United States Freight Brokerage Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecast (2025 - 2030)

United States Freight Brokerage Market Trends and Insights

Tight Domestic Truckload Capacity and Driver Shortage

Persistent driver turnover keeps capacity tight and lifts spot tender rejection rates, pushing more loads toward brokers with agile matching engines. Mid-sized shippers increasingly depend on intermediaries to secure trucks when contract carriers reject tenders. Digital load boards capture rising volume because automated postings reduce the time needed to cover urgent freight. Driver scarcity is most acute for long-haul refrigerated lanes, intensifying broker leverage in that sub-market^{[1]Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Staff, “Safety Measurement System Methodology,” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, fmcsa.dot.gov}. Carriers are demanding higher rates to offset retention bonuses, and savvy brokers bundle back-haul opportunities to keep trucks moving. Tight capacity, therefore, sustains brokerage relevance even as asset-based fleets expand direct sales.

Heightened E-Commerce Parcel Volumes

Rapid-fire online ordering pivots shipment profiles toward smaller, more frequent loads that favor Less-than-Truckload capacity. General rate increases of 4.9%–7.9% across major LTL carriers in 2025 signal constrained pallet space and bolster broker margins when they secure capacity in advance. Density-based freight re-classification slated for July 2025 will lift costs on lightweight e-commerce parcels, reinforcing the need for brokerage expertise in class assignment. Digital LTL portals offering dynamic quoting stand to gain market share as shippers seek rapid cost visibility. Brokers capable of pre-consolidating parcel freight into LTL moves can capture incremental value by reducing per-unit shipping costs. The United States freight brokerage market thus benefits from the structural e-commerce shift toward middle- and final-mile optimization.

Shipper Demand for Managed Transportation

Large enterprises with USD 100 million freight spend increasingly outsource network planning, procurement, and performance management to 4PL-style brokers. Complexity from omnichannel fulfilment, fluctuating fuel costs, and multimodal routing drives demand for continuous optimization. Brokers respond by integrating predictive analytics that simulate modal choices, inventory positioning, and lane consolidation. Managed-transport contracts extend three to five years, giving brokers annuity-like revenue and deeper customer intimacy. This model lowers shippers’ administrative overhead and grants brokers a higher wallet share per client. Adoption is prominent among chemical, automotive, and industrial clusters in the Midwest and the Gulf Coast.

ELD Mandate Compliance Requirements

FMCSA’s ongoing purge of non-compliant electronic logging devices compels tens of thousands of carriers to transition platforms, raising the value of brokers that maintain real-time compliance dashboards^{[2]Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Staff, “Registered ELD Revocations List,” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, fmcsa.dot.gov}. The planned elimination of MC numbers by October 2025 consolidates authority under a single USDOT identifier, simplifying verification workflows for brokers. Shippers shift liability by routing loads through intermediaries who guarantee safety-rated capacity and insurance validity. Smaller brokers lacking automated vetting tools struggle to keep pace, accelerating consolidation. Compliance visibility becomes a critical selling point in bids for food, pharma, and hazmat freight, where chain-of-responsibility audits are stringent.

Volatile Diesel Prices

Average United States diesel rates swung between USD 3.43 and USD 4.58 per gallon in 2024, outpacing fuel-surcharge recalibration and compressing broker spot margins. Large brokers deploy hedging models that ingest Energy Information Administration data to anticipate surcharges, but smaller players often misprice loads, eroding net revenue^{[3]U.S. Energy Information Administration Staff, “Weekly U.S. No. 2 Diesel Retail Prices,” Energy Information Administration, eia.gov}. Refrigerated lanes are hit hard because reefer units consume extra fuel. Some brokers now publish “all-in” offers with real-time fuel clauses to shield margins while maintaining price transparency. Fluctuation uncertainty discourages shippers from locking year-long rates, nudging them to transactional spot brokerage.

Port Congestion and Chassis Shortages

Intermodal queues at Los Angeles-Long Beach and Savannah extend dwell times, driving up detention charges that neither shippers nor brokers can fully pass through. Chassis scarcity inflates drayage premiums and disrupts transload schedules, especially during peak import surges. Brokers struggle to secure container-ready capacity on short notice, risking customer service failures. Coastal brokerage offices divert freight inland via rail, but limited ramp slots create new bottlenecks. Persistent congestion dampens market growth until chassis pools expand and port automation projects materialize.

Segment Analysis

By Service: LTL Gains Momentum in the E-Commerce Era

The United States freight brokerage market size for service lines continues to skew toward FTL, which generated 63.75% of revenue in 2024, yet the LTL corridor is on track for a 9.0% CAGR through 2030. Digital platforms that quote pallet-level rates within seconds are winning volume from manual call-and-fax workflows. The density-based re-classification in July 2025 will reward brokers able to re-engineer packaging dimensions so that shippers avoid higher classes for light bulky products. 

FTL still commands the bulk of long-haul industrial freight, but driver scarcity and equipment constraints are nudging shippers to multistop LTL consolidations. Parcel-to-LTL consolidation hubs reduce last-mile congestion and cut per-unit cost, giving brokers new margins on value-added cross-dock services. Specialized brokers also exploit “partial truckload” offerings to bridge the gap between LTL and FTL. Consequently, multi-service capability is now a benchmark for winning diversified RFPs across the United States freight brokerage market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Equipment / Trailer Type: Refrigerated Demand Outpaces Market

Dry vans produced 44.65% of revenue in 2024, but refrigerated units are advancing at 10.1% CAGR, lifting the equipment segment’s United States freight brokerage market size over the forecast horizon. Food-grade and pharmaceutical shippers require temperature verification and electronic seals, favoring brokers with telematics-equipped carrier pools. 

Rising specialty produce exports out of the West Coast elevate back-haul demand for reefers into the Midwest and East. Brokers bundle harmonized temperature monitoring and detention mitigation into premium pricing. Flatbed and step-deck equipment remains cyclical, spiking during spring construction, while tanker brokerage stays niche due to hazmat compliance burdens. Equipment flexibility, therefore, became central to winning multi-modal contracts in 2025.

By Haul Length: Regional Routes Gain Strategic Importance

Long-hauls accounted for 53.15% of 2024 turnover, yet regional lanes are projected to compound at 8.4% CAGR as shippers rebalance inventories closer to demand nodes. Average broker margin on sub-250-mile hauls reaches 15.2% compared with 11.7% on 1,000-mile moves, supporting profitability for specialists in short-haul aggregation. 

Retailers deploying micro-fulfillment centers need high-frequency middle-mile replenishment, creating consistent volume for brokers with dense carrier clusters. Local freight benefits from urban consolidation programs designed to curb emissions. Brokers offering drop-trailer pools and cross-dock transloads are particularly well-positioned, sustaining lane density across the United States freight brokerage market.

By Business Model: Digital Platforms Disrupt Traditional Brokerage

Traditional brokers controlled 54.3% of 2024 gross revenue, but digital models are surging at 17.0% CAGR, signaling a tectonic shift in how loads are sourced and priced. AI tender bots parse emails and spreadsheets, post structured data to carrier marketplaces, and execute automatic counteroffers, shrinking load-coverage time to minutes. 

Asset-based carriers now blend committed capacity with on-demand brokerage to improve asset utilization, complicating value propositions for non-asset firms. The agency model survives in niche geographies where personal relationships trump algorithmic matching. However, multi-tenant SaaS freight platforms are lowering the cost for small brokers to access the same digital rails, preserving competition across the United States freight brokerage market.

By End-User Industry: E-Commerce Reshapes Freight Patterns

Retail, FMCG & wholesale distribution generated 29.6% of 2024 revenue, but e-commerce & 3PL fulfillment is climbing at 13.5% CAGR, enlarging its share of the United States freight brokerage market size. Same-day delivery expectations force omnichannel retailers to split inventory into regional nodes, resulting in more LTL and parcel-consolidation shipments. 

Manufacturing and automotive freight have stabilized as reshoring projects in the Midwest drive steady inbound raw material and outbound component flows. Infrastructure spending renews demand for flatbed moves in the construction segment, while healthcare logistics calls for GDP-certified carriers and detailed chain-of-custody documentation. Brokers with vertical expertise, therefore, earn premium margins by navigating complex regulatory and temperature-controlled requirements.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Customer Size: Small Businesses Drive Incremental Growth

Large shippers accounted for 56.3% of 2024 revenue, yet small businesses are on a 10.4% CAGR trajectory because digital self-service portals now lower entry barriers. Instant pallet quotes, embedded financing, and mobile status alerts mimic parcel-shipping experiences, drawing micro-shippers toward brokerage solutions. 

Mid-market firms straddle transactional and strategic buying behaviors, demanding both negotiated annual rates and spot flexibility during seasonal surges. Brokers segment account management to tailor SLA levels, using CRM and analytics to identify upsell opportunities in managed transportation. Inclusive platform design thus allows the United States freight brokerage market to broaden its addressable customer base while maintaining service differentiation.

Geography Analysis

The Midwest held 26.6% of 2024 revenue, supported by a dense interstate grid and proximity to automotive, machinery, and agribusiness production clusters. Intermodal ramps in Chicago and Kansas City provide seamless rail-to-truck transfers, sustaining brokerage volumes across dry and refrigerated categories. Robust managed-transport adoption among industrial shippers further cements the region’s leadership within the United States freight brokerage market.

The Southwest is the fastest-growing region at 8.2% CAGR through 2030, buoyed by population inflow, semiconductor plant construction, and cross-border automotive supply chains. Near-shoring to Mexico increases trans-load brokerage in Laredo and El Paso as production parts flow north. While 2024 saw trade softness, rail ramp bottlenecks in Dallas and Phoenix are improving, creating expansion opportunities for brokers aligning with maquiladora schedules.

The West benefits from robust import flows through Los Angeles-Long Beach, Oakland, and Seattle-Tacoma, driving drayage and transcontinental intermodal brokerage. Port automation pilots and expanded chassis pools are expected to ease congestion by 2026, improving schedule reliability. Meanwhile, freight activity in the Southeast tracks housing-starts volatility, and the Northeast contends with retail inventory corrections, giving brokers in those regions variable revenue streams that reward operational agility.