Another Hot Take -

The so-called “freight market” that brokers love to reference is really just a man-made illusion, a convenient excuse to justify why one direction supposedly pays less than the other, even though the work is identical. The roads don’t change, the fuel doesn’t get cheaper, and the weight doesn’t magically lighten going back. Yet somehow, a load from Tennessee to New York might pay $3,000, while the same load coming back only pays half, simply because someone decided New York is a “bad market.” Bad for who, exactly? Certainly not the brokers taking their percentage off both ends. This artificial system doesn’t reflect the true cost of transportation, it reflects manipulation and control. It treats carriers and truck drivers like commodities, as if they were pieces of property instead of skilled professionals handling multi-ton shipments worth far more than the freight rate itself.

If this “market” concept were replaced with fair, cost-based pricing that accounts for real expenses, risk, and labor, rates would stabilize and relationships would improve across the industry. Shippers would benefit, too, consistent, transparent pricing would mean a more reliable carrier base, fewer service disruptions, and better long-term partnerships built on trust rather than constant bidding wars. The truth is, this so-called “market” only exists because enough people keep pretending it does. It’s not economics, it’s theater dressed up as logic.