FreightMath: Why Repeatable Freight Is the Bedrock of Truckload Profitability

With the ongoing delay in freight rate recovery, the KSM Transport Advisors (KSMTA) team has launched an article series containing practical recommendations designed to help carriers “level-set” in any market environment. The need to “prepare to thrive” has become a powerful mantra, reminding us and our clients to stay focused and resilient, even in the face of significant challenges.

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In an industry driven by miles, revenue, and the endless rhythm of chaos disguised as order, it’s easy to believe the solution to every problem is to just keep the wheels turning. But trucking doesn’t reward motion – it rewards profit. And in a market defined by volatility and fragmentation, profit doesn’t come from hustle. It comes from discipline.

That’s the FreightMath^TM philosophy.

It’s a model built not on volume alone, but on the efficiency and predictability of freight movement. It prioritizes network rhythm over one-off wins, contribution over chaos, and margin over motion.

Unmasking the Enemy: The High Cost of Irregular Freight

Irregular freight is seductive. It pays well on paper. It’s a beacon of hope in prolonged freight recession. It gives sales teams quick wins.

But operationally, it’s a trap.

Freight that doesn’t align with your core network is expensive – whether it’s a once-a-month shipment, a customer with volatile volumes, or a region you only touch “when needed.” It introduces uncertainty into your system, frustrates planners, and burns driver trust.

This isn’t just inconvenient. It’s anti-margin.

These loads should be reframed not as “opportunities” but as disruptions:

• Deadhead creators
• Driver turnover accelerators
• Planning resource hogs
• Margin eroders dressed as high-rate freight

Over time, they break the density of your network – the same density that powers operational leverage, routing efficiency, and sustainable profitability.

Freight Network Density: The Hidden Engine of Profit

As we previously mentioned in Are You Dense?, high-density networks allow carriers to operate with greater velocity, lower cost per mile, and improved asset utilization. Every repeatable lane adds weight to that density. Every unpredictable load weakens it.

That’s why the most profitable carriers aren’t the ones chasing more freight. They’re the ones curating freight. Designing a dense, focused, repeatable network – and sticking to it.

The FreightMath Playbook: Engineering for Repeatability

1. Define Tier 1 Freight, Ruthlessly

• FreightMath carriers don’t just hope for consistency – they define it:
  • Offered two+ times per week, three+ weeks per month
  • Predictable pickup/delivery windows
  • Backhaul within 150 miles and 24 hours
  • Meets or exceeds a contribution margin threshold, and network operating ratio

2. Score Customers on More Than Volume

• Volume is a vanity metric. FreightMath carriers dig deeper, evaluating:
  • Load consistency over time
  • Planning burden (exceptions per 10 loads)
  • Transit times versus standards for that route
  • Operating ratio by lane
  • Service friction (detention, reschedules, etc.)

3. Build Closed-Loop Planning Cycles

• Many carriers believe they need to have triangular or other multi-point freight patterns to stay afloat. This is a fallacy perpetrated by many so-called industry experts. Based on our client base of 80+ truckload carriers, many of the most profitable use “out and back” freight patterns to thrive. More specifically, they run closed-loop systems:
  • Truck delivers into a known zone
  • Reloads within 24 hours
  • Focuses on balance, by day of week
  • Returns consistently to home base – rinse and repeat

4. Retrain Sales Around Repeatability

• Revenue isn’t enough. FreightMath-aligned sales teams are taught to qualify freight:
  • Does it align with core lanes?
  • Can it be repeated every week?
  • Will it increase density, not just fill gaps?

5. Let Data Drive Discipline

Feelings don’t run fleets. Metrics do. FreightMath carriers track:

• Percent of weekly freight in Tier 1 lanes (Power Lanes)
• Variance in lane-level operating ratio
• RATD (revenue per available truck day)

The Second Discipline: Strategic Idling

Here’s a truth that makes traditionalists nervous: sometimes the most profitable move is no move at all.

Idle trucks signal inefficiency – until they don’t. Strategic idling is FreightMath’s answer to freight that doesn’t meet the yield threshold.

Strategic idling is a proactive choice. It’s about waiting for freight that fits, not reacting to whatever hits the board.

Case Study: From Chaos to Consistency

A 100-truck Midwest carrier was bleeding margin despite growing revenue. A FreightMath analysis revealed:

• 42% of loads were irregular. A large increase in low-density spider lanes.
• 30% of planner time went to manual exception handling.
• Carrier started recruiting in areas within the spider lanes (out of network).
• Driver turnover jumped 19%.

The Fix?

• Cut 39 non-repeatable lanes.
• Dropped three high-friction shippers.
• Consolidated 70% of freight into 12 Tier 1 lanes (Power Lanes).

Results in 90 Days:

• Margin per truck up 9%.
• Driver turnover down 12%.
• Planners focused on optimization, not fire drills.

Final Thought: Predictability Is the New Profitability

In trucking, success doesn’t come from motion – it comes from precision. The FreightMath carrier isn’t chasing every load. They’re building a freight network that compounds value week after week.

The most profitable carriers aren’t the busiest – they’re the most intentional.

To learn more or discuss any of the ideas shared above, please contact a KSMTA advisor via the form below.