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§ Private Profile · Chattanooga, TN, USA
Provides news, data, and media services for the freight, logistics, and supply chain industries, including the SONAR research platform.
FreightWaves is a provider of news, data analytics, and media services based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, focused exclusively on the global freight, trucking, logistics, and supply chain industries. The organization operates multiple information platforms for the sector, including the AmericanShipper publication, a dedicated television network, and a specialized radio channel broadcast nationally on SiriusXM. Alongside its advertising media operations and live industry events, the company developed SONAR, a software subscription research platform tracking commodities and trucking futures. This proprietary analytics terminal has subsequently grown into a $300 million data product utilized by transportation professionals to monitor supply chain impacts from macroeconomic policy changes. Following a strategic restructuring, the enterprise separated its core divisions, resulting in the media business being acquired by the founder to operate alongside related ventures like Firecrown. FreightWaves was established in 2016 by Craig Fuller.
FreightWaves has raised $74.0M across 4 funding rounds.
FreightWaves has raised $74.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
FreightWaves is a technology company delivering SaaS-based freight market intelligence, including its flagship SONAR platform, which aggregates billions of data points from hundreds of sources to provide real-time analytics, dashboards, and insights on pricing, demand, capacity, and trends across truck, rail, ocean, air, and warehouse modes.[1][2][5] It serves the global transportation and logistics community—shippers, carriers, brokers, and analysts—solving the problem of fragmented, delayed data by offering a centralized, Bloomberg-terminal-inspired dashboard for benchmarking, forecasting, and decision-making in a volatile freight market.[1][2][5][6] With around 124 employees focused on sales, marketing, product, and engineering, FreightWaves has established itself as a leader in FreightIntel, powering news, data services, and startup engagement via its Freight.Tech arm, while showing steady growth through industry partnerships and recognition as Technology Company of the Year.[6][7][4]
FreightWaves traces its roots to founder Craig Fuller, a logistics veteran who gained expertise in air cargo and expedited trucking around DFW airport, later founding Xpress Direct (XD), the largest U.S. on-demand trucking provider at US Xpress in 2002.[5] The idea for FreightWaves emerged from Fuller's recognition of the need for real-time freight market insights; originally launched as TransRisk in 2016 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it quickly pivoted to build SONAR, partnering with over 150 companies for anonymized data to create indices and analytics.[2][5] Early traction was rapid: within a year, it became the second-most-trafficked freight news site globally, fostering symbiotic ties between its logistics experts and editorial team, and launching the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA)—now the world's largest commercial blockchain alliance with $1T+ in member revenue.[5] Pivotal moments include executive hires from firms like J.B. Hunt, FedEx, and XPO, and expansions into futures contracts and Freight.Tech for startup acceleration.[5][4]
FreightWaves rides the freight tech wave of data-driven optimization amid supply chain disruptions, AI analytics, and digital platforms, providing essential visibility in a $9T+ global logistics market strained by volatility, fraud, and sustainability demands.[2][3][5] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic shifts toward real-time tracking, predictive analytics, and automation—core to trends like TMS, route optimization, and carrier matching seen in peers like Truckstop.com or Cargo Chief—enabling proactive risk mitigation and efficiency gains.[1][2][3] Market forces favoring it include rising data needs for forecasting (e.g., trucking futures) and emphasis on collaboration via platforms like BiTA, while Freight.Tech amplifies its influence by connecting startups to corporates, fostering innovation in autonomous trucking, electrification, and carbon tracking.[3][4][5] As a neutral intelligence hub, it shapes the ecosystem by educating on tech adoption, from AI to blockchain, positioning freight as a strategic tech frontier.[3][5][6]
FreightWaves is poised to dominate as the "Bloomberg of freight," expanding SONAR with AI-enhanced forecasting, futures markets, and global data partnerships amid booming demand for supply chain resilience.[5][3] Trends like autonomous vehicles, warehouse robotics, and sustainability analytics will fuel growth, with Freight.Tech accelerating portfolio plays in digital freight matching and risk tools.[3][4] Its influence may evolve into a full-stack ecosystem player, influencing standards via BiTA and powering the next decade of logistics transformation—cementing its role as the go-to intelligence provider in an increasingly data-hungry industry.[3][5]
FreightWaves has raised $74.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
FreightWaves's investors include 8VC, Engage, Fontinalis Partners, Hearst Ventures, Prologis Ventures, Revolution Ventures, Story Ventures, Cleveland Avenue, DeepWork Capital, EVE Atlas, General Catalyst, Ingeborg Investments.
FreightWaves has raised $74.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $37.0M Other Equity in July 2020.