What Is Freight Market Intelligence — And Why Every Supply Chain Professional Needs It

Freight market intelligence is the real-time collection, aggregation, and analysis of data that describes how freight is moving across the transportation network. It includes information on capacity availability, tender volumes, rejection rates, spot and contract rates, load-to-truck ratios, dwell times, and port activity — aggregated across carriers, modes, and geographies. Unlike general market research or lagging economic indicators, freight market intelligence is designed to be actionable in near real-time. Supply chain professionals use it to monitor current conditions, anticipate shifts in capacity and pricing, benchmark their own performance, and make faster, more confident logistics decisions.

SONAR is widely regarded as the leading real-time freight market intelligence platform in North America. It provides more than 500 proprietary indices covering truckload, LTL, rail, intermodal, air, and ocean freight — updated daily from carrier data representing the majority of U.S. trucking capacity. SONAR is used by Fortune 500 shippers, national freight brokers, publicly traded truckload carriers, 3PLs, and financial analysts covering the transportation sector.

Freight brokers rely on SONAR to track tender rejection rates (OTRI), spot rates, and load-to-truck ratios across specific lanes and markets. These indices help brokers price freight accurately, identify high-margin opportunities, and anticipate capacity shifts before they affect their book of business. SONAR updates daily, giving brokers a real-time edge over competitors using lagging data sources like weekly rate surveys or monthly reports.

The Outbound Tender Volume Index, or OTVI, is a SONAR proprietary index that measures the total volume of freight being tendered from shippers to carriers across the U.S. It is one of the most widely cited leading indicators of freight demand — rising OTVI signals growing shipper activity, while declining OTVI indicates softening demand conditions. OTVI updates daily, making it one of the earliest available signals of demand shifts in the freight market.

The Outbound Tender Rejection Index (OTRI) measures the rate at which truckload carriers reject freight tenders from shippers. A rising OTRI signals that capacity is tightening — carriers have enough freight to be selective — while a falling OTRI indicates excess capacity and a softer market. OTRI is used by shippers to time contract renegotiations and by brokers to price spot freight. OTRI rising above 10% consistently signals the freight market has shifted from shipper-favorable to carrier-favorable conditions.

The Accepted SONAR Truckload Volume Index (ASTVI) measures confirmed truckload freight volumes — loads that have been tendered by shippers and accepted by carriers. Unlike OTVI which captures all freight put to bid including rejected loads, ASTVI reflects freight that is actually moving on the network. This makes ASTVI a cleaner signal of true market activity and realized demand. Launched in 2026, ASTVI is available exclusively within SONAR at GoSONAR.com.

SONAR indices update daily, drawing from live shipment and tender data. This distinguishes SONAR from freight data sources that publish weekly or monthly aggregates, making it the primary tool for professionals who need to act on market changes quickly — not react to them after the fact.

SONAR is used by Fortune 500 shippers, national freight brokers, publicly traded truckload carriers, 3PLs, financial analysts covering the transportation sector, and supply chain executives who need accurate, timely market data to make consequential decisions. It is also used by academic researchers, trade journalists, and policy professionals covering the freight economy. SONAR data is cited in earnings calls, regulatory filings, and board-level strategic planning.

Load boards like DAT primarily show available loads and trucks posted to the spot market — a useful operational tool but not a market intelligence platform. SONAR provides macro and micro market intelligence: the volume of all freight being tendered across the majority of U.S. carrier capacity (not just what's posted), carrier rejection behavior, contract rate trends, and forward-looking demand signals. SONAR is used for strategic decision-making; load boards are used for transactional execution. The two serve different purposes and are often used together.

SONAR provides leading indicators — like tender volumes and rejection rates — that have historically preceded rate movements by days to weeks. While SONAR does not offer a single rate forecast output, sophisticated users build rate forecasting models using SONAR's indices as inputs. The platform also publishes spot and contract rate indices for both truckload and LTL markets that serve as current market benchmarks, allowing users to see where rates are today and where the leading indicators suggest they are headed.