Q&A

What 3PLs want from carriers

A carrier sales leader shares what sets top partners apart

(Photo credit Matt Meyer)

What do 3PLs want in their carrier partners? Matt Meyer, senior director of carrier sales at TRAFFIX, shares the ins and outs of what makes a strong carrier—and what's a red flag.

We turned to Meyer for his perspective on the unique strengths that small motor carriers bring to supply chain networks, plus the importance of long-term relationships with brokers over one-time wins.

—Interview by Shefali Kapadia, edited by Bianca Prieto

When selecting carriers to add to your network, what top characteristics do you seek?

When building a carrier network, the biggest indicators of long-term value are reliability, transparency and operational maturity. Anyone can quote a rate, but not everyone can execute consistently. The carriers who stand out communicate early, know the details of the facilities they service, use visibility tools without resistance and keep compliance clean.

Operational maturity is about discipline, not fleet size. The best partners document well, communicate with purpose, manage risk proactively and follow through under pressure. If a carrier answers the phone, provides real updates, flags issues before they escalate and has a verifiable record of on-time performance, they are someone I want in the network.

On the other hand, what's a red flag?

Red flags in carrier onboarding and tender acceptance often surface early. Mismatched contact information, hesitation to provide VIN or driver details, vague or unverifiable dispatch contacts and inconsistencies in MC or DOT identifiers are all signals to slow down and validate.

Sudden changes in authority, ownership or insurance levels can also indicate elevated risk, especially when paired with urgency to move a load before verification is complete. Reluctance to use ELD-based tracking, pressure to bypass standard onboarding or a general lack of clarity in communication should prompt a review. Trustworthy carriers do not avoid transparency. They expect it and engage with it willingly. Fraud attempts are rarely subtle. If something feels off, there is a strong chance it is.

What do you think small carriers excel in, especially compared to their larger peers?

Small and large carriers both bring meaningful but very different strengths to a network, and the most resilient freight strategy is usually one that leverages both. Small carriers contribute precision, adaptability and personalized service at the load level. Large carriers contribute density, reliability and the ability to support enterprise-level volume.

Small fleets tend to excel where agility and human-led execution matter. They operate close to the truck, close to the customer and often with shorter communication loops. Decisions get made quickly. They are relationship-oriented and often take greater personal ownership over individual loads because the impact on their business is direct and immediate. When nurtured correctly, smaller carriers scale with you, not only for you. They grow incrementally, lane by lane, season by season. They often provide elasticity in tight markets and can outperform expectations where flexibility is required.

Large carriers bring a different but equally critical value. They offer network stability through broader geographic coverage, structured distribution, drop trailer programs, surge capacity and engineered routing models that support quarterly and annual performance goals. Larger fleets typically have safety teams, compliance infrastructure, technology adoption and driver development programs that create consistency over time. They are essential for scale, especially in RFP driven environments, high-volume corridors and freight where KPI continuity matters more than single load optimization.

What do you see as the most challenging part of operating in the freight trucking industry today?

The largest challenge today is freight theft and identity fraud. The playbook has evolved dramatically—we are long past just trailer break-ins or opportunistic yard theft. We are seeing sophisticated impersonations, broker and carrier profile spoofing, compromised email domains, fraudulent tender acceptance and coordinated attempts to intercept freight before it ever moves. New methods surface almost weekly.

Preventing theft now requires layered verification, digital identity validation, stronger onboarding controls and teams trained to recognize behavioral anomalies, not just documentation errors. The speed at which fraud tactics evolve is the most concerning. It requires continuous adaptation, not a one-time policy.

What's the No. 1 thing you wish carriers knew about working with brokers/3PLs?

I want to emphasize that many brokers value long-term relationships over one-time wins. When capacity is consistent and trust is mutual, both sides benefit. Pricing stabilizes. Planning becomes easier. And business compounds instead of resetting each week. Growth is never one-directional, it is shared.