#WithSONAR

Hosted by FreightWaves

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Episodes

124

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

#withSONAR is about the intersection of freight data and the people that move it. Hosted by Luke Falasca and Tony Mulvey.

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60 recent

July 6, 202613 min

Faster, Smarter Freight Pricing with Batch Rate Intelligence

Welcome back to #WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re walking through the latest enhancements to Batch Rate Intelligence—now upgraded from a simple bulk lane rate lookup tool into a full RFP pricing analysis workspace. With these new enhancements, teams can analyze bids faster, identify margin risk, monitor lane volatility, and make more informed pricing decisions before submitting to customers. 📊 Batch Rate Intelligence is available now within your SONAR subscription under Applications for users with Batch Rate access. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 22, 20265 min

The LTL Market Is Shifting—Here’s Why

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re diving into SONAR’s latest SITREP - an LTL Analysis and exploring the datasets available within the platform to help monitor pricing trends, shipping patterns, and current LTL market conditions. This report breaks down: Current LTL market conditions and pricing trends How rising diesel costs and fuel surcharges are impacting the market The role of freight class and rate composition in pricing changes Shifts in freight class mix over the last year Performance trends across publicly traded LTL carriers How truckload leading indicators may influence the future LTL outlook 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 8, 20266 min

Key Market Insights Just Got Smarter

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re walking through the latest enhancements to Key Market Insights—making it easier than ever to monitor the markets and modes that matter most to your business. Inside the dashboard, you can: Filter by Van or Reefer and search for specific freight markets Save your most-used markets for quick access Monitor tender rejections and spot market conditions in real time Track whether markets are tightening or loosening with directional insights from WRI Use the new AI Analysis feature for summaries of market shifts, demand drivers, and actionable strategies tailored to your business These enhancements help teams better understand not just what is happening in the market—but why it’s happening and what actions to take next. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 18, 20267 min

Carrier Safety Dashboard: Track Safety Trends Faster

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re walking through the new Carrier Safety Dashboard—a centralized view of FMCSA crash, carrier, and inspection data designed to help you better understand safety trends and operational risk across the transportation market. You can access the Carrier Safety Dashboard Here: https://sonar.surf/fmcsa-dashboard Inside the dashboard, you’ll be able to: Monitor crash trends including fatal, injury, hazmat, and tow-away incidents Analyze monthly crash patterns and state-level activity View carrier population and concentration data across interstate, intrastate, and hazmat carriers Identify where capacity is most concentrated for specific carrier types Track inspection and violation trends by state and inspection level Dive deeper into out-of-service (OOS) violations and enforcement activity 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freight #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 14, 202656 min

Stop Flying Blind: Turning Freight Market Context into Confident Decisions

Are you navigating your supply chain without a compass? In this episode, Julie Van De Kamp (Chief Marketing and Operations Officer at SONAR) sits down with Stephen Husk (Director of Data Services at e2open) to discuss how their powerful partnership is changing the game for logistics professionals. Freight market volatility can make it incredibly difficult to know if your transportation strategies are actually working. Stephen walks us through how e2open integrates SONAR’s real-time market intelligence directly into its platform, giving shippers the exact context they need to evaluate their performance, manage carrier relationships, and secure the best rates. In this episode, we cover: The Power of Benchmarking: How to seamlessly compare your contracted rates against real-time spot market indices without leaving your TMS. Cost Avoidance vs. Cost Savings: Why paying a higher rate doesn't always mean you're losing—and how to prove your strategy is working, even in a tight capacity market. Carrier Compliance & Performance: How to identify underperforming carriers, hold them accountable for rejected tenders, and balance on-time delivery metrics against cost. Real-Time Data Integration: Why looking at post-mortem reporting isn't enough, and how up-to-the-minute market insights can save you from costly routing guide failures. Whether you're a logistics analyst, a supply chain leader, or just looking to stop relying on guesswork, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you leverage your data and take control of your freight spend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 4, 20267 min

SITREPS: From Market Events to Action

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re introducing SONAR Situation Reports (SITREPS)—a new way to break down what’s happening across freight markets and, more importantly, why it matters. Inside SITREPS, you can: Get a quick overview of current market situations and key takeaways Explore a library of reports covering major freight disruptions and trends Dive into SONAR datasets and real-time metrics tied to each event Analyze impacts by region, commodity, and market segment Understand potential outcomes, risks, and operational implications Download reports as shareable PDFs for internal alignment Whether you’re preparing for strategy conversations, aligning teams, or responding to market disruptions, SITREPS help you move from data to decision with confidence. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freight #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 20, 20268 min

Monthly Market Update: Now in SONAR

Welcome back to #WithSONAR! In this episode, we’re walking through the new Monthly Market Update Dashboard—now available directly within SONAR. This brings the same trusted, customer-favorite report into an easily accessible dashboard. The Monthly Market Update covers everything from economic trends and macro conditions to truckload, intermodal, and maritime markets, giving you a complete view of what’s impacting freight today. With this new dashboard, you can: Explore a snapshot of market conditions at the time of publication Click into datasets for real-time analysis and deeper insights Track key risks, market drivers, and regional trends Break down conditions by mode, segment, and geography Quickly move from insight to action with a more intuitive layout Whether you’re monitoring shifts in demand, analyzing rate trends, or staying ahead of disruptions, this dashboard makes it easier to explore and act on the insights you rely on every month. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freight #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 6, 202611 min

Directional Datasets: Turn Insight into Action

Welcome back to WithSONAR! In this episode we’re diving into our newest Directional Datasets—designed to help you quickly identify freight market pressure, capacity shifts, and cost trends across all markets. Save these to your 'My Dashboards' here: https://sonar.surf/sharepage/672eb6e2-d016-4bac-a341-54dd99be341a Weighted Rejection Index (WRI): Identify tightening vs. easing markets based on rejection trends and market size Load Balance Index (LBI): Understand market imbalances and who holds pricing power Avg Tender Market Share (ATMS): Spot demand shifts and high-volume markets before rates move Diesel Cost per Mile (MPG): Track how fuel impacts carrier costs and overall transportation spend These datasets are available in both Chart and Map views, as well as within your custom dashboards, giving you a powerful way to visualize and act on market changes in real time. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics#freight #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 23, 202615 min

Turn Data Into Decisions with SONAR + Excel

Welcome back to #WithSONAR! In this episode we're walking through the SONAR Excel Add-In, a powerful tool that lets you pull SONAR data directly into your spreadsheets to enhance pricing models, automate reporting, and streamline decision-making. No IT support needed — just download, log in, and start building. What you’ll learn: 📊 Pull SONAR data directly into Excel Access rates, capacity, volumes, and more with customizable date ranges and granularity. ⚡ Single Field Calls Quickly return point-in-time values for any SONAR index — perfect for validating pricing decisions or pulling historical snapshots. 📈 Time Series Data Analyze trends over time with dynamic data pulls for rejections, volumes, and lane-level rate changes. 📉 Data Summaries Simplify large datasets by pulling averages over time — ideal for long-term pricing strategies and benchmarking. 🚛 Lane-Level & RFP Modeling Build multi-lane views with real-time insights on: Capacity conditions Spot vs. contract rate changes Volume trends Lane-level market dynamics 📍 Coverage Guide Integration Incorporate near-term capacity indicators directly into your spot pricing models. Whether you're building RFP strategies, validating rates, or automating reports, the SONAR Excel Add-In gives you the flexibility to bring real-time market data into your existing workflows. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freight #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 9, 202610 min

Geopolitical Alerts: Your Freight Market Risk Radar

Welcome back to #WithSONAR! In this episode we're walking through our new Geopolitical Alerts, designed to give leadership teams immediate visibility into emerging global risks and their downstream freight implications. Available directly inside the Executive Dashboard, Geopolitical Alerts provide: A concise summary of developing global events Clear directional implications for freight markets Direct links to relevant SONAR dashboards for real-time monitoring You’ll see how to connect global disruption to actionable transportation indicators, including: 🌍 Regional Trade Analysis Dashboard Monitor container flows, corridor disruptions, country-level import shifts, and top trade lanes into the U.S. — giving you early insight into supply chain disruption before it hits domestic trucking markets. ⛽ NEW Fuel Dashboard Track oil and diesel cost transmission with: 52-week high/low gauges Retail vs. wholesale spreads DOE averages by region Truckstop price per gallon by market 📊 Executive-Level Macro Indicators Ocean import trends National truckload volumes Tender rejections (capacity sentiment) Key economic indicators From global escalation to domestic freight conditions, SONAR connects the dots — reducing reaction time for procurement, pricing, and executive decision-making. 📩 Have questions? Reach out to cs@gosonar.com or your Account Manager. 💡 Subscribe for more quick SONAR insights! #freighttech #freighttech #gosonar #sonar #softwareasaservice #logistics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices