Shippers
See the Future of Freight
Anticipate market cycles with confidence. Trusted by shippers who demand more than guesswork, forward-looking insights keep you informed, agile, and ahead.
Get A PDF Preview: US, Canada, and Cross-Boarder Rate & VolumeStill reacting instead of planning ahead?
You’re not alone. Many logistics leaders are blindsided by market volatility, stuck reacting while crucial budget dollars vanish. Is this you?
Sudden Rate Spikes?
Your budget hammered by unexpected increases, leaving you scrambling.
Capacity Crashes?
Struggling to secure freight because you couldn't see the crunch coming.
Spreadsheet Chaos?
Drowning in fragmented data, making smart decisions impossible.
Lost Confidence?
Every forecast feels like a coin toss, leaving your long-term plans vulnerable.
Master Your Future. Control Your Costs.
Freight Forecast: Rate & Volume Outlook isn't just data – it's your strategic weapon against market uncertainty. We give you the power to:
- PREDICT WITH PRECISION: Confidently plan 12-36 months ahead. Slash surprises and optimize budgets by an average of 5-10%.
- PROACTIVE PROCUREMENT: Align carrier contracts with actual capacity shifts. Secure better rates, even in volatile markets.
- MITIGATE RISK, MAXIMIZE PROFIT: Identify potential disruptions before they hit. Protect your margins and gain a competitive edge.
- OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY: Streamline your processes, reduce overheads, and improve service delivery.
The Industry’s Most Trusted Forecast.
Decades of precision. Unrivaled expertise. Our forecasts are the bedrock for critical decisions made by logistics leaders across North America.
35+ Years of Industry Expertise
Proprietary Data
Methodology
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
Why Settle for Less? Get Unrivaled Accuracy
Go beyond guesswork. Access the deepest, most actionable freight intelligence available anywhere.
This isn't just another report. Freight Forecast: Rate & Volume Outlook is your unfair advantage, built on a foundation of proprietary data and 35+ years of predictive modeling. Inside, you get:
- Future-Proof Planning: Unprecedented 36-month outlooks on volume and contract rates. See three years ahead, so you can outmaneuver competitors and secure long-term stability.
- The Power of Class 8: Our forecasts are rooted in ACT Research's historically accurate Class 8 tractor demand model – the industry's gold standard. Understand true capacity shifts before anyone else, so you can optimize your entire network.
- Holistic Market View: Integrates key economic indicators with granular freight data. Grasp the full market picture, so you can mitigate risk and capitalize on emerging trends.
- Benefits from ACT’s exclusive partnership: Our partnership with DAT Freight & Analytics gets you more detail on contract and spot rates, volumes, loads, and equipment postings so you can have more detail on market trends.
Shippers Gain Short-Term Stability, But Long-Term Freight Uncertainty Persists
As equipment orders slump and regulatory timelines blur, shippers should focus on cost control, contract agility, and long-term network resilience.
Shippers enter August 2025 with a rare but temporary advantage: rates are steady, capacity is abundant, and carriers remain cautious. According to ACT Research’s latest Freight Forecast, Class 8 orders remain well below replacement levels, EPA policy clarity is stalled, and carrier profitability is still near historical lows.
But while today’s environment favors cost-sensitive procurement, that window may be narrowing. Tariff pressures, delayed fleet investment, and persistent regulatory ambiguity suggest that capacity will continue to shrink slowly—even if demand doesn’t spike. The takeaway for shippers? Leverage the market now, but don’t overextend.
Use Contract Stability to Revisit Cost Benchmarks
Spot rates remain near cycle lows, and contract rates are stuck in neutral. This is a good time for shippers to benchmark their network, optimize carrier mix, and refine cost-to-serve analytics. Many shippers are now evaluating how private fleets, for-hire carriers, and regional players can each serve different parts of the network more efficiently.
But don’t expect aggressive price compression to continue. While shippers still hold the upper hand, that balance could shift if Class 8 production continues to slow. With OEM backlogs shrinking and build slots open through Q3, equipment scarcity may show up in certain regions or modes by early 2026.
Monitor Equipment Signals to Time Procurement Strategy
According to ACT’s analysis, July Class 8 net orders were the second-lowest of the year. That tells a clear story: fleets are not investing in growth. They’re replacing minimally, or not at all. Meanwhile, tariffs continue to add 2–3% to the cost of new tractors, and reefer trailer prices are also climbing due to higher component and material costs.
For shippers, these upstream signals are critical. They affect everything from tender acceptance to service consistency. A fleet that isn’t reinvesting can’t grow—or even sustain service levels—indefinitely. Aligning procurement calendars with these shifts can give you pricing leverage and capacity assurance.
Prepare Now for Policy-Driven Volatility in 2026
The EPA 2027 rules remain in legal limbo, but the industry isn’t standing still. Carriers are delaying large-scale equipment investments and hedging their fleet strategies. This increases risk for shippers in sectors that require reliability—particularly food, pharma, and time-sensitive retail.
The best defense? Build redundancy into your network. Ensure that carriers servicing your highest-risk lanes are positioned to comply with future emissions standards. Where possible, diversify modal strategies to reduce exposure to over-the-road shortages.
August offers shippers a chance to breathe—but not to coast. With fleet investment slowing and policy risk rising, now is the time to fine-tune procurement strategies, lock in critical lanes, and future-proof your freight operations.
Want to hear more from ACT Research? Tim Denoyer sat down with Jeremy Wolfe from FleetOwner to talk about for-hire trucking's overcapacity problem and it's likely solutions.
For-hire trucking's overcapacity problem—and its eventual solution (4:36 minute watch)
Your Questions, Answered.
Our forecasts aren't guesswork. They're built on ACT Research’s Class 8 supply modeling – a methodology with over 35 years of unparalleled historical accuracy. It's the industry benchmark for predicting capacity and rates.
Absolutely. Click here to get your exclusive Sample Insights Preview. See the depth and format of our reports.
The freight rate and volume forecasts are updated monthly on or near the 13th of the month (depending on if the 13th falls on a weekend). Due to our partnership with Cass Information Systems, we publish the latest forecast immediately after Cass publishes the Cass Index Report. This ensures that the latest Cass data is available first to Cass customers before our forecast of the Cass data is made available.
Don’t React. Predict. Profit.
The future of freight is unfolding. Will you be prepared, or will you be left behind? Your competitors are already seeking an edge. Secure your strategic advantage with Freight Forecast: Rate & Volume Outlook and transform uncertainty into unwavering confidence.