Truckload’s shrinking length of haul

Chart of the Week: Outbound Average Length of Haul – USA SONAR: OALOHA.USA

The average length of haul for a truckload has plummeted in recent months, averaging nearly 8% shorter year over year to start 2025. This is a dramatic shift from what was happening this summer, when the load lengths were averaging 7% longer than the previous year. This may not seem like much to the outside observer, but the implications are quite dramatic from a supply chain management and carrier perspective. 

The data suggests the shrinking load lengths are being driven by simultaneous growth in demand for loads moving less than 100 miles and shrinking demand for loads moving more than 450 miles.

In the chart above, COTVI (green) represents local truckload tenders that move less than a fourth of a day’s drive. Its annual growth rate averaged around 20% throughout 2024. The COTVI growth rate outperformed all other load lengths. Total tender volume growth averaged around 7% for the entire year. 

E-commerce drives short-haul growth

The growth in shorter-haul truckloads is possibly deriving from companies’ efforts to reduce the length of haul between distribution center and consumer. The growth in e-commerce is the driving force behind this initiative. Consumers who opt for online ordering need delivery times that are as close as possible to the same-day delivery they can get by going to a store. 

This does not explain the entirety of the shrinking load lengths, however. That freight still has to move into

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