What is a freight broker platform?

A freight broker platform is software that handles the end-to-end workflow of arranging a shipment: getting an all-in quote, matching with a carrier, accepting the carrier's bid, generating the Bill of Lading, and tracking the load. Stretch XL Freight is a modern broker platform built for small brokers and shippers who don't want the cost or complexity of legacy TMS systems.

How is this different from a TMS?

A traditional TMS (transportation management system) is built for shippers with their own carrier contracts and dedicated dispatchers. Stretch XL Freight is built for the opposite: shippers and small brokers who want one-off quoting + a marketplace of pre-vetted carriers without negotiating contracts. Less complexity, faster setup, no implementation fee.

Do shippers pay to use the platform?

No subscription fee. Shippers and small brokers get instant quoting, multi-board posting, bid management, and BOL automation at no monthly cost. The platform fee is built into the carrier-side rate so the shipper sees one all-in number.

How are carriers vetted?

Every carrier in the marketplace passes FMCSA SAFER verification — DOT number, MC number, active operating authority — at signup. Live FMCSA SAFER data (insurance status, safety score, authority status) is shown next to every bid in the dashboard so the shipper picking a carrier can verify the record in one glance.

Does the platform negotiate carrier bids on the shipper's behalf?

No. Carriers submit their rates directly. The shipper sees the bid list with each carrier's rate, on-platform rating, and live FMCSA SAFER record, and picks the carrier they prefer. There is no negotiation or counter-quote step. This keeps pricing transparent and prevents the broker-margin opacity that frustrates both sides of the trade.

Built for small brokers · Shippers · Owner-operators

The Freight Broker Platform That Doesn't Get in Your Way

Get an all-in quote in 60 seconds. Post a load to every major board from one form. Accept the carrier you actually want — based on their rate, their rating, and their live FMCSA record. Send the signed BOL automatically. No contracts. No setup fees. No negotiation gymnastics.

Get Instant Quote See the workflow

★ 5.0 Google reviews USDOT 4409725 MC 01732149 FMCSA verified

Most freight broker platforms were built for big shippers with dedicated logistics teams, multi-year carrier contracts, and IT departments that spent six months on a TMS implementation. That's not how a small broker works. That's not how a Shopify store owner shipping freight to a distributor works. That's not how a one-truck owner-operator looking for a steady book of business works.

Stretch XL Freight is built the other way. It assumes you don't have a TMS, don't have time to negotiate carrier contracts, and don't want to learn three different load boards just to get the freight visibility you need. Everything happens on one dashboard, in one workflow, with one bill.

The end-to-end workflow

Get an instant quote

Enter pickup, drop-off, equipment, weight, and date. All-in rate comes back in seconds — fuel, tolls, and platform fee built in. No login required to get a quote.

Post the load

Your load goes out to every major load board and to our direct-carrier network simultaneously. One submission, maximum visibility. Real pickup date posted — no fake "+3 day" defaults.

Get carrier bids

Vetted carriers submit their rate within minutes to a few hours, depending on lane density. Each bid shows the carrier's on-platform rating + live FMCSA SAFER record (insurance, authority, safety score) side by side.

Pick + sign

You pick the carrier you want — best rate, best rating, best safety record, your call. One click locks the rate. The signed Bill of Lading goes to the driver automatically. No back-and-forth negotiation, no margin opacity.

Who the platform is built for

Shippers

Free

One-off or recurring loads, instant pricing, transparent carrier selection. Pay only the all-in platform rate on completed shipments — no monthly fee, no setup cost.

Instant LTL + FTL quotes nationwide
FMCSA-verified carriers only
Signed BOL + tracking on every load
Recurring lane discounts on repeat freight

Small brokers

Free + per-post fee

Post loads to every major board from one form. Skip the $200-500/mo subscription stack. Pay a flat fee per load posted.

Multi-board posting from one form
Carrier marketplace + bid management
BOL automation
White-label option for established brokerages

Carriers + owner-operators

$35/mo

The aggregated load board side: every major load board plus our direct-shipper loads, one $35/month subscription. 7-day free trial, no credit card required.

Unified search across all the major boards
SXLF Direct shipper loads (no broker margin)
Saved lane searches
Quick-pay option (24h settlement, 2% factoring)

Why "no counter-quote" matters

Most broker platforms work this way: shipper requests a quote, the platform asks carriers what they'd charge, the platform marks it up, then quotes the shipper a number with an opaque margin. If the carrier wants to negotiate, they talk to the platform, not the shipper. The shipper never sees the carrier's true rate. The carrier never sees the shipper's true budget. Both sides feel like they're getting squeezed.

Stretch XL Freight doesn't do this. When you post a load, carriers submit their actual rates directly. You see every bid in a side-by-side list with each carrier's on-platform rating + live FMCSA SAFER record. You pick. We lock the rate. There's no negotiation step on our side, no counter-quote game, no margin obfuscation. The platform fee is a clearly labeled line item — same number, every load, no surprises.

Carriers like this because sharp pricing wins lanes — no one's haggling them down. Shippers like this because they see exactly what they're paying for and exactly who's hauling.

What "FMCSA SAFER on every bid" actually shows you

When carriers bid on your load, each bid card surfaces:

Carrier name + MC + DOT — the basics, click-through to FMCSA SAFER for the full record.
Operating authority status — Active, Inactive, Out of Service. Anyone Inactive or OOS is filtered out before you see them.
Insurance on file — coverage type + amount + expiration. Lapsed insurance auto-excludes a bid.
Safety score — current CSA scores summarized into a green/yellow/red signal so you can tell at a glance.
On-platform rating — average on-time pickup %, on-time delivery %, and communication score across previous SXLF loads.
Years in business — when the authority was granted. New carriers can win loads too — many do — but you have the data.

This isn't trust theater. It's the same data FMCSA publishes; we just put it in front of you at the moment of decision so you don't have to open four browser tabs to make a confident choice.

Common questions

How is this different from using a TMS?

A traditional TMS (transportation management system) assumes you've already contracted directly with your carriers, set up rate tables, integrated EDI, and hired a dispatcher. Stretch XL Freight assumes the opposite — you want one-off or recurring quoting and pre-vetted carriers without any of that overhead. Faster setup, lower commitment, no implementation fee.

Do I have to be a registered broker to use it?

No. Shippers don't need to be brokers — you're booking your own freight. If you're a small broker arranging freight for shippers, you do need an FMCSA broker authority + bond per federal law, but you don't need them to use our quoting and posting tools.

Where does the platform fee come from?

For shippers booking direct: the platform fee is a transparent line item built into the all-in rate. For carriers: $35/month subscription for load board access. For small brokers posting loads: flat per-post fee. No hidden percentage margins, no opaque mark-ups.

Can I integrate this with my existing systems?

Yes — we publish a REST API for programmatic quoting, posting, and bid management. Email sales for a key. For most small brokers and shippers, the web dashboard is more than enough; the API is there for the ones who want to embed quoting into their existing workflow.

What if a carrier no-shows after I book?

Rare because we publish on-time pickup % publicly on every bid card — carriers know we know. When it does happen, we re-post the load to your network and to direct-shipper carriers immediately, and the no-show counts against the carrier's rating. You're not charged the platform fee on a load that didn't move.

Is there a free trial?

Shippers and small brokers: there's nothing to trial — you pay nothing to quote or post, only on completed shipments. Carriers (load board side): 7-day free trial, no credit card required, full access.