The Logistics Growth Efficiency Ratio ("LGER"), which measures dollars of qualified pipeline created per dollar of total go-to-market spend, fell 49% according to the Supply Chain Growth Index.

The report, from LeadCoverage, finds that higher freight and fuel costs created budget pressure across shippers and carriers, slowing new buying decisions despite signs of market recovery.

LGER shows how many dollars of qualified pipeline companies generate for every dollar spent on go-to-market activity. This quarter, pipeline efficiency cooled across the market in Q2 even as freight indicators pointed to recovery. LeadCoverage's analysis traces the disconnect to shrinking capacity: prices rose, but buyer urgency did not.

"A rate spike is not a buying signal," said Kara Brown, CEO, in a statement. "Freight rates went up because trucks left the road, and that helps carriers on price. It does not give a shipper any new reason to switch providers, and a reason to switch is what fills a pipeline. This was clear in Q2, where price recovered, urgency did not, and pipeline efficiency dropped by half."

Key findings from the Q2 2026 Supply Chain Growth Index include:

Median LGER down 49%: Pipeline efficiency fell to $11.35 from $22.39 in Q1, though remaining well above Q4 2025 lows ($4.95).

Market-wide decline: Performance dropped across every band, with the 25th percentile down 27%, the 75th percentile down 46%, and the mean LGER down 52% to $48.35.

Steady concentration: The mean-to-median ratio held firm at 4.3x (vs. 4.5x in Q1), avoiding Q4's winner-take-all split.

3PLs dominate pipeline: Just three 3PL and broker programs targeting shippers drove ~68% of total pipeline ($117M of $173M). This suggests shipper-facing programs outperformed carrier-facing or broad-market campaigns in Q2.

Consistent spend, divergent yields: Most GTM budgets ranged from $100K–$370K per quarter, but pipeline outcomes varied up to 100x depending on deal size.

ABM and intent yield 2x LGER: Programs using ABM/intent tactics doubled the median LGER of non-users.

Higher rates helped carriers on price, but higher costs reduced buyer appetite across both shippers and carriers. Shippers paid an average contract rate of $3.11 per mile in August, up 29% year over year and the highest level since August 2022, according to DAT Freight & Analytics data reported by the Wall Street Journal.

That means higher freight bills without additional freight, which reduces budget for new providers and tools and makes inaction the safer choice. Carriers face the same squeeze from the other direction: diesel hit a record $6.53 per gallon on September 22, up 77% in a year, according to AAA data cited in the same report. DAT principal analyst Dean Croke told the Journal that a driver running 500 miles a day, six days a week, has paid roughly $15,000 more for fuel since the conflict in Iran began.

"Targeted programs are outperforming broad-market spend. A shipper paying more per mile has less budget room to add a vendor, and a carrier paying more for diesel has less reason to buy a software tool," continued Brown. "The programs that grew sold directly to the shippers feeling that cost pressure most."