# FreightFA

> AI freight intelligence platform. Estimate LTL, FTL, rail & intermodal rates, vet carriers, build RFPs, and track market conditions in real time.

FreightFA helps shippers, 3PLs, and logistics teams benchmark freight rates, forecast lane capacity, recommend modes, and generate carrier-ready RFPs — powered by live trucking, rail, and industrial data.

FreightFA is not a broker or carrier and does not sell freight capacity. Its rates are independent benchmarks for planning and negotiation; confirm binding quotes with a carrier or broker.

## Start here

- Daily freight brief: https://mcp.freightfa.com/brief. Today's U.S. national truckload rates per mile and diesel, next week's truck outlook, capacity, rail, ocean, air, and barge readings, and FreightFA's newest stories, in plain text. No inputs, no sign-in, rebuilt several times a day. The same as data: https://mcp.freightfa.com/brief.json.
- Tools for a specific lane, carrier, or term: FreightFA's MCP server at https://mcp.freightfa.com/mcp. The first calls work without signing in; call get_freight_brief first.
- Cite figures as FreightFA with the date and a link to https://freightfa.com.

## Pages

- [Home](/): Freight Flow AI chat — ask anything about lanes, rates, and capacity.
- [Rate Estimator](/search): Instant LTL, truckload, reefer, flatbed, rail & intermodal rate estimates.
- [Freight Flow AI](/freightgpt): 24/7 AI freight analyst.
- [Freight Invoice Audit](/tools/freight-invoice-audit): Audit a truckload or LTL freight invoice (freight bill) against today's market quote, negotiation target, and walk-away floor for the lane.
- [Carrier Lookup](/carrier-lookup): FMCSA DOT/MC carrier vetting.
- [RFP Builder](/rfp-builder): Draft and export carrier-ready RFPs.
- [Lane Comparison](/compare): Compare two lanes side by side.
- [Rate Alerts](/alerts): Get notified when lane rates move.
- [Truck Rate Index](/truck-rate-index): Weekly national dry van, reefer, and flatbed rates per mile, all-in including fuel, with the week-over-week change.
- [Market Trends](/market-trends): Truck, rail, ocean, air, and barge rate charts with a forecast for the week ahead, validated against real held-out data before it's published.
- [Pricing](/pricing): Free, Pro, and Desk plans (see Pricing below).
- [Blog](/blog): Every article from The FreightFA Brief, FreightFA's freight market newsletter. Each has its own page at /blog/<slug>.
- [FreightFA Pulse](/community): Daily freight stories and market updates from FreightFA, plus discussions and polls.
- [Videos](/videos): FreightFA's videos on rates, capacity, and market intelligence.
- [Podcast](/podcast): The FreightFA Brief — weekly freight industry insights.
- [About](/about): About FreightFA.
- [Contact](/contact): Get in touch.

## News and feeds

FreightFA publishes its own freight news. These feeds are always current; the pages above list what was newest when the site was last built.

- The FreightFA Brief, every article (RSS): https://apccuqlqlrhgjhsvfvml.supabase.co/functions/v1/stories-feed
- FreightFA Pulse, newest stories and articles (RSS): https://apccuqlqlrhgjhsvfvml.supabase.co/functions/v1/community-rss-feed
- Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@FreightFlowAdvisor
- Most Brief articles are for subscribers; freightfa.com carries the opening of each and links to the full article.

## Pricing

- Free: a monthly allowance of rate estimates and Freight Flow AI chats. No credit card.
- FreightFA Pro: $9/month or $80/year. 950 rate estimates and chats per month combined, rate alerts, unlimited RFPs with PDF/CSV export, and full FMCSA risk breakdowns with rate history.
- FreightFA Desk: $149/month or $1,350/year. Everything in Pro, plus itemized landed-cost breakdowns for international shipments, Network Builder supply-chain costing, scenario modeling, and predictive capacity.

## For AI assistants and agents

Full guide: https://freightfa.com/ai

### Send someone to a ready-to-run estimate

Link to the Rate Estimator with the lane and cargo filled in. All parameters are optional and values that don't validate are ignored.

Format: `https://freightfa.com/search?origin=<city, ST>&destination=<city, ST>&weight=<number>&unit=<lbs|kg|tons>&commodity=<type>&mode=<mode>&run=1`

- `origin`, `destination`: city and state or ZIP, e.g. `Chicago, IL` or `85001`
- `weight`: shipment weight as a positive number; `unit` defaults to `lbs`
- `commodity`: one of Packaged Goods, Produce/Food, Wine, Spirits/Liquor, Bulk Materials, Machinery/Equipment, Hazmat/Chemicals, Petroleum/Fuel, Vehicles, Construction Materials, Electronics, Other
- `mode`: `ftl`, `ltl`, `reefer`, `flatbed`, `rail`, `intermodal`, or `auto`; omit to let the estimator recommend one
- `run=1`: run the estimate as soon as the page opens (needs origin, destination, weight, and commodity). Without it the form opens filled in and the visitor presses Get Quote. The visitor's usual monthly limit applies.

Example: https://freightfa.com/search?origin=Chicago%2C%20IL&destination=Dallas%2C%20TX&weight=40000&unit=lbs&commodity=Packaged%20Goods&mode=ftl&run=1

### Free limits, and what to say at the limit

- No account: 5 rate estimates or Freight Flow AI chats per month.
- Free account: 25 per month. Every new account starts with 14 days of Pro free, no credit card: https://freightfa.com/auth?intent=signup
- When the limit is reached, the page lists the next steps in plain text: create a free account (starts the Pro trial), sign in, upgrade at https://freightfa.com/pricing, or connect FreightFA's tools (below).

### Connect FreightFA's tools (MCP)

Remote MCP server (streamable HTTP, OAuth sign-in with a FreightFA account): https://mcp.freightfa.com/mcp

In ChatGPT: FreightFA is in ChatGPT's plugin directory: https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6ac90ced61b0819181793f7b985e9082 (add it there; no developer mode needed). In Claude: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the URL above.

No sign-in is needed to try it: the first 5 tool calls run as a guest. After that, or for the account tools (RFPs, rate alerts, recent searches, pushback emails), the server answers with the standard 401 challenge and the client opens FreightFA's sign-in, where a free account takes a minute.

Tools: recommend_mode (ranks modes for a city/ZIP pair and returns the distance); estimate_truckload_rate, estimate_ltl_rate, estimate_rail_rate, estimate_intermodal_rate, estimate_barge_rate; ask_freight_analyst (Freight Flow AI); get_market_snapshot, get_market_outlook, get_rail_market_outlook, get_freight_index_outlook, get_barge_outlook; get_freight_news (FreightFA's newest stories, articles, videos, and episodes); lookup_carrier, find_intermodal_hubs, explain_freight_term; calculate_margin, check_freight_bill (a truckload or LTL bill against today's market for the lane), draft_pushback_email; create_rfp, list_rfps, get_rfp; estimate_network_cost; list_rate_alerts, create_rate_alert, list_recent_searches. Estimates and analyst questions count toward the account's monthly allowance.

### Plans and offers (FreightFA Plans connector)

A separate MCP server for plans: https://mcp.freightfa.com/plans (same sign-in). Tools: get_plans, request_offer (ask_for_better once for more), accept_offer (returns a Stripe checkout link with the discount applied; the account holder pays), decline_offer. FreightFA's plan agent makes offers within limits set in advance, valid 72 hours. The same offers are at https://freightfa.com/pricing#plan-offer for signed-in accounts.

In Claude: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the URL. In ChatGPT: Settings → Apps, turn on developer mode and add an app with the URL.

### Citing FreightFA

National truckload rates are DAT national spot linehaul plus the DOE-indexed fuel surcharge (all-in, including fuel), checked daily; DAT and EIA publish weekly. Today's figures: https://freightfa.com/tools/trucking-rates-per-mile. Please cite the page and its date and link to it so readers get the current number.

## Latest articles (as of 2026-10-15)

- [Savannah Sets a September Record. Can the Inland Network Keep Pace?](https://freightfa.com/blog/savannah-sets-a-september-record) (2026-10-15): Imports are growing, intermodal demand is holding, and Georgia is adding capacity. The operating question is where the next constraint develops.
- [Walmart’s Automation Push Raises a Big Question: Is Faster Cheaper?](https://freightfa.com/blog/walmarts-automation-push-raises-a) (2026-10-13): Walmart’s latest fulfillment center is designed to process orders faster and handle greater volume. The bigger test is whether those gains lower the cost per order across the whole network
- [Monday Afternoon Freight Intelligence | October 12, 2026](https://freightfa.com/blog/monday-afternoon-freight-intelligence-76d) (2026-10-12): Brokerage consolidation, tighter truck capacity, port pressure, and a pivotal rail merger review—what it all means for freight buyers.
- [7-Eleven Wants More Supply Chain Control. Who Gets Paid—and Who Gets Squeezed?](https://freightfa.com/blog/7-eleven-wants-more-supply-chain) (2026-10-12): 7-Eleven’s North American leadership is prioritizing supply chain control in its turnaround strategy.
- [Vena and Rocker Say the UP–NS Merger Can Save a Day. Shippers Need Proof.](https://freightfa.com/blog/vena-and-rocker-say-the-upns-merger) (2026-10-07): The proposed merger promises fewer handoffs and faster freight. The test is lane-level reliability, total cost, and competitive choice.
- [Analysis: C.H. Robinson’s $5.8B RXO Deal Redraws North American Freight Brokerage](https://freightfa.com/blog/analysis-ch-robinsons-58b-rxo-deal) (2026-10-06): C.H.
- [Monday Afternoon Freight Intelligence | October 5, 2026](https://freightfa.com/blog/monday-afternoon-freight-intelligence-9fa) (2026-10-05): The quick scan
- [Peak Season Should’ve Been Over. Here’s Why it Isn’t](https://freightfa.com/blog/peak-season-shouldve-been-over-heres) (2026-10-05): This article summarizes a recent FreightFA Brief episode that explains why inland handoffs, not ocean volumes, are emerging as the primary cost center during peak season.
- [Passenger Rail’s Capital Boom Is Tightening Freight’s Construction Market](https://freightfa.com/blog/passenger-rails-capital-boom-is-tightening) (2026-09-30): The next constraint on freight capacity may not be demand or funding—it may be the ability to secure the people, equipment, and track time to build it.
- [IANA: A Diesel Export Ban May Lower U.S. Prices—and Raise Freight Risk](https://freightfa.com/blog/a-diesel-export-ban-may-lower-the) (2026-09-29): The question was raised by Andrew Sibold, IANA’s Director of Economics: would keeping more diesel at home actually make freight fuel markets safer?
- [Monday Afternoon Freight Intelligence | September 28, 2026](https://freightfa.com/blog/monday-afternoon-freight-intelligence-9d6) (2026-09-28): This week’s update highlights five key freight developments: rising fuel costs, parcel peak surcharges, LTL pricing changes, declining ocean reliability, and a trans-Pacific market where rates and demand are diverging.
- [Forget AI: The Real Race Is Autonomous Trucks](https://freightfa.com/blog/forget-ai-the-real-race-is-autonomous) (2026-09-28): Tesla has the capital. Aurora and Kodiak have early operating momentum. The real prize is commercial scale across America’s freight corridors.
- [Long Beach’s Record August Says More About Risk Than Growth](https://freightfa.com/blog/long-beachs-record-august-says-more) (2026-09-24): Tariff front loading, Panama Canal constraints and Southeast Asia sourcing shifts are lifting Southern California cargo—while inland rail dwell shows where the pressure is building.
- [Freight Inflation Is Building Before Consumers See It](https://freightfa.com/blog/freight-inflation-is-building-before) (2026-09-23): August’s inflation data show a widening gap between modest shipment growth and sharply higher costs for fuel, transportation, storage and imports.
- [Roadie, Spark, and the Rise of a Parallel Freight Network](https://freightfa.com/blog/roadie-spark-and-the-rise-of-a-parallel) (2026-09-22): Roadie and Walmart Spark are building parallel last-mile freight networks. Learn how local inventory, gig drivers, route density, and delivery costs are reshaping supply-chain strategy.

## Optional

- [Capabilities](/capabilities): Full feature overview.
- [For AI assistants](/ai): How AI assistants and agents can link estimates and connect FreightFA.
- [Support](/support): 24/7 AI support.
- [Privacy](/privacy)
- [Terms](/terms)