[Infographic] Freight Shipping Data: Real-Time VS Lagging, Stale Data

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WHY SONAR

Key Features

Make more strategic business decisions and outperform the competition with SONAR’s full suite of products.

Our Data

Stay on top of supply and demand dynamics across all modes of transportation with SONAR’s best-in-class data and analytics.

LEARN MORESONAR key features and data

SONAR Insights

National and Key Market Insights, Trade War Command Center and other custom pages to help you visualize trends and get a quick all in one glance of freight insights that are important to you.

SONAR SCI

Actionable insights to help shippers, carriers and 3PLs reduce costs, improve route guide compliance and make proactive decisions.

SONAR Excel Add-In

A customizable data analytics plugin that delivers the power and flexibility that modern supply chain businesses need — with more control and less risk.

API

A customizable data analytics plugin that delivers the power and flexibility that modern supply chain businesses need — with more control and less risk.

Broker Tool Kit

Actionable data to inform brokers on which loads to prioritize for margin maximization.

Market Dashboard +

A multi-lane analysis tool designed to empower bid management, frequent lane monitoring and corridor trend visualization.

Container Atlas

Data insights and trends around vessel delays and price fluctuations to help users mitigate risk and make more informed and profitable decisions.

Index-Linked Contracts

Optimize pricing and relationships by creating dynamic contracts based on the source of truth for the supply chain industry.

TRAC

High-frequency and accurate pricing data on volatility, rates and capacity to improve margins and contract negotiations.

NTI

A real-time proxy for the health of the national supply chain used by freight and non-freight businesses to make more accurate decisions.

June 27, 2025

June 2025 State of Freight

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May 27, 2025

May 2025 State of Freight

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May 23, 2025

Q2 2025 Shipper Rate Report

Read More

VIEW ALL
WHO WE HELP

Retail

Optimize your retail transportation network with better data and intelligent RFPs

CPG

Cut transportation costs intelligently with high-frequency data

Automotive

Optimize freight cost and service in your network with high-frequency data

Healthcare

Derisk your health care supply chain with high-frequency freight data

Paper & Packaging

Balance cost and service with better freight procurement

Financial

Leverage SONAR supply chain data as a leading indicator in the economy

Other Industries

Use SCI to balance cost and service and hold your supply chain partners accountable.

Broker / 3PL

Use SONAR to widen margins, win more freight, benchmark against the market, and forecast contract and spot rates.

Carrier

Use SONAR to maximize trucking rates and fleet utilization while minimizing operating costs

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

Understanding the Freight Cycle

The Waterfall Theory of Freight illustrates the critical importance of maintaining high routing guide compliance to control shipping costs and what might happen if these routing guides fall apart. Tools like SONAR enable transportation providers to track tender volumes, rejections and market imbalances, providing valuable insights into freight trends. By leveraging these tools, SONAR users can better navigate the complexities of freight logistics, ensuring more efficient and cost-effective operations.

Download Solutions Guide

Unlock Leading Indicators for Drayage Demand

While SONAR doesn’t contain drayage rates yet, certain data sets provide a look forward at demand that can help carriers be nimble with timely adjustments to resource levels. Total drayage capacity in a particular market doesn’t typically change much from day to day or week to week, but demand can fluctuate based on the volume of containers coming off the docks or into a rail yard.

Download Solutions Guide

Ocean Data for Global Logistics Optimization

The Container Atlas application in SONAR illustrates supply and demand in the ocean market by showing spot rates in addition to numerous other supply and demand metrics outside of rates, such as bookings information.

Download Solutions Guide

VIEW ALL

June 26, 2025

How To Interpret Tender Rejection Rates

Read More

June 25, 2025

Benefits of Using SONAR’s Excel Add-In

Read More

June 16, 2025

When Cargo Will Surge At US Ports

Read More

June 10, 2025

Congestion Returns to Singapore

Read More

June 5, 2025

SONAR Unlocks Lane-Level Insights with Latest Update

Read More

May 13, 2025

Shifting Tides: Navigating US-China Trade, Southeast Asian Diversification, and the New Supply Chain Reality

Read More

VIEW ALL
RESOURCES

White Papers

Enrich your knowledge in the areas of freight and supply chain intelligence, understand market movements, and stay informed on the latest trends.

Case Studies

Real-time supply chain intelligence in action. See how our customers and partners benefit across the globe.

Pricing Power Index

The SONAR Pricing Power Index uses analytics and data from SONAR to analyze the market and estimate the negotiating power for rates between shippers and carriers based on eight key market indicators.

Release Notes

Access brief, high-level descriptions of enhancements and new features of SONAR.

Articles

Each week, market commentary from the update video is put into an article that can be read, based on the notes from the weekly video.

Infographics

Access engaging visual representations of common trends and happenings within the industry

Inside SONAR

SONAR moves and changes as fast as the freight markets. We’re continually updating and enhancing our data and product feature set. Get the inside scoop on SONAR updates.

Index Reference Guide

Our exclusive market indices provide uses with a wealth of knowledge and insight. The map will guide you through the data sets and indices that are right for yours needs.

FreightWaves TV

Our award-winning team combines the best in broadcast journalism with the diesel in our veins as we bring you the inside scoop on what’s happening in freight right now. From deep dives to fast facts, FreightWaves TV covers the world of freight like no one else.

Webinars

Join us if you’re new to SONAR, need refresher training, or want to learn more about our data sets. Watch the on-demand SONAR 101, 201, and 301 webinars hosted by our Customer Success team and Market Experts.

Podcasts

A full trailer load of freight podcasts from FreightWaves. Enjoy shows like the award-winning WHAT THE TRUCK?!? podcast, Put That Coffee Down, and more.

June 26, 2025

How To Interpret Tender Rejection Rates

Read More

June 25, 2025

Benefits of Using SONAR’s Excel Add-In

Read More

June 16, 2025

When Cargo Will Surge At US Ports

Read More

June 10, 2025

Congestion Returns to Singapore

Read More

June 5, 2025

SONAR Unlocks Lane-Level Insights with Latest Update

Read More

May 13, 2025

Shifting Tides: Navigating US-China Trade, Southeast Asian Diversification, and the New Supply Chain Reality

Read More

VIEW ALL
PARTNERSHIPS
ABOUT US

Back to Infographics

Freight Shipping Data: Comparing the Gold Standard of Real-Time Data vs. Lagging, Stale Data

Jason Vanover

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© Copyright 2025. FreightWaves, Inc. DBA SONAR. All Rights Reserved.

Why Sonar

Key Features
Our Data

Key Features
Our Data

SONAR App

SONAR SCI
TRAC
Container Atlas
NTI
API
Market Dashboard+
Index-Linked Contracts

SONAR SCI
TRAC
Container Atlas
NTI
API
Market Dashboard+
Index-Linked Contracts

Who We Help

Retail
Financial
CPG
Automotive
Paper & Packaging
Healthcare
Other Industries
Broker / 3PL
Carrier
View By Use Case

Retail
Financial
CPG
Automotive
Paper & Packaging
Healthcare
Other Industries
Broker / 3PL
Carrier
View By Use Case

Resources

White Papers
Case Studies
Release Notes
Articles
Daily Tips
Inside SONAR
Index Reference Guide
FreightWavesTV
Webinars
Podcasts
Freight Market Blog
PPI

White Papers
Case Studies
Release Notes
Articles
Daily Tips
Inside SONAR
Index Reference Guide
FreightWavesTV
Webinars
Podcasts
Freight Market Blog
PPI

About Us

SONAR
FreightWaves
Contact
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

SONAR
FreightWaves
Contact
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

Account

SONAR Login
SONAR SCI Login
SONAR Agreement
Security Commitments

SONAR Login
SONAR SCI Login
SONAR Agreement
Security Commitments

SONAR App

SONAR SCI

Actionable insights to help shippers, carriers and 3PLs reduce costs, improve route guide compliance and make proactive decisions.

Market Dashboard+

A multi-lane analysis tool designed to empower bid management, frequent lane monitoring and corridor trend visualization.

TRAC

High-frequency and accurate pricing data on volatility, rates and capacity to improve margins and contract negotiations.

API

A customizable data analytics plugin that delivers the power and flexibility that modern supply chain businesses need — with more control and less risk.

Container Atlas

Data insights and trends around vessel delays and price fluctuations to help users mitigate risk and make more informed and profitable decisions.

NTI

A real-time proxy for the health of the national supply chain used by freight and non-freight businesses to make more accurate decisions.

Index-Linked Contracts

Optimize pricing and relationships by creating dynamic contracts based on the source of truth for the supply chain industry.

Why Sonar?

Features

Make more strategic business decisions and outperform the competition with SONAR’s full suite of products.

Data

Stay on top of supply and demand dynamics across all modes of transportation with SONAR’s best-in-class data and analytics.

White Papers

June 27, 2025

June 2025 State of Freight

May 27, 2025

May 2025 State of Freight

May 23, 2025

Q2 2025 Shipper Rate Report

View White Papers