forecasting
SCI
How To Compare Your Rates to Industry Averages
In today’s volatile freight market, fleet owners are under pressure to manage costs, retain margins, and maintain service quality. One often underutilized tool for improving profitability is benchmarking. By leveraging third-party market intelligence to compare current contract and spot rates against objective industry standards, fleet owners can enter rate negotiations with greater confidence and clarity.
Why Benchmarking Matters Now More Than Ever
Rising fuel costs, unpredictable demand, and capacity swings have made the freight market more dynamic than ever. In this environment, relying solely on historical performance or anecdotal comparisons is no longer enough. Fleet owners need objective data that reflects real-time market conditions.
Benchmarking gives fleet operators:- A transparent view of how their rates compare to the broader market
- Negotiating leverage when discussing contracts with brokers or shippers
- Insight into underperforming customer segments
- A foundation for data-driven pricing strategies
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Quality benchmarks come from quality data. That’s where market intelligence providers like FTR come in. Rather than depending on a narrow internal dataset, FTR aggregates economic and transportation data across the industry and applies its Freight•cast® forecasting model to offer unbiased insights.With this approach, fleet owners can:
- Access benchmarks tailored by lane, region, equipment type, and seasonality
- Monitor trends in capacity, demand, and cost pressure
- Forecast rate movements based on macroeconomic and transportation-specific variables
Three Ways to Use Benchmarking in Rate Negotiations
Prove Your Value with DataShow clients where your service levels align with or outperform market norms, helping justify rate increases or preserve margins.
Avoid Leaving Money on the Table
Identify lanes where you’re underpriced versus the market and correct course before renegotiations.
Mitigate Risk Through ForecastingUse forward-looking benchmarks to anticipate changes in rate pressure and build better contract terms (e.g., fuel surcharges, volume guarantees).
Compete Smarter, Not Harder
In a market where every dollar counts, benchmarking isn’t a luxury—it’s a competitive necessity. With the right market intelligence providers, fleet owners can level the playing field in rate negotiations and build more resilient, profitable operations.
Want to see how your rates compare? Schedule a Market Update Call to get a free copy of this month's FTR Trucking Update!
Want to learn more about turning Transportation Intelligence? Click below to read past blogs.
