New carrier-shipper matchmaking service wants to help fleets find long-term matches
PHOENIX—The carrier-shipper relationship is broken, according to Ed Burns. His startup wants to disrupt the truckload market with a matchmaking service that takes freight brokers out of the equation.
“It’s kind of like having a conversation with your significant other, and every time you do, your mother-in-law’s there having the conversation in between,” Burns, co-founder of TruSygnal, said during a Truckload Carriers Association press conference on March 17.
“There are a lot of third parties who have gotten involved in the transactions between shippers and carriers,” he continued. “But in the marketplace, when the shipper contracts with an asset carrier to move their freight, it goes a lot smoother. They see rate stability."
TruSygnal is a new shipper-carrier matchmaking startup that is a spinoff from Burns Logistics, which Burns runs with his father, “Big Ed” Burns. They said they used their industry experience to build the new contract product to help asset-based fleets find long-term stability with shippers.
Burns explained that a transportation problem is that carriers want to work directly with shippers but struggle to find them and sell to them. On the other end of the supply chain, shippers are inundated with solicitations and don’t have the time or tools to find and vet fleets that align with their networks. TruSygnal solves this by matching carrier and shipper networks.
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How TruSygnal connects carriers and shippers
Burns explained that TruSygnal simplifies freight procurement by matching carriers’ capacity with shippers’ networks based on equipment, insurance, and other key criteria without transactional interference.
“TruSygnal removes unnecessary middlemen, allowing shippers and carriers to connect directly, move freight efficiently, and strengthen relationships,” he said.
Unlike spot-market tools, TruSygnal focuses on contract freight so fleets can create reliable business and build long-term connections. Shippers get access to vetted carriers who can use the platform to showcase their capabilities, creating a dynamic platform for direct connections.
“There are plenty of transactional spot market tools and load boards out there—and some of them are very good,” Burns told FleetOwner. “This is a contract tool. This is for repetitive business. We're looking to set the shipper and the carrier up to work together for the next year from this RFP (request for proposal) to the next one. So this is for the long term.”
