What happens when you remove commissions from freight brokerage? Shannon Breen, Founder and CEO of FreightVana, joins Will Jenkins to explain how the company grew into a top 100 brokerage with a non-commissioned operating model during one of the longest freight downturns in years.
She walks through why FreightVana chose to build without commissions and how that choice shapes the way the team works with shippers. Trust with customers came from consistent service, and that trust carried the company while much of the market was shrinking.
The episode also covers FreightVana's equipment-backed power-only network, which now connects more than 50 shippers each week. Shannon explains what separates a true power-only network from a model built on leased trailers, which shippers are a good fit, and what questions shippers should ask before choosing a power-only provider.
Will and Shannon close with advice for anyone starting a freight company today and what new companies need to do differently. Compensation design and operating model choices are a big part of how a brokerage scales, and Journey's freight brokerage consulting works with leaders on both.
