Latest news with #Truckstop
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Small Fleets, Brokers Hold Steady Optimism Despite Freight Market Headwinds
Intelligence midyear survey reveals industry resilience as carriers and brokers navigate challenging conditions. The freight industry's grassroots operators aren't throwing in the towel just yet. Despite revenue challenges and tariff concerns, 85% of carriers and 83% of brokers expect volumes to rise or stay flat over the next six months. A challenging first half of 2025 left many carriers and brokers scrambling to maintain margins or recover from what seems like a year-long, never-ending bloodbath. A new midyear survey from and Bloomberg Intelligence shows the small fleet and brokerage community remains cautiously optimistic about the months ahead. The survey, which captured responses from 204 carrier firms and 185 brokerages, paints a picture of an industry that's been battered but not broken. While revenue growth has been elusive for most, only 16% of carriers and 36% of brokers reported year-over-year gains; the majority still believe better days are coming. 'Many carriers and brokers remained optimistic through the first half of 2025 despite facing difficulties,' said Todd Markusic, customer insights manager at 'While the freight market underperformed in the second quarter, with no clear resolution for how tariffs will impact the economy, many in the industry are expecting a recovery in the next six months.' That optimism translates into concrete expectations: 85% of carriers and 83% of brokers believe freight volumes will either increase or remain flat over the next six months. Rates remain the wild card For carriers, the rate environment continues to be a mixed bag with heavy doses of uncertainty. Only 17% said rates have improved since the second quarter of 2024, though 42% expect rates to climb in the third quarter. That's down 13 percentage points from first-quarter expectations, suggesting the reality of a prolonged soft market is setting in. Nearly half of carriers, 48%, admitted they're unsure when rates will finally bottom out, a seven-point increase from the first quarter. Yet 84% still believe rates will either rise or hold steady over the next six months. The load volume picture is slightly more encouraging. Among carriers, 56% said volumes during the second quarter were up or flat compared to the same period last year, and 79% expect their revenues to remain stable or increase over the next six months. Brokers, meanwhile, are painting a more positive picture of their market conditions. Comparing the first half of 2025 to the same period last year, 39% of brokers said spot rates increased, while 78% reported contract rate improvements. Revenue performance was similarly strong, with 72% seeing flat or positive revenue growth during the first half. Most brokerages are operating on 15% gross margins, and 69% believe their current margins are higher than both halves of 2024. Looking ahead, 82% expect gross margins to increase or stay flat over the next six months. Demand divergence The survey revealed a notable gap between how carriers and brokers view demand trends. While 19% of carriers reported year-over-year load volume increases, 37% of brokers reported higher volumes. That disparity extends to forward-looking expectations: 52% of carriers expect demand to grow over the next three to six months, while 83% of brokers believe demand will be up or flat over the next six months. The difference likely reflects brokers' broader market visibility and their ability to shift between different carrier relationships as conditions change. Tariff trouble weighs heavy The specter of trade policy continues to cast a shadow over industry sentiment. Carriers are increasingly concerned about tariffs delaying any meaningful freight recovery. Thirty-eight percent now believe tariffs will significantly hurt the industry, up from 30% in the previous quarter. Overall, 55% say tariffs will have at least some negative impact. Brokers have also soured on the current administration's policies. In December, 74% thought the administration would benefit trucking. Six months later, only 44% maintain that view. Cautious capital allocation Despite the generally optimistic outlook, financial pressures are forcing many operators to pump the brakes on growth investments. Only 21% of carriers plan to purchase new equipment, down sharply from 38% in the first quarter. Similarly, just 40% of brokerage firms expect to hire additional brokers in 2025, compared to 52% in December 2024. The pullback reflects the reality of operating in a margin-compressed environment where cash preservation often trumps expansion plans. Workforce holding steady Job satisfaction metrics suggest the industry's human capital challenges aren't getting dramatically worse, even if they're not improving either. Among brokers, job satisfaction dipped modestly to 78% from 83% in December. For carriers, satisfaction dropped more notably to 54% from 65% in the first quarter. Still, only 10% of carriers are considering leaving the industry, a change of only 1 percentage point from 9% in the first quarter. Among brokers, just 6% expressed job dissatisfaction compared to 18% of carriers. Small fleet focus The survey targeted the industry's grassroots operators, with 75% of carrier respondents operating five or fewer trucks. Flatbed carriers comprised the largest segment at 49% of responses. On the brokerage side, firms with 1-50 employees accounted for 68% of respondents, representing the small to mid-sized brokerages that handle much of the industry's spot market activity. The persistence of optimism among these smaller operators, who typically feel market pressures first and most acutely, suggests the freight community's belief in an eventual turnaround remains intact despite the challenging operating environment. Whether that optimism proves justified will largely depend on how quickly broader economic conditions improve and trade policy uncertainties resolve. For now, the industry's grassroots operators are hunkering down and betting that better times are ahead. The post Small Fleets, Brokers Hold Steady Optimism Despite Freight Market Headwinds appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Truckstop Unveils Private Loads: streamlining freight matching for Brokers and Carriers
announced Wednesday the launch of Truckstop Private Loads, a new feature allowing freight brokers to efficiently engage their pre-vetted carrier networks with the same trust and security available on the company's public load board. The solution addresses growing market challenges by centralizing load management and strengthening broker-carrier relationships. 'We understand the daily pressures brokers face to find trusted capacity quickly and the frustration and lost time carriers experience switching between public and private loads,' said Scott Moscrip, founder and CEO of in a press release. 'By bringing private and public loads together, we're not just adding a feature; we're delivering a critical solution that enhances trust, boosts efficiency, and drives profitability for everyone in the freight ecosystem, right when they need it most.' For freight brokers, the platform provides a high-reach channel to connect with pre-vetted carriers who are already actively seeking freight. The system allows brokers to seamlessly waterfall these loads to Truckstop's public load board of verified carriers when necessary, expanding their network to ensure load coverage. Carriers benefit from the consolidation of private and public loads in one location, eliminating the inefficiencies of juggling emails, phone calls, and multiple load boards. This centralization allows carriers to quickly identify, compare, and secure desirable loads while strengthening their relationships with brokers. The feature arrives as the freight industry confronts challenges, including market volatility, intense competition, and fraud threats. Truckstop notes that Private Loads addresses these issues by creating a more secure environment where brokers can build stronger relationships with trusted carriers. The post Truckstop Unveils Private Loads: streamlining freight matching for Brokers and Carriers appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Truckstop's Risk Factors simplify broker decisioning with AI-driven insights
Truckstop emerged as a winner of the 2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighter Awards with an innovative approach to combating fraud in the freight industry. The company's standout solution, Risk Factors, is transforming how freight brokers identify and prevent fraud, establishing new standards for risk management across the logistics sector. Risk Factors represents Truckstop's groundbreaking SaaS solution specifically engineered to revolutionize fraud prevention and risk management for freight professionals. Developed with direct input from freight brokers, this innovative tool delivers real-time, AI-driven insights into carrier reliability, empowering users to make faster, more secure decisions while safeguarding their business operations. 'Risk Factors is built to transform fraud prevention and risk management in the freight industry,' Truckstop wrote in its application. 'Designed with and for freight brokers, it provides real-time, AI-driven insights into carrier reliability, allowing users to make faster, safer decisions and protect their business operations.' What sets Risk Factors apart is its pioneering approach to fraud detection in the freight sector. It stands as the first solution of its kind to combine cutting-edge generative AI technology with Truckstop's extensive proprietary data resources. The system meticulously analyzes billions of data points gathered from public records, proprietary sources, and partner-sourced carrier information. This comprehensive data includes DOT and MC numbers, safety history, insurance records, contact information, and historical fraud indicators. The genius of Risk Factors lies in its ability to distill this complex information into a straightforward, color-coded risk indicator that categorizes carriers as high, medium, or low risk. This represents a significant advancement over traditional vetting methods that require manual checks across multiple platforms and databases. Perhaps most impressively, the Risk Factors Extension integrates seamlessly into brokers' existing workflows through popular platforms like Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers. This integration delivers critical fraud signals directly at the point of engagement with carriers, making sophisticated fraud detection accessible even to new or junior team members. Fraud prevention is woven into the very architecture of Risk Factors. The solution eliminates the need for time-consuming manual reviews of disparate data for each carrier, streamlining the decision-making process while simultaneously reducing errors and potential blind spots. The system excels at detecting telltale warning signs that often indicate fraudulent activity. According to Truckstop, 'Risk Factors detects red flags such as mismatched contact info, past violations, or unusual activity patterns—key indicators of double brokering or fraudulent carriers.' These insights give brokers the ability to take proactive measures before assigning loads, effectively closing common loopholes exploited by bad actors in the industry. The freight industry's response to Risk Factors has been overwhelmingly positive, with measurable results that demonstrate its effectiveness. Since its launch, Truckstop reports that Risk Factors has contributed to 'a 57% drop in reported fraud incidents among Truckstop customers between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.' This impact is particularly significant considering that 'over 78% of brokers previously cited time loss due to manual vetting and fraud mitigation efforts,' according to Truckstop. Risk Factors directly addresses this challenge by automating these processes, resulting in improved operational efficiency, faster carrier vetting, and greater peace of mind when assigning loads. Beyond its immediate benefits to individual brokers, Risk Factors is helping to establish a new benchmark for centralized fraud insights across the logistics ecosystem. As Truckstop wrote, 'It's not just a helpful tool—it's an industry-shaping innovation that's redefining what proactive fraud prevention can look like in supply chain tech.' By combining advanced AI capabilities with deep industry knowledge and extensive data resources, Truckstop's Risk Factors is transforming the freight industry's approach to fraud prevention. Its recognition in the 2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighter Awards stands as a testament to how technological innovation can address long-standing challenges in the logistics sector, creating a more secure and efficient freight ecosystem for all participants. The post Truckstop's Risk Factors simplify broker decisioning with AI-driven insights appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Small Carriers Should Be Watching Government Freight Right Now
Government freight isn't the secret shortcut social media makes it out to be—but for small fleets that are tired of chasing the spot market and ready to build something more stable, it's a lane worth learning. Over the past year, more owner-operators and small-carriers have started asking how to bid on government loads, especially as contract freight keeps shrinking and spot rates stay unpredictable. The truth is, government contracting—or GovCon, as it's often called—isn't a fast track. It's a structured lane with strict rules, longer payout cycles, and big paperwork. But for those who understand the game, it can also mean steady lanes, longer contracts, and consistent recently broke this all down in a deep-dive session inside the Playbook Masterclass—but here's what every small carrier needs to understand right now, whether you watched it live or not. Let's start with what's real. There's more freight out there than just what you're seeing on DAT and Truckstop. From local school districts needing weekly milk deliveries to FEMA emergency contracts that need box trucks on standby, the government buys more transportation than any private shipper in the here's what most carriers don't realize: a large portion of that freight is set aside specifically for small businesses. If you're a carrier with: Fewer than 500 employees Less than $30 million in annual revenue Proper authority and registration …you qualify to bid on many of these jobs. Some contracts are even reserved exclusively for small carriers or companies with certifications like Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned, or Minority-Owned. But qualification doesn't mean readiness. Melanie Patterson, founder of Team Integrity Knowledge Center, a firm that assists small business owners with navigating the complexities of getting established as a government contractor said it best; 'Too many small carriers think GovCon is out of reach. The government buys everything—and they're required to buy from small businesses first. If you're set up right, you've already got a shot.' Let's be honest up front—GovCon is not for everybody. There are serious downsides that you need to be ready for: This isn't the world of quick pays and factoring. Expect Net 30, 45, or even 60 on some federal contracts. That means you'll need to float fuel, driver wages, insurance, and maintenance before that first check lands. If you're already tight on cash flow, this can bury set up in (the federal contractor registration system) isn't a simple sign-up form. You'll need your business structure in order, tax info, NAICS codes, and a banking setup ready to go. And even when you're registered, just being in doesn't get you work. You still have to find the bids, respond with a clean package, and compete on pricing and capability. Government customers use systems like WAWF (Wide Area Workflow) or IPP for invoicing. You can't just fire off a QuickBooks invoice. If your admin team—or your cousin managing the books—can't handle this, you're going to have serious delays. Despite all the red tape, government freight can be a game-changer for the right carrier with the right setup. Take this scenario: You're running one or two reefers. You've got a dependable driver. You know your cost per mile and have some admin support. Now picture this: A local USDA contract opens up to deliver temperature-controlled goods 3x per week to three counties. Total value? $180,000 over 10 months. No brokers. No bidding war. Just a clean response, a capability statement, and a pricing sheet. This happens more often than you think. But the carriers that win are the ones who are organized, registered, and pay attention to what's posted. You don't have to go all-in on federal contracts right away. Here are three ways small fleets are entering the GovCon space without overextending: Instead of going after the award yourself, link up with a prime contractor who already has it. They need reliable carriers to execute the work—and they handle the invoicing and compliance. You focus on delivering freight and building a relationship. Local governments—school boards, counties, state agencies—also need transport. These jobs often pay faster and come with less complexity. Some can be found on your state's procurement site, others are listed right on under 'State/Local'. Every week, the government posts small, low-dollar, short-term contracts for basic freight. These jobs are a great way to get your feet wet, understand the paperwork, and start building past performance—without locking into something huge. We've seen too many businesses win a government contract and lose money because they didn't calculate real costs. Here's a basic formula you need to know before quoting anything: Start with your cost per mile. Add admin time and billing complexity. Include buffers for fuel and unexpected accessorials. Factor in time delay on payments. If you quote like you're on a load board, you're going to sink. GovCon freight pays well—but only if you submit a complete, realistic rate that covers your full operation. As Melanie shared in Masterclass: 'You don't win contracts by bidding the lowest. You win them by bidding clean, fair, and clearly.' If you want to explore this lane, there are four things you need to get in order first: – Get your Unique Entity ID (UEI), DUNS no longer used. Free to register. – A 1-page resume for your business. Lists your equipment, service area, and past performance. – Build a template that calculates your breakeven per load and gives you a buffer. – Keep your COI, DOT/MC info, safety rating, driver roster, and endorsements in one place. Optional (but powerful): Certifications like WOSB, MBE, DBE, or 8(a) can put you in front of set-aside contracts you won't see otherwise. The freight market is full of noise right now. Everyone's chasing the next hot load or hoping rates bounce back. But the carriers that will survive and scale in 2025 are the ones building systems and securing freight they can count on. Government work isn't for everyone—but for those who want out of the chaos and into something consistent, this is a lane worth learning. And no—you don't need a $2 million fleet or a full compliance department. You just need: A clean setup A smart plan A willingness to execute This isn't a shortcut. It's a shift in strategy. But for those ready to shift, there's real opportunity here. If you want more help with the setup, the bidding, or understanding how to structure your backend to support this freight—our Masterclass covered all of that. You can catch the replay in the portal. But even if you never watch it, now you know what's possible. And for a small carrier, that knowledge could be your edge. The post Why Small Carriers Should Be Watching Government Freight Right Now appeared first on FreightWaves. Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Truck Parking Club doubles network in under 6 months
Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Truck Parking Club recently announced it has surpassed 2,000 property member locations nationwide, a doubling of its footprint in six months. Part of the growth came from targeting diverse property types, from trucking companies and repair shops to storage facilities and real estate investors. 'This isn't just about hitting a number – it's about solving a decades-old problem that costs the trucking industry billions annually,' said Evan Shelley, co-founder and CEO of Truck Parking Club, in a press release. 'Every new location means drivers spend less time searching and more time earning. Our goal is clear: reduce parking search time to under 10 minutes per day.' The rapid expansion and milestone followed an announcement in February of the addition of industry veteran Brent Hutto as chief relationship officer, the position he formerly held at Truckstop. Part of the push is to build on driver momentum and turn it into enterprise-level relationships. Reed Loustalot, chief marketing officer at Truck Parking Club, said in an earlier interview with FreightWaves, 'Truck Parking Club grew organically and doing that we coincidentally have drivers in 60 of the top 100 fleets booking parking with us, and we have never talked to the fleets directly about having their drivers use our app. It's their drivers, their dispatchers and their fleet managers finding us.' Another advantage of being a truck parking aggregator is it's less expensive and turns otherwise unused parking locations into income production opportunities. Shelley wrote, 'New truck parking construction typically costs $100,000-$200,000 per space and takes years to complete, while Truck Parking Club can activate existing spaces within a day.' Looking ahead to the next milestone, the company is setting its sights on 10,000 locations. The Logistics Managers' Index's recently released May data showed a second consecutive month of expansion. The May LMI came in at 59.4 points, up 0.6 points from 58.8 in April. The m/m increase was impacted by inventories, which saw higher costs and slower movement compared to earlier in the year. The LMI is a diffusion index, with a score above 50 signaling expansion, while below 50 is a contraction. The interplay between warehousing costs and inventory levels was a big theme in May. Warehouse capacity fell 5.4 points in May to 50, while warehousing prices rose 0.2 points to 72.1, a strong expansion. 'This suggests that the inventories that were rushed into the country earlier this year are now static and holding them is expensive,' noted the report. The LMI transportation metrics were mostly stale, with movement less than 1 point. There were some nuances, according to the report. Capacity dipped slightly to 54.7, with upstream firms facing tighter space at 50 points compared to downstream firms' expansion of 65.3 points. Transportation prices rose more for downstream (66.7) than upstream (61.7), but the gap wasn't significant. Transportation utilization fell to 52.6 points, the lowest since November 2023. Despite lower diesel prices ($3.487 a gallon), a predicted import surge could stress intermodal and over-the-road networks, testing supply chain flexibility. On the import front, prognostications for an import boom similarly seen during COVID remain cloudy, due in part to American consumers having less cash than during the stimulus-fueled buying binge. The report adds that it was demand-driven, while the current surge in imports during Q1 was more supply-driven, as shippers tried to pull goods forward to avoid higher costs. 'Even though costs were high, there was a sense that they could grow higher in the future. Today, after several rounds of start-and-stop tariffs, shippers may doubt that the highest levels of threatened tariffs will ever come to pass. At the same time, costs are higher on imports from essentially every country than they were a year ago,' added the report. The post Truck Parking Club doubles network in under 6 months appeared first on FreightWaves.
