Evans Transportation warns excess 3PL use drives up freight rates
Evans Transportation, which serves roughly 300 customers, warned that shippers relying on multiple third‑party logistics providers for the same lane may see carriers delay loads and push rates up. He noted that Gulf Coast load‑to‑truck ratios have reached hundreds of loads per truck, a condition that could worsen with an approaching tropical storm.
Conrad described the phenomenon as “broker poker,” explaining that when many 3PLs bid on the same lane carriers learn to hold out for higher payments. He said Evans Transportation retains other 3PLs only when a shipper already has a vetted partner on a given segment, rather than displacing long‑standing relationships. The firm’s managed transportation model combines proprietary technology, off‑the‑shelf tools and an agentic AI voice system that fields initial inbound calls before passing them to live staff.
“Those brokers who are going out to the marketplace over and over and over again on the same lane, they’re driving the rate up because the carriers get smart and they say, I’m going to wait for a little while because you guys are all bidding on it,” John Conrad, Chief Revenue Officer at Evans Transportation Services said.
Evans Transportation describes its managed transportation approach as “outsourcing done right,” combining proprietary technology with off‑the‑shelf tools and, most recently, an agentic AI voice system to handle initial inbound call volume. The company, founded in 1985 and privately held, serves roughly 300 customers and holds an MC number beginning with 1.
What we know
Evans Transportation serves roughly 300 customers.
Evans Transportation was founded in 1985.
Evans Transportation holds an MC number beginning with 1.
Gulf Coast load-to-truck ratios have reached hundreds of loads per truck.
Open-equipment and heavy-haul segment is the most volatile freight mode in the current market.