Commercial structure
48by40 Freight is a licensed broker (USDOT 4538970 · MC 1800914). We contract with the shipper, we contract with the carrier, and the difference between those two numbers is our margin. You see it on every load. When a load runs fully on our platform — posted, bid, awarded, tracked, documented, completed and invoiced here — that margin goes to zero. You pay for platform access instead of a spread you never see. Any step that happens off-platform re-introduces the margin, and we show you exactly where and why.
Plans don't gate the standard
The operating standard is the product. It is not tier-gated. It is not optional. Every load in the governed system runs through the full universal capability inventory:
Plans differentiate scale and depth. Plans do not differentiate whether the system fully works. Capacity Partner agreements may add bespoke capabilities; they cannot remove the standard ones.
Real differentiators
The variable component of pricing reflects real cost drivers only — not whether the operating standard runs.
Shipment lifecycle volume. The connected execution lifecycle is the unit. A billable shipment is a lifecycle, not a row.
Integration depth. Deeper integration with .io standing inputs, telemetry partners, EDI input acceptance where available, and shipper-side systems.
Retention horizon. How far back the connected system makes the bilateral document and event chain operationally accessible. Retention is operationally accessible throughout the connected system.
API depth. Programmatic access for shipper-side systems — read, write, and event-subscription scope.
Universal commercial primitives
Underneath the operating standard, Freight runs five commercial primitives that produce predictable lane economics. All universal across certified plans — pricing does not gate any of them.
Bidding (RFP/RFQ). Annual or quarterly bid events for lane portfolios.
Routing guide enforcement. The platform enforces order at every tender.
Standardized fuel surcharge. Platform-set rules, no per-load disputes.
Standardized accessorial framework. Platform-set rates and dispute rules.
Standardized contract template. Master commercial framework runs at the relationship layer.
All universal across certified plans. Capacity Partner agreements may add bespoke commercial primitives; they cannot remove the standardized framework.
How shippers enter the commercial structure
Shippers enter Freight through one of five commercial tracks. The operating standard runs across all of them. Tracks differentiate the commercial commitment, not the product.
When a shipment is booked, its consignee can see it. Load-scoped: it begins with the load and ends with it. No account to create, nothing to cancel, nothing to upgrade from. It is part of the shipment — not a plan, not a tier, and not a free product.
A paid, scoped, time-boxed proof on your own freight. You name the lanes; we run the full operating standard for a documented term. Not a demo and not a free trial — a controlled test with an end date and a savings statement from your own rate confirmations.
Standard certified. The four document packets cleared. Quoting and execution access through the relationship-to-certified-to-quote-approved-to-execution-approved path. Mid-volume shipper profile.
High-volume certified. Same certification path. Higher shipment volume bands. Deeper integration tier. Longer retention horizon.
Separate bespoke commercial structure. Dedicated capacity, private-fleet, or capacity-partner arrangements run on their own commercial track — not a rung in the standard intake ladder. Explicit agreements, schedules, governance, and review logic. Same operating standard; different commercial framework.
Start the pricing conversation
Commercial structure here doesn't lead the engagement — qualification does. Tell us how you move freight and what you're trying to evaluate. The conversation continues once the operations team has the context.
Prefer the standard intake path? Start as a shipper →
How the engagement works
Pricing here doesn't lead the conversation — qualification does. Standard shippers move through the relationship-to-certified path before quoting opens. Private-fleet and capacity-partner relationships start as a structured-capacity conversation. The engine quotes the load against the lane, the equipment, the standing, and the settlement terms — once the relationship is real.
For carriers
You see the shipper's rate and our margin on every load before you accept it. Nothing is hidden in the spread, and on fully on-platform loads there is no spread to hide.
Why we don't publish a grid
It's a function of lane, equipment, standing, seasonality, certification posture, and how cleanly the load actually moves. Tell us what you tender; the engine quotes against truth. Standard public rate-grid logic would mislead — and we'd rather not mislead.
