Join the President of Tallgrass Freight, Sean Richardson, as he looks back at a record-setting second quarter, breaks down what the Montgomery ruling means for agents, and makes the case for why those who stay focused right now are set up to win big.
Looking back at the first half of the year, a word that keeps coming to mind is momentum. Our agents are setting records, our recruiting team celebrated its strongest stretch in company history — and the market is finally shifting in a direction that will reward all those who put in the grind over the past two years. Let’s get into how Q2 played out, and why I think Q3 might be one of the best opportunity windows we’ve had in years.
Where Q2 Left Us
Nothing about Q2 really surprised me, and that’s almost the point. We knew capacity was going to tighten and costs were climbing back towards COVID-era levels, and that’s exactly what we saw happen. All of us at Tallgrass were cheering on our agents as they capitalized on it.
When thinly-run carriers and brokerages can’t survive the pressure, that creates a void, and the agents who show up for customers when things get hard are the ones who are filling that void. That mindset helped drive tremendous growth across the board in Q2, both among our established agencies as well as a lot of our newer ones too. There’s some real Rookie of the Year potential!
One of the biggest wins of the quarter, though, came from recruiting. With Jody Evans joining the team alongside veteran recruiter Dave Sullivan and leaders Bob Brown and Jordan Brady, our recruiting team had strong success. We’re currently on pace for what’s shaping up to be a record year, with the team really targeting and isolating the upper echelon of agents. That matters because we’re not trying to be the right fit for everybody. We’re always looking at the person first, and how they operate and treat people — because that’s the true predictor of what kind of business owner they’ll eventually become.
Another key win last quarter came on the tech side. Tallgrass is gearing up to roll out new integrations to cut down on manual time. These updates are part of a much bigger (and very exciting!) roadmap that we’ll be unveiling throughout the rest of the year.
What’s on Our Radar for Q3
The Montgomery ruling is reshaping trust.
This decision from the Supreme Court was a major headline in Q2, and most of the industry was expecting a different outcome. But here at Tallgrass, nothing really changes. Our approach to compliance remains just as strong as it was prior to the ruling.
What’s changed, however, is the conversation around it. Who’s going to define and set the unified standard for what defines a safe carrier? We can expect to see some ramifications in regards to insurance and operating costs likely to climb industry-wide as everyone starts reassessing coverage. We’re doing the same internally to protect ourselves and our agents. Ultimately, it’s always been about partnership here at Tallgrass — and it always will be.
Fraud isn’t slowing down, but awareness is rising.
Freight fraud is not going away. Between the increased news coverage and the high-profile celebrity theft stories, however, we’re at least seeing more awareness of it, which is pushing customers to ask the right questions about vetting and liability.
Doing your diligence is very key here. If a rate or a carrier feels off, trust your gut, slow down, and lean on the agent community. Our agents are genuinely good about sharing honest carrier feedback in our CRM and painting a good picture of expectations. As I often say, if it smells fishy, it probably is.
Capacity stays tight, rates stay up.
Tightening hasn’t eased, and the increased scrutiny over driver qualifications is now pulling more trucks off the road. Tender rejections are climbing, and carriers are heading to the spot market because that’s where the money is. Rates are up 25% to 45% in some lanes. The spot market at its highest point in history, and I haven’t seen anything since suggesting that’s slowing down. This is why it’s important to continue having proactive pricing conversations with customers.
Is the freight recession actually over?
My crystal ball has been broken for a while — but I’m inclined to say yes, the recession is behind us.. We’re on pace to shatter our 2025 record for total shipments moved, and the volume trend is real, not just a blip. Supply chains have settled into a more normal cadence. Outside of the usual fuel and geopolitical wildcards, this feels like a genuine shift away from the COVID-era chaos.
Why Right Now Is the Moment
There’s some real opportunity out there right now. Customers are re-evaluating who they trust, and rates are finally moving in the agents’ favor after two years of building volume in a soft market.
The agents who look back with regret aren’t the ones who swung and missed, but the ones who saw the opening and talked themselves out of it. This is the kind of window where a one-person agency becomes a five-person, multi-million-dollar operation. This could be the season where you look back upon your retirement and say, “This is when it all changed.” And, as it always has been in freight, it’s up to you. Your success is in your control, no matter what the market holds. Freight keeps moving, and opportunity is yours to take.
If you’re an experienced agent thinking about a move, or just starting to wonder what it might look like to bet on yourself, reach out to our recruiting team at agentdevelopment@tallgrassfreight.com or TGFrecruiting@tallgrassfreight.com. We’ll have an honest conversation about the pros and cons of all of it, because we’d rather set the right expectations up front than have someone 90 days in feeling like it wasn’t what they signed up for. The best day to bet on yourself was yesterday, and today is the second best. Let’s talk.