[Infographic] The components of a freight routing guide

WHY SONAR

Key Features

Use SONAR’s supply chain data to 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 supply chain 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.

Batch Rate Intelligence

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.

SONAR Quick Rate

SONAR Quick Rates is a Chrome Extension, allowing users to quickly reference lane-level spot rates, market conditions and SONAR Guidance from your browser

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.

August 27, 2026

The Network Effect: How Live Market Data is reshaping Agentic Freight Brokerage

Read More

June 1, 2026

May 2026 The State of Freight: From Roadcheck to Summer 2026

Read More

May 1, 2026

Fuel, Friction and the Road Ahead: April 2026 The State of Freight White Paper

Read More

VIEW ALL
WHO WE HELP

Healthcare

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

Paper & Packaging

Balance cost and service with better freight procurement

Automotive

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

CPG

Cut transportation costs intelligently with high-frequency data

Retail

Optimize your retail transportation network with better data and intelligent RFPs

Other Industries

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

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

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

Financial

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

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

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

Financial

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

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

September 16, 2026

Introducing SCI: Custom Insights: Turn Your Transportation Network Into Actionable Intelligence

Read More

September 11, 2026

The Eight Year Tariff War

Read More

September 10, 2026

Cargo Chief and SONAR Team Up to Put SONAR Data Right in the Broker Workflow

Read More

September 9, 2026

Brokers Are Facing an Insurance Reckoning. Here’s What It’s Actually Costing Them.

Read More

September 4, 2026

Bid Season 2026: What the Data Says Before You Lock In Rates

Read More

August 31, 2026

Why Diesel Is Outpacing Gas in 2026 — And Winter Could Make It Worse

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.

#WithSONAR

Watch each week as SONAR use cases and products are featured to highlight what our customer can accomplish “With SONAR”

Ship Happens

Join SONAR Leadership as they host shippers each episode to talk about what is top of mind for them, industry insights, best practices and shared examples of what to do when Ship Happens in this crazy industry.

September 16, 2026

Introducing SCI: Custom Insights: Turn Your Transportation Network Into Actionable Intelligence

Read More

September 11, 2026

The Eight Year Tariff War

Read More

September 10, 2026

Cargo Chief and SONAR Team Up to Put SONAR Data Right in the Broker Workflow

Read More

September 9, 2026

Brokers Are Facing an Insurance Reckoning. Here’s What It’s Actually Costing Them.

Read More

September 4, 2026

Bid Season 2026: What the Data Says Before You Lock In Rates

Read More

August 31, 2026

Why Diesel Is Outpacing Gas in 2026 — And Winter Could Make It Worse

Read More

VIEW ALL
PARTNERSHIPS
ABOUT US
SONAR BLUE TO BLUE

What Is a Freight Routing Guide?

Jason Vanover

Request a SONAR SCI Lane Acuity demo today to learn more about how your team can evolve the freight routing guide to find failures before they occur and prevent them by matching RFPs to market dynamics.

Request a SONAR Demo

Key Features

Our Data

LEARN MORESONAR key features and data

SONAR Insights

SONAR SCI

SONAR Excel Add-In

API

Broker Tool Kit

Batch Rate Intelligence

Container Atlas

SONAR Quick Rate

Index-Linked Contracts

TRAC

NTI

August 27, 2026

The Network Effect: How Live Market Data is reshaping Agentic Freight Brokerage

June 1, 2026

May 2026 The State of Freight: From Roadcheck to Summer 2026

May 1, 2026

Fuel, Friction and the Road Ahead: April 2026 The State of Freight White Paper

VIEW ALL

Healthcare

Paper & Packaging

Automotive

CPG

Retail

Other Industries

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

Broker / 3PL

Carrier

Financial

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

Broker / 3PL

Carrier

Financial

LEARN MORESee how SONAR supports

Understanding the Freight Cycle

Unlock Leading Indicators for Drayage Demand

Ocean Data for Global Logistics Optimization

VIEW ALL

September 16, 2026

Introducing SCI: Custom Insights: Turn Your Transportation Network Into Actionable Intelligence

September 11, 2026

The Eight Year Tariff War

September 10, 2026

Cargo Chief and SONAR Team Up to Put SONAR Data Right in the Broker Workflow

September 9, 2026

Brokers Are Facing an Insurance Reckoning. Here’s What It’s Actually Costing Them.

September 4, 2026

Bid Season 2026: What the Data Says Before You Lock In Rates

August 31, 2026

Why Diesel Is Outpacing Gas in 2026 — And Winter Could Make It Worse

VIEW ALL

White Papers

Case Studies

Pricing Power Index

Release Notes

Articles

Infographics

Inside SONAR

Index Reference Guide

FreightWaves TV

Webinars

Podcasts

#WithSONAR

Ship Happens

September 16, 2026

Introducing SCI: Custom Insights: Turn Your Transportation Network Into Actionable Intelligence

September 11, 2026

The Eight Year Tariff War

September 10, 2026

Cargo Chief and SONAR Team Up to Put SONAR Data Right in the Broker Workflow

September 9, 2026

Brokers Are Facing an Insurance Reckoning. Here’s What It’s Actually Costing Them.

September 4, 2026

Bid Season 2026: What the Data Says Before You Lock In Rates

August 31, 2026

Why Diesel Is Outpacing Gas in 2026 — And Winter Could Make It Worse

VIEW ALL

What Is a Freight Routing Guide?