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.

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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.

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

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