The board posts what freight is actually paying right now — every captured
origin–destination pair, classified into hot / normal / cold bands against
the equipment-type median. Two structural reads come out of the same data
most desks only see one side of: headhaul-vs-backhaul asymmetry,
computed for every paired lane (Dallas → LA pays one number; LA → Dallas pays
another, and the gap is where margin lives), and a reefer premium
quantified against the dry-van rate on identical geography, so cold-chain
shippers can see the cost of temperature in dollars per mile rather than
percentages off a quote.
Use it to check a quote before you accept it. Use it to find the lane your
equipment is underpriced on. Use it to call a customer back with a number you
can defend. Refreshed continuously; the snapshot below is what the market
looks like today.
= 0 ? "+" : ""}${pct}% vs ${h.equipment_type} median`}>
);
})}
{/* Asymmetry */}
{asym.length > 0 && (
Headhaul vs backhaul asymmetryThe {Math.abs(parseFloat(asym[0]?.pct_discount || 0))}% rule
Lane
Head $/mi
Back $/mi
% diff
$ saved/truck
{asym.map((r, i) => (
{r.lane}
${parseFloat(r.headhaul_per_mi).toFixed(2)}
${parseFloat(r.backhaul_per_mi).toFixed(2)}
{parseFloat(r.pct_discount).toFixed(0)}%
${Math.abs(parseFloat(r.spread_total_dollars || 0)).toLocaleString()} per truck
))}
)}
{/* USDA AMS — federal weekly produce truck rates. Sits alongside DAT
to give shippers a third-party benchmark on produce-specific lanes
where AMS publishes (Salinas, Yakima, McAllen / Lower Rio Grande,
South Florida, Atlanta market, etc). Rates are per total truckload,
not per mile, so compare loosely against the DAT $/mi data above. */}
{amsOriginKeys.length > 0 && (
Federal produce truck rates · USDA AMS
{ams.length} active commodity rows · weekly
The federal benchmark.{" "}
USDA Specialty Crops Market News collects negotiated truck rates
at every major produce shipping point each week. Per-truckload
ranges (low to "mostly" to high), free, federally collected. Use
alongside the DAT $/mi heat board above as a third-party check on
produce lanes — South Florida, Salinas, Yakima, Lower Rio Grande,
and the major terminal markets.
{amsOriginKeys.map(origin => (
{origin}
{amsByOrigin[origin].map((r, i) => {
const lo = r.rate_mostly_low || r.rate_low;
const hi = r.rate_mostly_high || r.rate_high;
const range = (lo != null && hi != null)
? `$${Math.round(parseFloat(lo)).toLocaleString()}–$${Math.round(parseFloat(hi)).toLocaleString()}`
: "—";
return (
Source: USDA AMS Specialty Crops Market News, marsapi.ams.usda.gov. Rate range = low to "mostly" inner band to high, per total truckload (not per mile). Updated weekly.
)}
For carriers · revenue maximization
Backhaul-aware lane planning saves up to 34% vs blind dispatch.
The asymmetry table above is the math: a carrier running LA→Dallas headhaul at $2.64/mi but returning empty leaves $1,311/truck on the table per round trip. Optimization engine in development will rank loads by $/HOS-hour, not just $/mile, and account for destination load density to minimize next-load deadhead. Capacity verification via authority + safety lookup is built into our carrier directory.
{/* Crowdsource — every spot quote operators submit makes the heat
board less DAT-dependent. Sealed by default, aggregated at 3+
submissions per lane. The trust contract is the same as the
driver intel pipeline: they choose visibility, we never publish
identity, aggregations only. */}
{/* Rate sources transparency — surfaces what's currently feeding the
heat board so operators trust the number. */}
{/* Cross-links — connect this surface to the rest of the graph so a
visitor on rates can move into verification, into the shipper
directory, or into a city report without navigating up to the nav. */}
Connected surfacesFrom rates · into the rest of the graph
Shippers · submit what you actually paidShipper-only · sealed · 3+ subs to publish
Only shippers can submit. Brokers and carriers want
published rates to look high — that's how they justify a quote
or an ask. Shippers are the ones writing the check. Their rates have
the opposite manipulation incentive, which makes them the cleanest
ground truth on what freight is actually being paid for. Same
trust-symmetry as our driver pipeline.
Sealed by default. We never publish your company, contact, or notes.
Once 3+ shippers submit on the same lane, the median rate appears
in the heat board with no names attached.
);
}
// =============================================================
// Rate-source transparency strip. Tells operators what's actually
// feeding the heat board. The trust contract works only if we're
// honest about provenance.
// =============================================================
function RateSourceTransparency() {
const sources = [
{ name: "Open load board", note: "Live snapshot of the major freight load board, captured continuously.", count: "18 lanes" },
{ name: "Shipper-only crowdsource", note: "Rates submitted by shippers paying for freight — the audience with no incentive to inflate the published median. Sealed; aggregated at 3+ subs per lane.", count: "Building" },
{ name: "Federal indices", note: "BTS Truck Tonnage, EIA truck transportation cost, the macro layer.", count: "Monthly" },
{ name: "FreightWaves SONAR public daily", note: "NTI · OTRI · OTVI — broker-grade volume and rate signal, ingested daily.", count: "Daily" },
];
return (
Rate sources · what feeds the heat boardTrust contract · we say what's in the number