Solution for Shippers’ Dissatisfaction with RFPs
It’s no secret that the traditional RFP freight procurement process is rife with inefficiency, and even when agreements are made, rates can still vary widely throughout the term of the contract. To better understand the key pain points that shippers and carriers have with the RFP process, we analyzed the results of multiple FreightWaves surveys […]
Catering to the winners – SONAR subscribers beat the market
In this report, we revisit an October 2021 report that highlighted how the shares of publicly traded SONAR subscribers outperformed their peer groups. We did not suggest in that report that subscribing to SONAR was driving that outperformance, and we do not suggest anything similar here. In fact, we consider the opposite to be more […]
Navigating the Yellow Corp. Crisis: Implications and Strategies for LTL Shippers
At the time of writing, Yellow has announced that it would defer its required contributions — including those for pensions — for June and July, collectively totaling more than $50 million in missed payments. In response, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued a strike notice that could lead to work stoppages as soon as Monday. […]
The rise and fall of lead times
During the pandemic years of 2020-21, retailers were subjected to unprecedented volatility in transportation markets. After a spike in e-commerce activity, imports flooded the U.S. and led to persistent, widespread congestion at ports as containers took weeks to clear their terminals. This maritime congestion played havoc with rail networks, which were similarly inundated with shipment […]
What demand planning looks like with 2020s supply chain data
In today’s fast-paced and increasingly digital world, shippers are facing new challenges and opportunities. The ability to accurately predict demand is more critical than ever, directly impacting operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Demand planning, a key process in supply chain management, involves forecasting the demand for products to ensure they can be delivered in […]
The price you pay: dissecting cost in your routing guide
The waterfall theory of freight highlights the impacts that routing guides have on the relationship between shippers and carriers. In a soft freight environment, much like the current environment, routing guides remain largely intact as carriers accept nearly all of the freight, thus rates remain depressed, freight moves in a more predictable pattern and hitting […]
Prolonged down cycle, is timing the up cycle possible?
In a highly cyclical industry like over-the-road freight transportation, market conditions can shift at a moment’s notice and shippers often don’t have the data to react to changing conditions in real time. While the freight market shows no signs of bottoming in the short term, FreightWaves SONAR provides market participants the ability to identify real-time […]
Rocky road on the way in 2023?
The cyclicality in the freight market has never been more evident than during the past three years. In 2020 and ’21, transportation companies experienced unprecedented freight demand and remarkably tight capacity, leading to an inflationary rate environment over 18 months. The freight demand was driven by stimulus-aided goods spending as the services side of the […]
Freight Brokers Say Retaining Customers Is A Major Concern
For freight brokers who are moving contract freight, it’s been a pretty good year so far. The good times won’t last forever, so cheers to you and enjoy the ride while it lasts. For brokers who are living the spot market life, it’s been a bumpy ride. For freight brokers competition is pivoting to price, […]
SONAR Highlight Reel: What’s Going On In Shanghai
This “SONAR highlight reel” hits data highlights/trends in truckload, intermodal and maritime in 2-3 pages for each mode. The truckload market (pages 2-6) continues to show signs of easing ahead of the “busy” summer months. The FreightWaves National Truckload Index (NTI) brings a new daily spot rate to the freight market that is backed by […]
