Geotab Data Reveals Shift in U.S. Freight Patterns Toward Regional Efficiency
Event summary
- Geotab's analysis of 6M+ commercial vehicles shows regional truck trips up 3.8% and VMT up 5.4% over Q4 2025-Q2 2026.
- Long-haul trucking remained steady while last-mile delivery trips increased with shorter routes in all four studied cities.
- Drayage activity at Los Angeles/Long Beach ports grew 12% YoY but truck activity remained flat, suggesting rail absorption.
- Hub-and-spoke utilization hit 84.3%, the highest in three quarters, indicating operational efficiency gains.
The big picture
Geotab's data highlights an adaptive U.S. supply chain shifting toward regional networks and efficiency gains. This reflects broader trends in just-in-time inventory management and the growing importance of real-time logistics data. The analysis covers 12% of U.S. commercial traffic, providing an early indicator of economic activity before traditional financial data becomes available.
What we're watching
- Regionalization Trend
- Whether the shift toward regional trucking will continue as a structural change in U.S. supply chains.
- Rail vs. Truck
- How the balance between rail and trucking evolves at major ports like Los Angeles/Long Beach.
- Operational Efficiency
- The pace at which last-mile delivery networks optimize route density and vehicle utilization.