How do you calculate carrier rate acceptance?

Divide the quotes at or below your target rate by the total quotes reviewed, then multiply by 100. With 42 of 60 quotes at or below target, acceptance is 70%.

What is a good carrier rate acceptance rate?

An 80-90% acceptance rate signals a soft, buyer-friendly market with a healthy routing guide. The example's 70% sits 10 points under an 80% target, hinting the market is tightening or your target rate is set too aggressively.

What does the gap to target tell me?

It's the distance in points between your target and your actual acceptance. Here the gap is 10 points (80% target minus 70% actual), quantifying exactly how much acceptance you'd need to recover to hit goal.

Why is my acceptance rate dropping?

Usually the spot market is rising above your contracted target, or primary carriers are rejecting tenders and pushing quotes above benchmark. A slide from 80% to 70% is a signal to re-check target rates or launch a mini-bid.

Acceptance rate vs tender acceptance — are they the same?

They're related but distinct. This measures quotes priced at or below your target; tender acceptance measures whether a carrier accepts a specific load offer. Both trend together in a tightening market.

How do I improve carrier rate acceptance?

Add carriers to the lane to increase competition, re-benchmark your target rate to current market, and award more volume to carriers who consistently price under target. Closing the 10-point gap here likely means re-bidding or adding capacity.

Transportation, Freight & Distribution calculator

Carrier Rate Acceptance Calculator

Carrier Rate Acceptance is the share of carrier quotes that come in at or below your target rate — a direct read on how competitive the freight market is and how well your routing guide is holding. Transportation buyers, freight brokers and procurement analysts use it to measure lane health, benchmark carrier performance and decide when to re-bid. It matters because a falling acceptance rate is an early warning that spot rates are climbing or your primary carriers are rejecting tenders, both of which drive freight spend up before it shows in the monthly invoice. Tracking it turns a gut feeling about 'the market' into a number you can manage.

What this calculator does

Track how often carrier quotes or tenders meet the target rate threshold so procurement can spot lane pricing drift.
Use it during bid events, spot-rate reviews, or routing guide maintenance to compare carrier competitiveness.
It computes the percentage of reviewed quotes that meet or beat your target rate, and the gap in points to your target acceptance goal.

Formula used

Carrier Rate Acceptance rate = quotes at or below target ÷ total quotes reviewed × 100
Gap to target = target acceptance rate - carrier rate acceptance rate

Inputs explained

Quotes at or below target rate:
Total quotes reviewed:
Target acceptance rate:

How to use the result

Use it during a bid event, weekly routing-guide review, or lane health check to see whether carriers are pricing at or below your benchmark.
It counts quotes equally regardless of volume, so a lane with many low-volume quotes can dominate the rate and mask acceptance problems on your highest-spend lanes.

Current U.S. benchmarks

On-highway diesel averages $4.58 per gallon this week (EIA), trending down over recent periods. Truck tonnage is up 3.4% year over year (ATA via FRED).

Common questions

How do you calculate carrier rate acceptance? Divide the quotes at or below your target rate by the total quotes reviewed, then multiply by 100. With 42 of 60 quotes at or below target, acceptance is 70%.
What is a good carrier rate acceptance rate? An 80-90% acceptance rate signals a soft, buyer-friendly market with a healthy routing guide. The example's 70% sits 10 points under an 80% target, hinting the market is tightening or your target rate is set too aggressively.
What does the gap to target tell me? It's the distance in points between your target and your actual acceptance. Here the gap is 10 points (80% target minus 70% actual), quantifying exactly how much acceptance you'd need to recover to hit goal.
Why is my acceptance rate dropping? Usually the spot market is rising above your contracted target, or primary carriers are rejecting tenders and pushing quotes above benchmark. A slide from 80% to 70% is a signal to re-check target rates or launch a mini-bid.
Acceptance rate vs tender acceptance — are they the same? They're related but distinct. This measures quotes priced at or below your target; tender acceptance measures whether a carrier accepts a specific load offer. Both trend together in a tightening market.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.