DAT Launches LaneMakers to Help Shippers Find Underserved Lane Capacity
In a significant advancement for freight analytics and logistics sourcing, DAT Freight & Analytics has announced the seamless integration of LaneMakers—a powerful carrier identification and capacity discovery tool—into its widely used DAT iQ Benchmark™ platform. This innovative development was unveiled at the 2025 Gartner® Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ held in Orlando, Florida, and is poised to change how shippers and brokers approach network planning and freight procurement.
The LaneMakers integration introduces a new era of agility and intelligence into truckload sourcing. By embedding this capability directly into the DAT iQ Benchmark analytics environment, DAT enables users to move beyond passive analysis and take direct, informed action to improve performance on problematic, underperforming, or low-visibility freight lanes.
Turning Data into Action: A Smarter Way to Source Capacity
The traditional process of sourcing carriers for underserved or problematic lanes has often been time-consuming and inefficient. It typically requires shippers and brokers to toggle between various platforms—freight analytics tools, load boards, spreadsheets, and email—just to identify carriers with relevant experience or interest in moving freight on a particular lane.
With this new integration, users of DAT iQ Benchmark, the industry’s leading freight rate and performance benchmarking platform, can now access LaneMakers with a single click. This streamlined approach allows users to instantly generate a tailored list of active carriers currently hauling similar freight along their desired lanes. Results can then be refined using built-in filters to identify those carriers that align best with the organization’s sourcing strategy, whether that means targeting asset-based carriers, regional specialists, or carriers with proven reliability.
“With LaneMakers integrated into DAT iQ Benchmark, you can reduce time spent manually sourcing carriers or toggling between load boards and spreadsheets,” said Sarita Benjamin, Senior Director of the Shipper Business at DAT. “You can find solutions to your low-volume, underserved, or ‘problem’ lanes and move from analysis to action.”
This integrated solution helps shippers not only identify capacity but also make intelligent decisions that support long-term supply chain resilience and cost efficiency.
A Legacy of Innovation Meets a Modern Supply Chain Need
The LaneMakers tool has long been a powerful feature within the DAT One load board ecosystem, where it has served as a valuable resource for brokers and shippers seeking to identify patterns in carrier activity based on historical freight posting and search behavior.
Its value lies in the way it analyzes vast amounts of historical data from load board activity to identify carriers that are already engaging on a shipper’s target lanes—even if those carriers are not currently listed in the shipper’s network or routing guide. By surfacing this actionable intelligence, LaneMakers enables users to uncover hidden capacity and proactively address service gaps before they disrupt operations.
The integration of this capability into DAT iQ Benchmark—a trusted tool used by thousands of shippers, brokers, and logistics professionals—marks a strategic step forward. It reflects a growing demand for unified platforms that not only analyze performance but also drive real-world results.
“LaneMakers is particularly useful for developing carrier networks or improving contract coverage while filling routing guide gaps,” Benjamin continued. “It’s a powerful tool for filling capacity gaps ahead of an RFP and can help you identify new carriers when routing guide performance drops. This ultimately helps to stabilize your costs and maintain service levels on difficult or overlooked lanes.”
Addressing the Modern Logistics Challenge
In today’s freight environment—characterized by market volatility, capacity tightness, and increasing customer expectations—shippers must be nimble. They need fast, reliable tools that enable data-driven decision-making. LaneMakers within DAT iQ Benchmark delivers just that: a solution that takes users from benchmarking to execution within minutes, helping them stay ahead of service failures, rising spot market costs, or seasonal imbalances in supply and demand.
For example, when a shipper notices a drop in service on a specific lane, they can quickly pull up LaneMakers to identify alternative carriers already operating in that corridor. These insights can support temporary coverage needs, supplement an upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP), or fill structural gaps in a transportation network—without compromising cost or service.
This functionality is especially valuable for shippers managing thousands of lanes across multiple regions. Identifying underperformance is just the first step. Finding a capable replacement carrier—before performance deteriorates further—is now faster, more targeted, and less reliant on guesswork or outdated rolodexes.
Live at the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™
The announcement was made on the opening day of the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, one of the most influential events in the supply chain and logistics industry. Held in Orlando, Florida, the symposium draws executives, technology leaders, and innovators from around the world to explore the latest strategies, technologies, and frameworks shaping the future of global supply chains.
DAT Freight & Analytics is showcasing the new LaneMakers integration, along with a host of other shipper-focused features in the DAT iQ platform, at Booth 632. Attendees are invited to participate in live demonstrations and hands-on sessions to see firsthand how this new capability can elevate their freight procurement strategy.
Insights from Industry Leadership: Dr. Chris Caplice on Freight Strategy
In addition to the product unveiling, Dr. Chris Caplice, Chief Scientist at DAT and a prominent thought leader in transportation and logistics, will deliver a featured session at the Gartner event. Titled “Truckload Procurement: Strategies for Cost Management and Demand Forecasting in Uncertain Markets,” his talk will explore how shippers can develop more resilient sourcing strategies and use freight analytics to navigate shifting market dynamics.
- When: Monday, May 5
- Time: 2:35 p.m.
- Where: Theater Speaking Stage, Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo
Dr. Caplice will provide insights on aligning transportation strategy with executive expectations, improving procurement outcomes, and using data to tell compelling performance stories. His session will offer practical guidance to attendees grappling with rising costs, volatile demand patterns, and increased pressure for supply chain agility.
A Continued Commitment to Empowering Shippers
The LaneMakers integration reflects DAT’s ongoing commitment to empowering shippers and logistics professionals with tools that go beyond data visualization to deliver real-world impact. By connecting benchmarking data with carrier engagement insights, DAT is enabling a more proactive and responsive approach to freight management.
Whether a shipper is optimizing its existing carrier network, preparing for an annual procurement event, or addressing spot lane breakdowns, the integration of LaneMakers with DAT iQ Benchmark provides a unique combination of speed, precision, and strategic value.
As the logistics industry continues to evolve, solutions like this will be essential for maintaining competitive advantage, reducing operational risk, and delivering consistent service in an increasingly complex transportation landscape.