CHATTANOOGA, TN -- According to Transport Capital Partners(TCP) Q3 2011 Business Expectations Survey, 81 percent of carriers have become less reliant on load brokers over the last three months.

The first quarter of 2009 saw 65 percent of carriers using brokers more frequently.

TCP also noted that smaller carriers use brokers more often than large carriers.

TCP Partner Lana Batts said that "in a capacity-tight environment, having the direct control of the trucks may finally result in truck owners receiving the rates they expect for the investment risk they incur."

Richard Mikes, also a TCP Partner, added that the future of non-asset based brokers is currently being debated in the transportation industry. "More carriers are also offering brokerage services in an environment of tight capacity," he said.

Of all carriers surveyed, 40 percent said they get less than 5 percent of their freight from spot market loads—a slight increase since Q2 2010. Half of the larger carriers surveyed said they get less than 5 percent of their revenues from spot loads, compared to less than 20 percent of the smaller carriers. Two-thirds of smaller carriers rely on 6 to 25 percent of their revenue share from spot loads.

Mikes said "The plethora of readily available sites via the web is enabling smaller carriers to compete in the spot load market for its scarce equipment."