Freight & Transportation Forecast
Navigate the Future of Freight with Confidence
The industry’s most trusted, independent view of where truckload, LTL, and intermodal are heading.
Get the 2025 Freight Rate Forecast Now2025 Freight Rate Overview
Freight Markets Move Fast. Your Decisions Shouldn’t Have To.
Freight markets are shaped by forces that shift quickly, sometimes unpredictably — consumer behavior, supply-chain disruptions, economic cycles, private fleet capacity swings, regulatory changes, and global trade dynamics.
These forces don’t just change freight volumes.
They change rates, capacity availability, carrier behavior, and your cost structure.
In a world where headlines, anecdotes, and internal models often conflict, you need one thing:
Objective, data-driven freight forecasting that cuts through the noise.
The ACT North America Freight Forecast provides unmatched visibility into rate and volume expectations across truckload, LTL, and intermodal, equipping transportation teams, shippers, carriers, brokers, and financial stakeholders with the clarity to plan ahead — in any environment.
Freight Markets Are Complex, Volatile, and Interconnected
Regardless of the cycle, freight participants face recurring challenges:
1. Capacity Can Shift Quickly
Private fleets expand and contract. Carrier utilization changes. Equipment orders fluctuate. Small-fleet exits and regulatory changes reshape supply.
ACT’s Freight Forecast tracks these shifts through:
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Capacity indexes,
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Class 8 population modeling,
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Carrier surveys,
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Equipment build & sales trends, and
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Used equipment flows.
2. Rates Don’t Move Uniformly Across Modes
Truckload spot and contract rates behave differently.
Intermodal pricing follows different cycles.
LTL has unique cost structures and pricing discipline.
Shippers and carriers need forecasts that explain why modes diverge — and when they will reconnect.
3. Demand Patterns Are Multilayered
Consumer spending, industrial production, imports/exports, retail inventories — all drive freight.
When one shifts, others often offset or amplify the impact.
The ACT Freight Forecast integrates macro indicators, industry data, and mode-specific demand drivers into one unified outlook.
4. Internal Plans Need External Validation
Transportation budgets, contract negotiations, equipment planning, and network decisions increasingly require independent justification.
ACT provides the third-party credibility shippers, carriers, and executives rely on.
How have ACT Research’s freight forecasts performed?
ACT Research’s 2024 forecasts for the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index® were 98.8% accurate on average over the past 18 months, and were spot on from 13 months out.
The ACT North America Freight Forecast
A comprehensive, multi-modal view of transportation rates, volumes, and capacity.
Updated monthly, it brings together the entire freight ecosystem:
✔ Truckload (Spot & Contract)
Forecasts for:
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Dry van
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Reefer
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Flatbed
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Aggregate TL rates
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Mode-specific demand signals
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Load-to-truck ratios
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Carrier operating and financial metrics
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Class 8 order, production, and fleet capacity trends
✔ Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)
Forecasts for:
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Pricing trends
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Tonnage and shipment characteristics
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Weight-per-shipment dynamics
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Operating ratios and financial health
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LTL vs. TL substitution trends
✔ Intermodal & Rail
Forecasts for:
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Intermodal volumes and rates
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Rail service metrics
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Domestic vs. international IM dynamics
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Port activity & ocean container flows
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Intermodal PPI expectations
✔ Freight Volume Outlook (Cross-Modal)
Including:
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Cass Freight Index® (shipments & inferred rates)
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TL vs. LTL volume divergences
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Mode conversion
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Leading indicators for freight cycles
✔ North American Economic Fundamentals
A dedicated macro section covering the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, including:
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Consumer & industrial demand
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Inflation, employment, and production trends
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Housing, imports, and other freight-linked sectors
✔ Scenario Analysis & Risk Modeling
The forecast quantifies how different outcomes related to:
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Policy changes
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Regulatory shifts
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Capital investment cycles
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Economic performance
affect freight demand, rates, and capacity.
This provides decision-makers with options, not guesswork.
ACT Research completely transformed our freight forecasting process. The forward-looking LTL and spot-versus-contract insights have become foundational to how we plan and budget. Their reports are simple, powerful, and credible—so much so that when I’m challenged on my forecasts, I just point to ACT.
Steven Judge
Director of Ground Freight, 3PL & Small Pack Procurement @ Newell Brands
What You Get Each Month
Methodology That Ensures Accuracy
1. Executive Summary - A concise, narrative overview of market conditions across TL, LTL, IM, and macro forces.
2. Forecast Tables - Multi-year rate and volume outlooks across all modes, including:
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DAT TL spot & contract rate outlooks
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LTL tonnage & price forecasts
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Intermodal PPI and revenue-per-load forecasts
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Capacity and population modeling tables
3. Freight Expectations Section - A holistic view that explains why the forecast will move the way it does — synthesizing macro, modal, pricing, and capacity drivers.
4. Mode-Specific Deep Dives - Full chapters for TL, LTL, and intermodal, including charts, heatmaps, surveys, and comparative analysis.
5. Economic Context - Economic indicators that affect freight across geographies.
6. Appendices that Include:
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TL cycle analysis
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Population modeling
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Capacity & rate inputs
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Additional modal forecast tables
7. Clear, Visual Charts & Dashboards - Each section includes intuitive charts that allow immediate comparison across cycles and modes.
Assuring rail equipment capacity for our intermodal stakeholders is imperative at TTX Company. Meeting this goal requires accurate freight demand forecasting which, in turn, necessitates an understanding of market conditions and issues. ACT Research’s monthly Freight Forecast complements our internal research and analysis by providing keen insight on demand drivers, as well as emerging and evolving trends. The report’s content is well-written, and the information provided is organized and easy to access and interpret.
Frank Adcock
AVP Marketing, TTX Company
How have ACT Research’s freight forecasts performed?
For 2024, ACT’s forecasts for the shipments component of the Cass Freight Index were 95.0% accurate on average for the 18-month forecast period.
Partner with ACT Research
With ACT Research, you’re not just accessing data—you’re gaining a partner in your business’s success. Our exclusive partnerships with DAT Freight & Analytics and Cass Information Systems give you unparalleled access to detailed market trends, from contract and spot rates to freight volumes and equipment postings. Coupled with our freight-weighted GDP Freight Composite Index and the expertise of our seasoned industry leaders, we provide the actionable intelligence you need to drive your business forward.
Whether you're a for-hire carrier, logistics broker, or shipper, ACT Research’s Freight Rate Forecast gives you the insights to make informed, strategic decisions. Stay ahead of market trends, optimize your operations, and turn market volatility into your competitive edge with the power of ACT Research at your side.
Who Uses This Forecast — and For What
Shippers
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Budgeting & transportation cost planning
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Contract strategy & negotiation support
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Modal optimization (TL/LTL/IM)
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Inventory & network planning
Carriers (TL & LTL)
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Capacity planning & pricing strategy
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Fleet investment timing
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Market positioning and rate forecasting
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Profitability modeling
Intermodal Providers & Railroads
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Domestic vs. international IM planning
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Equipment allocation
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Fuel surcharge alignment
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Cross-modal competitive benchmarking
3PLs & Brokers
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Margin management
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Pricing strategy
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Customer advisory & procurement support
Financial Institutions
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Credit modeling
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Exposure assessment
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Transportation sector forecasting
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Investment analysis
Additional Resources
Stay up to date on the current market with these complimentary tools from ACT Research