Freight Beat

Transportation Intermediaries Association

A weekly podcast from the Transportation Intermediaries that delves into the biggest topics and issues facing every link in the supply chain. Each episode a guest joins to discuss everything from cargo theft to modern regulation, the ins and outs of various forms of freight and how it's changing, and where the industry is headed. Whether you're a broker, a shipper, or a carrier, this show will deliver unparalleled insights into the people and companies that move America.

  1. 3h ago

    Three Fights Over the Future of Brokerage

    One week out from the Policy Forum, TIA's President and CEO and the Government Affairs team walk through what members are going to Capitol Hill to ask for. Chris Burroughs on what the Montgomery decision changed and what it didn't. Daniel Hoff on a rule written in the 1980s by an agency that no longer exists, and where the update is sitting now. Mitchell Hart on CORCA, the vehicle it found in the Senate, and why the follow-up matters more than the meeting. If you're registered, this is your prep. If you're staying home, most of it still works from your own office. Chapters0:00 Cold open0:45 Three fights on the table next week1:25 What Montgomery actually changed6:37 The safety standard TIA is pushing for9:26 What to ask for in a ten-minute meeting13:35 Why Chris calls it democracy at work16:39 Where the transparency rulemaking sits20:05 Transparency or intrusion26:38 Getting engaged without coming to DC29:25 CORCA and the NDAA33:16 Fraud starts at registration35:24 Advice for a nervous first-timer40:35 What to do next week Thank you to our Policy Forum PowerHouse Sponsor, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, a law firm dedicated to the transportation industry. Visit them to learn more at scopelitis.com

  2. 6d ago

    Inside the $100 Million Tai Software Acquisition

    Descartes bought Tai for $100 million on August 24. This episode covers what that means for a broker running Tai Software, and then goes past the deal into the two claims Tai Software has been making out loud: never make a check call again, and never lose a load again. Andrew Wimer runs transportation management at Descartes. Mitch Mitchell founded Tai Software and closed the deal a few days before we recorded. They talk through how the acquisition came together, what stays the same for customers, where fraud prevention runs out of software and starts depending on a person, and what to look for if you have a technology decision to make this year. In this conversation:-The company that was not on Tai's list, and then bought it-What a broker should ask a vendor when that vendor gets acquired-The one instruction that keeps a load off the wrong truck-The part of quoting a TMS founder will not hand to AI-Whether the bold claims are achievable or just a direction-The question Descartes asks itself before it buys instead of builds-The unsexy thing to check on a software provider that nobody checks until it is too late Freight Beat is a podcast from the Transportation Intermediaries Association. New episodes weekly. Follow the show so the next one shows up for you!

  3. Aug 30

    Brokering Freight Across the Canadian Border

    There is no FMCSA in Canada. No surety bond, no MC number, no federal database to run a carrier against. None of which protects anybody the way brokers on both sides of the border assume it does.Freight Beat is the podcast from the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), the trade association for third-party logistics companies (3PLs) and freight brokers in North America.Gordon Hearn is a partner at Gardiner Roberts LLP in Toronto, a past president of the Transportation Lawyers Association, and the author of the TIA and CIFFA white paper on the freight broker framework in Canada. He covers what Montgomery v. Caribe Transport means for a broker in Toronto, where an American contract stops working on a Canadian load, and which differences between the two systems can work in your favor.Chapters:0:00 Cold open0:40 Welcome to Freight Beat4:35 Canadian brokers are not insulated from US lawsuits6:08 Cargo liability is 180 degrees opposite8:41 Canada has no FMCSA equivalent9:58 The Ontario trust fund11:08 Quebec, and contracts deemed null and void15:44 The US template is 90 percent right17:42 The $2 a pound pinch19:28 Does your insurance transfer north21:07 When the carrier goes after your customer26:19 Montgomery, north of the border29:35 Why Canadian juries do not award $100 million32:59 Don't make it look like you're a carrier35:08 The USMCA review and the tariff picture38:34 What he is rewriting in the white paper41:49 Where to find GordonReach Gordon at grllp.com.Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Freight Beat now!

  4. Aug 27

    (Cautiously) Happy Days Are Here Again

    Freight rates are climbing, margins are still tight, and Avery Vise says brokers haven't seen the top of this market yet. Freight Beat is the podcast from the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), the trade association for third-party logistics companies (3PLs) and freight brokers in North America. Every episode breaks down what's actually happening in the freight market, straight from the data and the people making the calls. This episode features Avery Vise, Vice President of Trucking at FTR (FTR Transportation Intelligence), a freight forecasting and research firm. Avery walks through TIA's Q2 2026 3PL Market Report, a quarterly benchmark built from anonymized data that TIA member companies report about their own shipments, revenue, and profit margins. It's the only data set of its kind, and it's broken down by revenue size, so a brokerage doing under $16 million a year and one doing over $100 million can both see exactly where they stand. In this episode, you'll learn: - What TIA's 3PL Market Report is and how to read it if your numbers don't match the average - Why broker margins are still tightening even as shipments, revenue, and invoice amounts are all rising - What the Montgomery v. Caribe Transport Supreme Court ruling means for broker liability - What Avery Vise is watching for in Q3 2026 Chapters: 0:00 Cold open and who is Avery Vise 1:09 What the 3PL Market Report is and where the data comes from 5:44 How to read the numbers if you're not "average" 8:53 Q2 2026 headline results: margins, volume, invoice amounts 14:43 Biggest takeaways for brokers this quarter 19:31 Reading the broader economy: GDP, imports, and freight 28:20 What Avery's watching for in Q3 31:32 The Montgomery v. Caribe Transport ruling and broker liability 39:51 Where to follow Avery and FTR TIA members: your copy of the report is already included in your membership. Download the report here: tianet.org/marketreport Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Freight Beat now!

  5. Aug 24

    The Regulatory Reality Inside the FMCSA

    Every rule that lands on your brokerage was open for comment first, argued over, stalled, and rewritten long before you heard about it. Jack Van Steenburg watched that happen for 15 years, and he is blunt about the parts that never show up in a Federal Register notice. Jack left FMCSA as executive director and chief safety officer, the highest ranking career employee at the agency. He walks through why broker transparency is six years old with no final rule, what happens to your comment after you file it, and the numbers he would use to size up a carrier now that most of them have no rating at all. In this conversation: -What the top career seat lets you see that nobody outside the building does -How two competing petitions turned broker transparency into a six year process -Who reviews a rule after FMCSA is done with it, and what he thinks of them -How the agency gets through 7,000 comments, and which ones get set aside first -The two numbers he would use to size up a carrier today -Whether Motus is going to do what it was built to do

  6. Aug 18

    Advocacy: Who's Speaking For You?

    Freight Beat welcomes to the show Daniel Ilg, president of ILG Logistics and an at-large member of TIA's board of directors. He knows the value of speaking for your industry, he has been going to Washington for six years.In this conversation:-The biggest misconception brokers have about what lobbying actually is-What he tells the broker who says they don't want to get involved in politics-The question he asked his dad about running a brokerage, and the answer that stuck-How long his family paid TIA dues before they ever showed up-The comment a staffer opened with a year later that had nothing to do with his agenda-Why meeting the legislative aide is not the consolation prize-What a senator told him to bring back, and what happened when he did-What he says to do if you are never going to make it to Washington-How to get a member of Congress to walk your floor

  7. Aug 11

    Nearshoring: The Future of Logistics?

    Nearshoring is having a moment in freight and logistics, but most brokers still don't know what it actually means, or how it's different from offshoring and outsourcing. Freight Beat down with Mia Mazal, co-founder of Talento, a company that helps freight and logistics businesses build teams in Latin America. Mia, a former behavioral therapist turned logistics leader, breaks down the real difference between nearshoring, offshoring, and outsourcing, and why the pandemic accelerated the shift toward geographically close, same-timezone talent. She also tackles the biggest misconceptions brokers have, the true cost of high turnover, and what should drive the decision. In this episode: What nearshoring actually means vs. offshoring and outsourcing Common misconceptions brokers have about near-shore talent Which roles to delegate first (and which to always keep in-house) How to structure a strong 90-day onboarding process How to vet a nearshoring partner and avoid getting burned Whether you're just curious or ready to build your first near-shore team, this conversation is a practical starting point.

  8. Jul 28

    The $604 Million Nuclear Verdict in Texas w/Craig Helmreich

    Last week a Texas jury ruled that a broker is heavily liable in the death of several people stemming from a 2021 traffic collision. This has sent ripples through the brokerage community. But what does it mean, really? Transport attorney Craig Helmreich joins Freight Beat to give his point of view. While it doesn't represent legal advice, and he has no connection to the case, he's argued similar situations before courts across the country and has an understanding of what both the plaintiff and defense argued. From to rules around "borrowed employees" and what FMCSA ratings really mean, to how this ties to the Montgomery v. Caribe II Supreme Court case, and what it means for brokers and how they operate, this is a must-listen.

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About

A weekly podcast from the Transportation Intermediaries that delves into the biggest topics and issues facing every link in the supply chain. Each episode a guest joins to discuss everything from cargo theft to modern regulation, the ins and outs of various forms of freight and how it's changing, and where the industry is headed. Whether you're a broker, a shipper, or a carrier, this show will deliver unparalleled insights into the people and companies that move America.

Information

  • Creator
    Transportation Intermediaries Association
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Transportation Intermediaries Association
  • Show Website
    Freight Beat