FreightRateIntelligence.com derives all rate estimates from publicly available U.S. government data. No proprietary or private freight data is used.
What we use: Weekly retail diesel prices by PADD region
| Series | Region | Series ID |
|---|---|---|
| National Average | U.S. | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG |
| East Coast | PADD 1 | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_R10_DPG |
| Midwest | PADD 2 | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_R20_DPG |
| Gulf Coast | PADD 3 | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_R30_DPG |
| Rocky Mountain | PADD 4 | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_R40_DPG |
| West Coast | PADD 5 | EMD_EPD2D_PTE_R50_DPG |
Update frequency: Weekly (published Tuesday)
API: api.eia.gov
Used in: Rate Lookup, Fuel Surcharge, Market Analysis, Diesel Trend, Capacity Pressure Index
What we use: Trucking industry wages and labor cost indices
| Series | Description | Series ID |
|---|---|---|
| Trucking Employment | All employees, general freight trucking | CES4348400001 |
| Hourly Earnings | Average hourly earnings, general freight | CES4348400008 |
| CPI Transportation | Consumer price index, transportation | CUSR0000SAS4 |
| PPI Trucking | Producer price index, long-distance TL | PCU484121484121 |
Update frequency: Monthly (published first Friday)
| Series | Description | Series ID |
|---|---|---|
| WTI Crude Oil | West Texas Intermediate spot price | DCOILWTICO |
| Federal Funds Rate | Effective federal funds rate | FEDFUNDS |
| Industrial Production | Industrial production index | INDPRO |
Used in: Market Analysis, Rate Forecast, Capacity Pressure Index
What we use: Active carrier counts by state/equipment, authority grants, revocations
Update frequency: Daily
Used in: Carrier Capacity, Capacity Pressure Index
What we use: Refrigerated truck rates from the Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report — the only public source of actual transaction-based trucking rates in the U.S.
| Data | Description |
|---|---|
| Reefer Spot Rates | Rate per mile by origin-destination and distance category |
| Rate per Truckload | Full truckload rate by lane |
| Truck Availability | 1-5 scale (1=Surplus, 5=Shortage) |
| Week-over-Week Change | Percentage change from prior week |
Update frequency: Weekly (published Tuesday)
API: MARS API (marsapi.ams.usda.gov) + AgTransport Open Data
Used in: Market Gap analysis, Cost Decomposition trends
Legal: Public domain (17 USC § 105 — US Government works)
What we use: Vehicle fuel efficiency benchmarks
| Data | Description |
|---|---|
| Truck Fuel Economy | Average fuel economy for Class 8 trucks (MPG) |
| Fuel Surcharge Baseline | DOE baseline diesel price for FSC ($1.25/gal) |
Update frequency: Annually
What we use: Driving distance and duration
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Directions API | Exact driving distance and transit time |
| Places Autocomplete | City/address resolution |
Fallback: Haversine distance with 1.20x road-winding factor (downgraded to MEDIUM confidence)
FRI fetches from all sources multiple times daily.
| Source | Publication Cadence | FRI Fetch Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| EIA Diesel | Weekly (Tuesday) | Multiple times daily |
| BLS Labor | Monthly (first Friday) | Multiple times daily |
| FRED Economic | Daily to monthly | Multiple times daily |
| FMCSA Carrier | Daily | Multiple times daily |
| USDA AMS Reefer | Weekly (Tuesday) | Multiple times daily |
| DOE Efficiency | Annual | Multiple times daily |
| Google Maps | Real-time | On demand |
Every API response includes a factor_versions array showing the exact observation_date of each data point used in the calculation.