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Tender Lead Times Hit Six-Year High Despite Loose Capacity Environment

Shippers are planning freight movements further in advance than ever. Tender lead times have climbed steadily for six consecutive years even as truck capacity remains available. The SONAR Tender Lead Time index measures the gap between when a load is tendered and its requested pickup date. Most recently, the metric spiked past 4 days, surpassing comparable periods in prior years. Seasonal factors—including holiday staffing reductions around Thanksgiving and Christmas—account for some uptick. However, the underlying upward trend persists independent of these predictable bumps. Industry observers attribute the shift partly to improved planning capabilities and tighter supply chain forecasting. Trade policy uncertainty and advance import activity in recent years also conditioned shippers toward longer planning windows, habits that have persisted. The pattern suggests capacity alone no longer determines how far ahead shippers tender loads.