Freight brokers and logistics providers met earlier this year in San Antonio, providing more evidence of the bleak condition of the freight transportation and auto relocation industries. They also moved to gather data on the size of their segment of the industry. Load volumes and revenues have been on the decline, but gross margins have improved with similar results to those published by a major load board and a transportation stock analyst.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) hired an Auburn University business professor to publish a quarterly market report on the scope of work by brokerage firms and third-party logistics providers. Volume and revenue were down in the third quarter of 2008 and got worse in the fourth quarter, but gross margin continued to rise. Gross margin refers to the proportion of gross revenue a broker keeps after paying trucking companies and other freight carriers.

Cash-strapped trucking companies have increased their use of quick-pay discount programs. Brokers have always offered expedited payment programs where a carrier or driver gets the money more quickly but receives less of it. In the present time, more carriers are looking for money faster. In 2008, TransCore 3sixty Freight Match saw approximately 6.4 loads posted for each truck looking for work.