For players across the freight industry, the spot market has long served as both a barometer of supply-demand dynamics and a strategic tool for managing capacity, costs, and operational flexibility. As the industry moves into 2026, the role of spot freight is evolving. What was once primarily viewed as a last-resort option is increasingly being leveraged as a deliberate component of diversified procurement strategies.

FreightWaves and Trimble conducted a recent survey across shippers, carriers, and brokers to understand how organizations are utilizing the spot market today and how they plan to approach it in the year ahead. The survey captured perspectives from across the freight ecosystem, with carriers representing 55% of respondents, shippers accounting for 22%, and brokers and 3PLs making up 20%. This diverse mix provides a comprehensive view of how different market participants perceive and utilize spot freight, from those experiencing rate compression firsthand to those managing complex procurement strategies.

Download the whitepaper to explore:

• How contract and spot sourcing strategies are shifting across the freight ecosystem
• Where organizations are spending the most time managing spot freight – and why
• How resilience, reliability and operational scale influence spot market decisions
• The role of technology, load boards and human expertise in spot procurement
• How shippers, carriers and brokers plan to use the spot market in 2026