Logistics Brokers

Updated November 21, 2025

Brokers Navigate Flat Freight and Rising Complexity in November

With freight volumes softening again, capacity returning to the market, and policy uncertainty deepening, freight brokers continue to operate in an environment defined by tight margins, heavy information demands, and rising execution complexity.

ACT Research’s November Freight Forecast confirms what brokers are seeing every day: pre-tariff tightness faded sharply in early November, spot load posts have begun to normalize, and capacity has re-entered the market just as freight volumes recede. Spot and contract rates softened again after October’s temporary firmness, and the load-to-truck ratio has reverted to near its long-run average. Across dry van, flatbed, and reefer, volatility remains muted and pricing leverage limited.

In a market with limited upside and minimal rate movement, broker differentiation increasingly comes from capability, compliance expertise, and operational intelligence—not freight access. The brokers winning share now are those providing visibility into cost structures, regulatory risk, and carrier quality, helping shippers navigate uncertainty rather than simply securing trucks.

Shippers Are Playing Defense—And So Should Brokers

Shippers remain firmly in defensive mode heading into year-end. Payback from earlier pre-tariff shipping is creating weaker freight conditions across consumer, industrial, and cross-border flows, with ACT reporting broad softness across nearly every major segment. Retail spending expectations for the holidays are down in real terms, and import-driven volumes have pulled back meaningfully.

For brokers, this means shippers are not searching for capacity—they’re searching for assurance and risk mitigation.

They want partners who understand:

• Tariff exposure and how it affects equipment availability

• Supply-chain delays tied to deferred fleet investment

• Aging fleet risks as carriers stretch trade cycles

• The implications of EPA 2027 uncertainty on service reliability

In November’s environment, policy fluency is as important as price fluency. Brokers who can articulate how regulations, cost pressures, and capacity contraction shape shipper operations are earning deeper loyalty and longer relationships.

Carrier Relationships Matter More Than Spot Access

As Class 8 orders remained soft in October and OEMs cut build rates, fleets continue consolidating partnerships and operating with greater discipline. Carriers are prioritizing utilization, margins, and cost containment rather than expanding their networks.

This is shifting value sharply toward brokers with deep, data-backed carrier intelligence, not just broad spot-market access.

Leading brokers are:

• Tracking fleet age and maintenance reliability

• Monitoring equipment availability and rotation patterns

• Scorecarding carriers on compliance and service performance

• Identifying networks likely to tighten as capacity contracts into 2026

As capacity correction continues—albeit slowly—brokers who can anticipate which carriers will remain stable, compliant, and operationally reliable provide shippers with a strategic advantage. This transitions brokers from intermediaries to network control partners.

Margins Require Creativity, Not Volume

With rate stability giving way to renewed softness in November, brokers cannot count on volume or pricing strength to improve margins. Profitability now hinges on execution and intelligence, not market momentum.

According to ACT’s latest insights, critical margin levers include:

• Automation and workflow compression

• Predictive and rules-based pricing

• Real-time equipment tracking and load matching

• Monitoring of dwell times, asset rotation, and lane efficiency

• Dynamic modeling of tariff exposure and regulatory impacts

Brokers able to translate these micro-trends into customer-facing insights are winning awards not through price, but through value creation and cost avoidance.

In today’s climate, every gain in speed, accuracy, or routing efficiency translates directly into margin preservation.

Outlook: Flat Market, High Stakes

November provides little evidence of a near-term volume rebound. ACT expects freight softness to persist into early 2026 as payback from pre-tariff shipping continues and economic momentum slows. But this flat market presents brokers with a strategic opportunity.

Brokers that evolve into **advisors—not just intermediaries—**will capture wallet share even without volume growth. Compliance, cost transparency, regulatory literacy, and carrier intelligence are becoming core differentiators.

Those waiting for freight to “come back” without redefining their value proposition risk falling behind as the industry shifts toward knowledge-driven brokerage models.

The market may be flat, but the stakes are high.
In an era defined by uncertainty, information—not volume—is the broker’s most valuable currency.

For-hire trucking's overcapacity problem—and its eventual solution (4:36 minute watch)

Market Guidance for Logistics Brokers

Unlock the power to predict and prosper. ACT's precision analytics arm brokers like you with unparalleled foresight into freight rate trends, enabling you to master market swings, optimize matchmaking between loads and capacity, and always secure the most favorable rates. Get ahead, stay ahead, and turn market volatility into your competitive edge.