Truckload Tender Rejections Settle at 13.57% as Spot Rates Jump 7%

1 articles · Updated · FreightWaves · Aug 25

Truckload tender rejections have stabilized near 13.57% after topping 17.5% around July 4, a level FreightWaves says marks an orderly market rather than a weakening one.
That reading is up sharply from roughly 6% in January, and brokers now view 12%-13% rejections—not 8%—as the point where capacity feels tight and carriers gain leverage.
SONAR spot-rate data rose 7% from Aug. 22 through late August, erasing an earlier monthly dip and signaling seasonal firming ahead of Labor Day and fall shipping demand.
FreightWaves expects volatility to return in Q4 as back-to-school freight, a later Labor Day and earlier holiday imports lift pressure, giving shippers and carriers a brief window to reset spot-contract mixes.