Second-Tender Loads Now Cost 9% More, Third-Plus Tender 20% More

How much extra do shippers pay when the first carrier says no?

Shippers are paying a 9.25% premium when a load is accepted on the second tender instead of the first, and 19.84% more when it falls to the third-plus tender, according to new routing-guide indices released Thursday by FreightWaves' Sonar. Those figures are well above last November, when second-tender premiums sat near 4% as capacity was just beginning to tighten. The data updates daily on a seven-day rolling average and measures shipper-to-provider costs, not carrier operating costs or broker margins.

The Routing Guide Premiums index shows the median percent change in all-in costs when a load is accepted on the second or third-plus tender rather than the first. The second tender is currently running at 9.25% versus a 12-month average of 8.77%. The third-plus tender sits at 19.84%, roughly double the second-tender cost. Seasonal data shows premiums on third-plus tenders topped 35% during late December, early February, and June into early July.

First-tender acceptance currently stands at 89.29%, below the 12-month average of 89.54% and well off the roughly 93% acceptance rate recorded last November. The second position accounts for 6.67% of accepted loads and third-plus for 4.16%, reflecting more freight falling to backup providers as the market has tightened over the past year.

Why contract rates are resetting 13% higher

The Contract Rate Change Direction index measures the average percent change between new and previous contract base rates, filtering out any rate that was not stable for at least 90 days to eliminate short-term noise. The index currently reads 13.11%, meaning new contracts are resetting roughly 13% above the rates they replaced. That figure is up from approximately 4% last November and above the 12-month average of 8.52%. The reading peaked above 16% in early October before easing slightly.

Van de Kamp noted that at the same point in 2025, the comparable reading was about 4%. In 2024 it ranged between 3% and 6%. In 2023 contract rates were negative, meaning costs were declining as lanes reset. The current 13.11% reading is the highest since early 2022 and is nearly four times the five-year average of 3.47%. Contract resets bottomed near negative 9% in spring 2023, turned positive in mid-2024, and accelerated sharply from mid-2026 onward.

For a small fleet running dedicated lanes or holding contract commitments, the 13% reset figure is the number that matters. If you locked in a $2.40-per-mile contract last year, the shipper renewing that lane today is likely resetting it near $2.71. If you're bidding on new contract work, expect the floor to be 13% higher than what the same lane paid a year ago.

What routing-guide failures mean for carriers

Routing guides are holding near historical averages, but more freight is cascading to backup providers than a year ago. When it does, shippers pay roughly 10% more at the second tender and 20% more at the third-plus tender. The datasets are live now in Sonar's full enterprise UI.

For carriers, the premium structure creates a two-tier market. Primary contract carriers see stable volume but face pressure to accept every tender or risk losing position in the guide. Backup carriers and spot providers capture the rejected freight at premiums that are currently running near 10% to 20% above contract rates, but that work is less predictable and often comes with shorter lead times.

The acceptance-share data shows first-tender acceptance has dropped roughly four percentage points since last November, from 93% to 89.29%. That four-point shift represents freight moving down the routing guide, where premiums double. For a shipper moving 1,000 loads per month, a four-point drop in first-tender acceptance means 40 additional loads per month paying the second- or third-tender premium. At a $2.50 contract rate, that's an extra $2,000 to $4,000 per month in backup coverage costs.

The bill for a 10-truck fleet

If you run 10 trucks and half your work is contract freight, the 13% contract reset figure is the number that changes your year. A truck running 2,500 miles per week at $2.40 per mile grosses $6,000. At $2.71 per mile, the same truck grosses $6,775. That's an extra $775 per truck per week, or $40,300 per truck per year. For a 10-truck fleet, that's $403,000 in additional annual revenue if you can hold the lanes through the reset.

The catch is that shippers are paying those higher rates because capacity is tight and rejection rates are elevated. If you're a backup carrier picking up second- or third-tender freight, you're seeing the 10% to 20% premium, but you're also seeing less predictable volume and shorter lead times. The premium is real, but so is the operational cost of running on shorter notice.

Contract rates resetting 13% higher is the strongest pace since early 2022. The five-year average is 3.47%. The current reading is nearly four times that average. For small fleets, the question is whether the reset holds or whether shippers begin pushing back as rejection rates stabilize. The seasonal data shows third-plus tender premiums spiking above 35% during late December, early February, and June into early July. If that pattern repeats, backup carriers will see another premium surge in the next eight weeks.