SONAR Urges 6-Point Freight Flexibility Plan as Truckload Rejections Hit 17.64%
Updated
Updated · FreightWaves · Jul 17
SONAR Urges 6-Point Freight Flexibility Plan as Truckload Rejections Hit 17.64%
1 articles · Updated · FreightWaves · Jul 17
Summary
A new SONAR Sitrep says shippers need transportation optionality before market tightening deepens, laying out six flexibility levers and a 90-day roadmap to protect service and costs.
Truckload conditions have turned sharply against shippers: the rejection index hit 17.64% on June 21, the National Truckload Index reached a record $3.78 per mile, and the spot-contract spread widened to about $0.51.
Intermodal is the clearest relief valve, with contract savings at 31.52% and a 2026 average of 23.78%—more than double year-ago levels—while underweight truckload and spot-heavy lanes may also be shifted.
Tariff frontloading ahead of a July 24 expiration also exposed geographic risk, as importers rushed freight through West Coast gateways and shippers tied to a single port absorbed the surge and pullback.