Join President of Tallgrass Freight Sean Richardson as he shares quarterly insights and key updates on the freight market and our company. This quarter, Sean discusses end-of-year momentum, market opportunities and strategic initiatives as we prepare for 2026.
Time flies when you’re making moves. It feels like just yesterday we were setting our sights on 2025, and here we are already budgeting for 2026. Despite all the uncertainty swirling around the market, 2025 has been a great year for Tallgrass agents. We’re experiencing tremendous growth, with volumes up 25% year over year, and we’re on track for a record-breaking load count. So where does the market stand heading into Q4? Let’s dive in.
Agents Rising Above the Noise
What continues to impress me is how our freight agents have compartmentalized all of the outside noise and have stayed laser-focused on what matters. They’ve remained sharp: building their books, strengthening relationships and executing their plans day in and day out. It’s a huge testament to the quality of people we have here.
Sales in freight has never been easy! But nothing’s ever impossible. Nothing’s ever out of reach, as long as freight agents stick to the fundamentals. Every conversation, every decision comes back to your why. Why are you picking up the phone? Why are you having this conversation? When you can answer that with clarity and purpose (and, of course, not let negative self-talk inhibit you), you can push through any challenge the market throws at you.
The Q4 Opportunity Window
Despite ongoing uncertainty, there’s real opportunity out there for independent freight agents who are ready to capitalize on it. The LA ports saw record inbound container numbers in July, and that freight is hitting the domestic market now. October typically brings 22 to 23 selling days, giving freight agents a prime window to finish the year strong.
The business is there. It’s about what conversations you’re having, what your plan of attack looks like and not getting complacent after a strong first nine months. That first good conversation — in which independent freight agents can really dive deep with a prospect — typically comes to fruition around 90 days later if you stay diligent. So always be planting the seed for future growth.
The headlines have felt like a roller coaster all year long. Without a crystal ball, smart freight agents are focusing on this in Q4: What can we control? We can’t control truck costs or commodity pricing. But we can control our service levels and our commitment to being true advocates for our customers. We’re back to pre-COVID levels in terms of the average cost per truck and revenue per shipment, with gross margin percentages normalizing after the 2022 peak. The capacity crunch that flooded the market with drivers and equipment is shifting again, partly due to tariff uncertainty driving businesses to pre-order inventory while they can. So the opportunity is absolutely there. Success happens when you stay focused, go after it and control what we can control.
Regardless of tariffs, trade policies or other shifts, freight is always going to move. Stuff still needs to get from point A to point B! And that’s never going to change. So you can’t take your foot off the gas. If you do, another independent freight agent will swoop in and kick open that door for themselves.
Looking Ahead: Technology and AI
Here at Tallgrass, our focus as we head into 2026 is to continue making improvements on the technology front. We’re always exploring ways to make it easier for our independent freight agents to book loads, manage their prospects and customers, and run their businesses more efficiently. We’re also exploring how AI can be a useful tool to free up manual processes and give our agents more opportunities to do what they do best: build relationships (and maybe make those extra 10 to 15 contacts they might not otherwise have had time to do).
The future is looking extremely bright for Tallgrass. Every new integration and upgrade benefits our agents directly, and gives them more tools to capture market share across different modes: truck, LCL, parcel, air freight, intermodal and international. We want our freight agents to have every opportunity to get sticky within their accounts and make it nearly impossible for their customers to work with anyone else.
The Year Isn’t Over Yet
The best agents are the ones who finish the year strong. They don’t abandon their plan when Q4 hits. Every plan needs adjustments and tweaks along the way. As Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” You’re going to get punched in freight! But that’s when you lean on our support system, our executive team, and the mentor-mentee relationships that make Tallgrass unique.
It’s never too late to have a great conversation. It’s never too late to bring on a customer who could be transformative for your business. Don’t assume November and December will be slow. (Because that’s exactly the mentality I want our competition to have.) It leaves more opportunities for our agents to capitalize on.
So have hope, keep that drive going and don’t let your foot off the gas. Let’s make the rest of 2025 count.
Want to learn more about joining our agent network? Let’s chat. Contact us to start a conversation today.