DATA FOR SHIPPERS
Plan shipment costs, routes, and delays with Atlas Verified.
Check diesel, commercial border waits, weather, rail service, and agricultural freight benchmarks before you book. Compare them with the carrier quotes and shipment records your team has access to. Give dispatch and customer service the same facts when a plan changes.
Check fuel and freight benchmarks before accepting a quote · Review conditions at the border, terminal, and delivery point · Give dispatch and customer service a dated, sourced update
Atlas Chat · Shipping lane review
- Commercial crossing at Laredo
- CBP · U.S.-bound commercial · Check lane hours and the latest reported wait before dispatch.
- Diesel surcharge
- EIA · Gulf Coast weekly diesel · Compare the carrier’s fuel schedule with the correct week and region.
- Houston delivery window
- NWS · Alerts and forecast · Confirm the appointment with the receiving warehouse.
- Refrigerated freight
- USDA · Selected reefer benchmarks · Use the published market range as context for the carrier’s quote.
Illustrative dispatch brief for a northbound refrigerated shipment from Monterrey to Houston.
Use the data where shipping decisions get made.
Start with the lane, the delivery commitment, and the cost items you need to check.
Check fuel before approving a quote
Pull the EIA weekly diesel series your fuel schedule references. Compare the published period and region with the carrier’s quote and the prior week. Apply the surcharge table in your contract.
Plan U.S.-bound border crossings
Check the commercial lane, hours, and report time for a selected crossing. Use the last reported wait as an input when you compare a crossing or adjust an appointment with dispatch.
Check weather near handoff points
Look up applicable U.S. watches, warnings, and advisories. For configured locations, read forecasts and recent observations separately before moving a pickup or booking delivery.
Review rail service and alternatives
Check weekly Class I service trends by carrier and reported measure. If they point to a disruption, ask the rail provider for your car’s latest status and review the truck alternative.
Benchmark refrigerated and grain freight
Use selected USDA refrigerated rates, availability, and grain transportation series for the lanes or modes covered. Keep the published benchmark alongside the actual quote and service terms.
Prepare the customer update
Use shipment records, partner updates, and published conditions to write a short message. Separate the last confirmed milestone, what could affect delivery, and what you’re checking next.
Run a pre-dispatch review.
Use the same review before booking, before crossing, and whenever the delivery plan changes.
Enter the load and lane
Add origin, destination, equipment, crossing direction, pickup window, and the delivery appointment. Include a carrier quote or shipment reference if your team has it.
Check the right measures
Ask Atlas Verified for the applicable diesel region, last reported commercial wait, relevant weather, and a freight or rail benchmark for the lane. Keep units and periods visible.
Confirm the open items
Have dispatch confirm the booking and ETA with the carrier. Record any appointment change, the person responsible, and when the customer should hear from you.
Give each team an AI brief based on the same shipment.
Connect supported business email and use authorized shipment and document tools so each team can work from information it has permission to see.
Ask which quotes use a different fuel index, week, or basis. Take the differences into your carrier discussion.
Ask what changed since the last carrier update and which pickup or delivery still needs confirmation.
Draft a message using the latest confirmed milestone. Attribute published conditions and state what the team will confirm next.
Build a lane brief with the crossing direction, reported time, relevant weather alerts, and each fact’s source. Leave the pickup and delivery windows open until the carrier and receiver confirm them.
Read the time and coverage on every source.
A new carrier message, a border observation, and a weekly benchmark describe different points in time.
Use the report time for conditions
Check the border lane and reporting time, the weather alert’s applicable area and timing, and the week behind the rail or fuel measure.
Use the carrier or shipment record for the load
Record bookings, live tracking, appointments, and proofs of delivery from your own shipment records and connected providers. Use the public data to explain risk or compare options.
Data Sources and Coverage
The cadence below describes publisher releases. Check the latest available period in Atlas before using a figure.
On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices
Compare the correct week and region against a contract fuel schedule.
- Publisher — U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Coverage — U.S., regional, and California weekly on-highway retail diesel estimates
- Publisher cadence — Weekly. Holiday release timing can shift.
Commercial Border Wait Times
Compare reported crossing conditions before dispatch.
- Publisher — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Coverage — Reported U.S.-bound commercial lanes at selected crossings from Canada and Mexico
- Publisher cadence — As ports report. Check the observation time and lane status.
Weather Alerts, Forecasts, and Observations
Check the conditions that could affect a pickup, transfer, or delivery window.
- Publisher — National Weather Service
- Coverage — U.S. public alerts and forecast or station data for configured locations
- Publisher cadence — Alerts as issued. Forecast and station reporting varies.
Rail Service Data
Track system performance ahead of booking or changing a mode.
- Publisher — Surface Transportation Board
- Coverage — Reported Class I service metrics by carrier and available measure
- Publisher cadence — Weekly service reports.
Agricultural Transportation
Benchmark relevant agricultural freight costs and availability before getting a quote.
- Publisher — USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- Coverage — Selected refrigerated freight, grain transport indices, barge, rail, and ocean series
- Publisher cadence — Weekly or monthly depending on series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Review one of your shipping lanes with Atlas Verified.
Bring an origin, destination, equipment type, and one recent quote or shipment update. We’ll walk through what your team can benchmark, track, and confirm.