The average length of haul in FreightWaves SONAR tender data has fallen from roughly 607 miles in June 2024 to just above 500 miles, a decline of 21 percent, with 11 percent of that drop occurring in the past year alone. The decline has been close to linear rather than seasonal, which points to a structural change in how shippers use truck capacity.

Shorter hauls free up capacity because trucks cycle more often. A Los Angeles to Chicago move covers about 2,000 miles and occupies a single truck for three to four days, while an Atlanta to Nashville move covers about 250 miles and occupies roughly half a day. Even with that faster cycling, tender rejections sit above 17 percent, a multi year high, and spot rates are rising across all three main trailer types.

Part of the shift traces to intermodal. Loaded international container volumes ran about 11 percent above year ago levels in the most recent week of SONAR data, and domestic container volumes ran 14 percent higher. Intermodal contract savings averaged between 10 and 20 percent through 2024 and 2025, and that gap widened this year as truckload rates climbed.

Demand growth has been concentrated in short moves. Truckload demand rose an estimated 10 to 15 percent year over year in early June, with most of the increase coming from hauls under 250 miles. That mix has pushed carriers toward regionalized network design rather than long transcontinental lanes.

Source: FreightWaves - https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckloads-shrinking-miles