Transport
Why Trucking Rates Are Rising Without More Freight
Truckload rates rose in 2026 on flat freight. SONAR data and ATRI's 2026 cost study show carriers still earn too little to cover costs. See why rates must keep…
Name
Sonar
3 stories in the last 7 days, reading bearish overall. The last day ran at 3.0× its usual pace.
- 7-day mood
- −19.0Bearish −19
- Stories, 7 days
- 3
- Last 24 hours
- 13.0× usual
- Sources
- 2in the latest 30
Mood and coverage · last 7 days
Market chart- Sonar · 6-hour average
- Hourly reading
- Stories per hour
View as table
| Day | Mood | Stories |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 9 | −74.1 | 1 |
| Thu, Oct 8 | 0.0 | 1 |
| Wed, Oct 7 | +48.3 | 1 |
| Tue, Oct 6 | — | 0 |
| Mon, Oct 5 | — | 0 |
| Sun, Oct 4 | — | 0 |
| Sat, Oct 3 | — | 0 |
| Fri, Oct 2 | — | 0 |
Latest on Sonar
Newest firstMacro
SONAR Rate Intelligence Adds Intermodal Rates and Truckload-to-Intermodal Conversion Savings
SONAR Rate Intelligence now includes intermodal contract and spot rates, ramp data and Conversion Savings to compare truckload vs. intermodal costs. The post S…
Transport
Is Trucking Capacity Coming Back? Why New Capacity Isn't Entering the 2026 Freight Market
Tender rejections are up 268% in three years while volume is up 9%. SONAR data shows why new trucking capacity isn't entering the 2026 market. The post Is Truc…
Transport
SONAR Launches SCI Custom Insights - Free Webinar Demo October 1
See how leading shippers are using their own freight data to find where they're overpaying, where service risk is building, and where they can save - live and…
Transport
Freight Market Alert: Why US Tender Rejections Are Skyrocketing
The freight market is showing an unusual tightening with widespread increases in tender rejection rates across the United States. Join us as we dive into the l…
Transport
Trucking Market: Volumes UP, Diesel Soaring. Is Peak Here?
The freight market is showing its first signs of year-over-year growth in 42 months. Dive into this week's Sonar update as we break down rising diesel prices,…
Transport
Tender Rejections at 13.5%: Tight Market or Fade?
Tender rejections are still sitting around 13.5% - and that's the key signal for where the truckload market goes next. In this SONAR update, we break down whet…
Transport
Truckload Volumes Drop 15% - But Spot Rates Stay Hot
Truckload volumes dropped 15% after Labor Day, but spot rates are still elevated and tender rejections haven't cracked. That's the freight market story right n…
Transport
Tender Rejections Jump 14%: Labor Day Tightens Freight
Tender rejections are back above 14%, and Labor Day is already tightening the freight market. In this SONAR update, FreightWaves breaks down why rejection rate…
Transport
Peak Season Is Coming - But Where Is The Freight Surge?
Peak season is upon us, but SONAR data reveals a surprising trend: tender rejection rates aren't surging into Labor Day like previous years. While spot rates r…
Transport
Tender Rejections at 13.5%: Is Freight Bottoming?
Tender rejections are still running near 13.5% - and that could mean the freight market has found a short-term bottom ahead of Labor Day. In this SONAR update,…
Transport
Ocean Freight Rates Surge +400% - But Demand Isn't Driving It
Ocean freight spot rates have skyrocketed by over 400%, but surprisingly, demand isn't the primary cause. This SONAR Update breaks down how capacity control an…
Transport
Freight Market Rejection Index: Is the 'Softness' Misleading? | SONAR Update
The freight market is showing what appears to be softness, but a closer look at the Rejection Index reveals a different story. This week's SONAR update breaks…
Macro
Spot vs. Contract Rates: Don't Be Fooled by Short-Term Declines
The gap between spot and contract freight rates is widening, with contract rates up almost 20% year-over-year while spot rates see a monthly dip. Dive into SON…
AI
US Navy tests AI-powered submarine hunter
The U.S. Navy tested artificial intelligence-powered sonar to target submarines during the multinational Rim of the Pacific exercise.
Markets
SONAR Upgrades Batch Rate Intelligence Into a Full RFP Pricing Engine
SONAR this week released a significant upgrade to Batch Rate Intelligence, expanding the feature from a bulk lane analysis tool into what the company describes…
Transport
USDOT signs on as a customer of SONAR's high frequency freight market data
The US Department of Transportation has signed a deal to receive high-frequency freight market data from SONAR. The post USDOT signs on as a customer of SONAR'…
Transport
SONAR Sitrep: How nuclear verdicts are reshaping carrier economics
Commercial trucking carriers are in an increasingly expensive legal bullseye due to costly nuclear verdicts from civil lawsuits. The post SONAR Sitrep: How nuc…
Transport
SONAR Launches Accepted Truckload Volume Index to Close the Gap Between Tendered and Moving Freight
Tender acceptance rates have long signaled stress in the truckload market - but until now, users had no direct index tracking the volume of freight that actual…
Technology
Calling devs: SONAR launches Driver App Shortage Hackathon
FreightWaves SONAR will launch its first virtual Driver App Shortage Hackathon on June 15-22 to address the lack of software built primarily for truck drivers.…
Housing
SONAR Sitrep: Housing affordability drags down key freight sectors
While a booming heavy-industrial sector has shielded certain segments, the broader housing affordability crisis is actively suppressing volumes across multiple…
Transport
SONAR Sitrep: Growing freight market raises driver demand, squeezing large carriers
As van and flatbed volumes surge and rejection rates climb, the very conditions driving optimism are making it increasingly difficult for major fleets to recru…
SONAR Launches Carrier Safety Dashboard - Right on Time for International Roadcheck Week
New FMCSA and CSA intelligence tool goes live as North American enforcement enters its most intense 72 hours of the year - and as the CDL crackdown reshapes th…
Transport
SONAR Sitrep: Fleet safety behind the curb post-freight recession
As the freight cycle recovers and utilization rises, the industry is confronting a massive accumulation of deferred maintenance from the prolonged freight rece…
Transport
SONAR Launches Self-Serve Quick Rates - Freight Intelligence Without the Sales Call
Real-time spot rates, a built-in margin calculator, and a Chrome Extension - available to any individual user for $24.99/month, no demo required. SONAR has lau…
Geopolitics
SONAR Sitrep: US industrials, freight unexpected winners in Iran war
While global competitors in Europe and Asia are grappling with surging gas prices and heavy war-risk premiums, the United States is emerging as a structural wi…
Transport
TruckSmarter Partners with SONAR To Deliver TRAC Spot Rates For Motor Carriers
TruckSmarter is taking the freight industry into the future with the launch of Dispatch, combining AI capabilities into the industry's first chat-based interfa…
AI
SONAR Sitrep: AI data center build-out fuels US freight surge
FreightWaves has compiled a comprehensive SONAR Sitrep detailing the ground-level logistics impact of America's AI data center build-out. The post SONAR Sitrep…
Commodities
US Navy wants helicopter sonar that can detect subs - and mines
Instead of separate tech to spot mines and subs, the Navy is exploring the convenience of having one sonar that allows a single helicopter to do both.
Transport
SONAR Launches Sitreps:
Expert-Authored Situation Reports Integrated Directly Into the Freight Intelligence Platform SONAR Research team delivers deep market analysis on macro forces…
