TRAC Forecast API

Trucking

WHAT IS IT?

The TRAC Forecast API allows permissioned users to retrieve SONAR KMA TRAC forecast rates for specified truckload lanes over a defined date range.

The endpoint provides forecasted rate data based on historical TRAC spot rate patterns, market conditions, seasonal trends, and load behavior. Users can request both historical and future forecasts, making it useful for forward-looking rate planning as well as backtesting past forecast scenarios.

Forecast data can be retrieved for date ranges beginning as early as January 1, 2024, and extending up to one year beyond the current date. Each request can cover a maximum date span of 365 days between the start_date and end_date.

Each lane request must include a valid equipment type (Van, Reefer or Flatbed) and valid origin and destination pair using one of the following location formats:

KMA airport codes
Zip3
Zip5

The system validates that all requested lanes fall within supported markets, which are limited to the contiguous United States.

The API response includes:

Miles between the origin and destination
Current customer rate, if provided in the request
Forecast index value
Forecast RPM
Forecast customer rate, if a current customer rate is provided

WHO IS INTERESTED?

Transportation procurement teams, transportation managers, brokers, transportation service providers, financial services

WHAT DOES IT TELL ME?

The TRAC Forecast API helps users understand where spot market rates are expected to move on specific lanes over time.

By returning forecasted RPM values, the endpoint gives users a data-backed view of future pricing trends based on TRAC spot market behavior. This can help teams evaluate how rates may shift across upcoming weeks, months, or seasonal cycles.

For users who provide a current customer rate, the API can also return a forecast customer rate, helping teams understand how an existing rate may compare against projected market movement. This makes the endpoint especially useful for pricing strategy, customer rate reviews, bid planning, and lane-level market analysis.

Because the endpoint supports historical forecast retrieval, users can also evaluate how forecasted rates would have compared to actual market outcomes. This enables back testing and helps teams better understand forecast behavior across different market conditions.

In practical terms, the TRAC Forecast API helps answer questions like:

Where are rates expected to increase or decrease on a lane?
How does my current rate compare to forecasted market movement?
What should I expect rates to look like over a future date range?
How would historical forecasts have performed against actual market trends?
Which lanes may need closer attention during upcoming pricing cycles?

The result is a lane-level forecast view that helps teams make more informed decisions around pricing, planning, and market positioning.

Trucking