In strong freight markets, capacity often masks weaknesses in partnerships between shippers and their providers. In softer or more volatile markets, the quality of relationships becomes more critical than price alone. This is the foundation of a conversation between Nicole Schuman, Transportation Procurement Manager with Reser’s Fine Foods; Ryan Soskin, CEO of GoodShip; and Tom Curee, Chief Commercial Officer with Qued.
The conversation was part of a session at the recent Capital Ideas Conference in Phoenix, AZ, which was attended by members of the Editorial and Publishing Team of Food Chain Digest, the official magazine of Food Shippers of America (FSA).
The downside of a soft market is that weaker partners are not easily identified and the upside of the market change is that weak partners are quickly highlighting themselves. Brokers who are squeezing carriers or not building relationships with smaller carriers are being exposed. And unfortunately, fraud and theft of freight has become a more prevalent issue, requiring resources to protect against it.
The transportation and logistics industry is not always adept at adapting quickly to change. And third-party logistics companies in particular need to be ready for change now more than ever, given the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC. The decision has sent ripples throughout the transportation industry. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court held that state-law negligent hiring claims against freight brokers are not preempted by federal law when safety is at issue. The ruling allows injured parties to pursue claims alleging that a broker failed to exercise reasonable care when selecting a motor carrier.
The panel discussed key observations of where relationships between shippers and carriers seem to be focused:
Panelists also emphasized that potential partners should understand the business goals and needs of shippers rather than just pitching a solution. Share relevant case studies to spark interest.
"What's getting in your way?” recommends one panelist. “What's bogging you down?"
Here are just a few examples of what providers and shippers should focus onto build a stronger relationship:
To differentiate and excel in a relationship with a food shipper, a provider must deliver far more than capacity. Success requires a deep understanding of the shipper's network, product requirements, service expectations, and business goals. Food shippers operate in an environment where freshness, shelf life, food safety, and on-time delivery directly impact customer satisfaction and profitability. The most valued providers combine consistent execution with proactive communication, real-time visibility, data-driven insights, and the ability to anticipate and mitigate disruptions before they affect service. By acting as a strategic partner rather than a transactional vendor, providers can help food shippers improve reliability, reduce risk, and build more resilient supply chains.
Here’s what a shipper can expect from a provider who is adept at building a strong relationship with them:
"Brokers and carriers are on the front lines,” says Curee. “So they're the best ones in many cases that are suited to bring that information back to help improve the network."
In addition, “relational shippers” want their partners to succeed, while “transactional shippers” are focused on finding a solution for a single incident.
Lastly, breaking into a new account may require "heroics" to differentiate, but consistency and value are more important for growing existing relationships.
Third-party logistics companies need to know what they accept and can position themselves accordingly, offering what is often referred to as a "Hail Mary" solution.
Shippers are increasingly likely to have experience as freight brokers, so salespeople need to be prepared to engage with knowledgeable counterparts.
Traditionally, transportation is viewed in terms of cost and service.
"Service is cost,” notes Schuman.
Laney is GoodShip's AI-powered transportation analyst, launched in January 2026 and positioned as the industry's first AI analyst purpose-built for freight networks, according to Soskin. “Rather than requiring users to build reports or search through dashboards, Laney allows transportation teams to ask questions in plain language and receive analysis, recommendations, reports, and visualizations based on their actual transportation data.”
Soskin says that Laney helps to determine the true cost, considering factors beyond the rate on paper. True cost considers include:
He also says GoodShip unifies data for brokers and carriers, providing the same dashboarding and analytics. “This helps pinpoint hotspots in the network,” he continues. “Everyone, including account managers and carrier reps, can access real-time data for dynamic conversations and better decision-making.”
Shippers and brokers are also constantly evaluating their tech stacks, according to the panelists, and ROI is key to tech evaluation and adoption.
“Shippers get excited about technology that improves their day-to-day operations,” says Schuman.
For partners, the industry is prone to "square peg, round hole" solutions, chasing shiny objects without understanding the problem. It's important to understand the problem before presenting a solution. In addition, technology is useless if the shipper has no connection to the problem it solves.
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