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How The Big Game Impacted Freight Volumes

Super Bowl LX drove a spike in trucking freight volumes into San Jose. New data shows which equipment types benefited most.

February 5, 2026
Illustration of football stadium with bar graph and freight on dock

What does the data show about the year's biggest game's demand on freight logistics?

Credit:

HDT Graphic

1 min to read


The Patriots and the Seahawks meet in California this Sunday for Super Bowl LX. But for supply chain, trucking, and logistics professionals, the big game isn’t just a sporting event — it’s a freight event.

Hosting the Big Game requires a massive surge of inbound freight.

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Beyond food and beverages, the week leading up to the game drives demand for tailgating supplies, equipment, temporary infrastructure, and last-minute expedited shipments.

Graph comparing inbound load volumes for this year’s Super Bowl in San Jose, Calif., to last year’s event in New Orleans over a 3-week period leading up to the week of the event. 

Inbound load volumes for this year’s Super Bowl in San Jose, California, compared to last year’s event in New Orleans over a three-week period leading up to the week of the event. 

Credit:

Truckstop.com

What the Data Shows About Big Game Freight Patterns

According to Truckstop.com, inbound load volumes to the San Jose market jumped significantly during the week of January 25–31, both week over week and year over year.

Bar graph illustrating differences among flatbed, reefer and van freight leading up to the Super Bowl

Flatbed and reefer were the big winners looking at load volumes, week over week, for the three main equipment types for this year’s NFL Championship Game. (The last week recorded was the week ending Jan. 31, so the change is compared to the week ending Jan. 24.)

Credit:

Truckstop.com


Inbound Load Volume Increases

  • Flatbed: +30% WoW | +200% YoY
  • Reefer: +18% WoW | +3% YoY
  • Van: +10% WoW | +29% YoY
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Higher volumes also drove rate increases for several equipment types:

Inbound Spot Rates

  • Reefer: $2.72 avg | +12.4% WoW | +22% YoY
  • Flatbed: $3.02 avg | +3.4% WoW | +0.3% YoY
  • Van: $2.18 avg | -5.6% WoW | -0.46% YoY

Early indications suggest reefer and flatbed carriers are the clear winners in this year’s “freight Super Bowl," according to Truckstop.com, though van may be positioning itself for a stronger run in the game

The inbound freight data of this year's Super Bowl compared to the Indy 500 and Daytona events from 2025.

How does this year's Big Game compare to other big events?

Credit:

Truckstop.com


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