Each week, MarketFIT™ from Express Freight Finance analyzes real-time freight market data to surface the most favorable and competitive markets across the country.
Rather than reacting to yesterday’s trends or generic load board averages, MarketFIT helps carriers and brokers make smarter decisions in the moment — from where to drive next, to how to price lanes, to when to push for stronger rates.
MarketFIT Platform Overview
With MarketFIT, Express Freight Finance clients gain access to in-depth dashboards covering 125+ U.S. markets and thousands of active freight lanes, all updated continuously to reflect real-world conditions.
If this is your first time here, watch our short overview below featuring Dan Hadley, President & CEO of Express Freight Finance, to see how MarketFIT turns raw data into actionable strategy inside your business.
What This Week’s Data Shows
Below is a snapshot of this week’s live MarketFIT data, highlighting key shifts in demand, capacity, and pricing across top U.S. freight markets.
Freight market conditions in Cincinnati, OH improved notably over the past week, with the Overall Fit Score increasing by 12.07 points to 31.47. This recovery follows a brief decline in late July and reflects improving freight fundamentals supported by stronger market balance and renewed carrier activity. As one of the Midwest's largest freight hubs, Cincinnati plays a critical role in national supply chains, serving manufacturing, automotive, consumer goods, food and beverage, retail distribution, and e-commerce shipments throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States.
Outbound Tender Volume is at 128.2, compared to 56.9 for Inbound Tender Volume, resulting in a 71.3 Head Haul Index. This substantial positive differential indicates that outbound freight demand significantly exceeds inbound volumes, creating a strong headhaul market where carriers have ample outbound freight opportunities. Such a large imbalance typically supports stronger carrier utilization, tighter equipment availability, and firmer freight pricing as outbound demand continues to outpace inbound flows.
The Outbound Tender Reject Index (OTRI) is currently at 22.72, indicating elevated carrier rejection activity and moderately tight capacity conditions. While rejection levels remain below the elevated thresholds seen in the strongest carrier markets, an OTRI above 20 suggests that carriers are becoming increasingly selective in accepting contracted freight, causing more shipments to enter the spot market. This reflects improving carrier leverage and continued strengthening in market conditions.
Overall, Cincinnati is demonstrating positive market momentum following last week’s rebound. The increase in the Fit Score, combined with an exceptionally strong Head Haul Index and elevated OTRI, suggests that freight demand continues to favor outbound movements while carrier capacity is gradually tightening. As a major transportation and distribution hub, Cincinnati’s market performance will continue to be influenced by manufacturing output, retail distribution, consumer demand, and broader Midwest freight flows as market conditions continue to evolve.
Carriers Continue To Find Strong Opportunities With These Lanes:
- Harrisburg, PA → Boston, MA — Avg. Rate per Mile: $3.79
- Joliet, IL → Cincinnati, OH — Avg. Rate per Mile: $3.47
- Las Vegas, NV → Los Angeles, CA — Avg. Rate per Mile: $3.14
These lanes continue to offer attractive earning potential as pricing remains elevated across major Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast freight corridors, providing carriers with consistent opportunities in high-demand regional markets.
Load Availability & Lane Rates Intelligence
Zero in on where freight is actually moving right now — highlighting lanes with rising demand, tightening capacity, and improving rate potential.
Use this MarketFIT data to spot pockets of opportunity as they emerge, compare lanes side by side, and prioritize routes that offer the best balance of volume and pricing — before conditions shift.
Below is a snapshot of this week’s load availability and lane rate data across key markets.
You can learn more about MarketFIT and request a demo by visiting MarketFIT.