What Tallgrass Freight Co does

Tallgrass Freight Co is a private, non-asset freight brokerage headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas (with operating presence in Kansas City) that serves small and mid-sized shippers through an independent freight agent network rather than direct sales. Founded in 2012, the company recruits and retains 1099 / LLC freight agents who bring their own shipper book and operate as broker-of-record under the Tallgrass umbrella; agents earn commission splits (reportedly 65-70% of gross margin) with no salary caps, supported by an internal back office handling invoicing, collections, claims, and carrier compliance. The agent base is serviced through a tiered rewards structure (Club 250 at $250K gross margin, Diamond Club at $500K, Elite Circle at $1M) and community events including annual Roundtable mastermind weekends and reward trips.

Tallgrass's distribution covers 11 freight modes — Truckload, LTL, Rail/Intermodal, Air, Expedited, Temperature-Controlled, Drayage, International, Parcel, Warehousing, and White Glove — accessible to shippers through agents in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The strategic centerpiece is a proprietary CRM built and maintained in-house since April 2021 by an internal IT team (led by VP of IT John Ruf). The CRM includes a LTL Rating Engine, Reporting Engine, Notification Engine, Auto-Invoicing, an Online Payment Portal, and a Franchise Mode that lets larger agencies assign custom views and permissions. The platform integrates with DAT and Truckstop for load posting, Triumph Pay for carrier payment automation, MyCarrier Portal for rules-based carrier vetting (with mandatory compliance gates), Safer Ratings for carrier safety verification, IndustrySelect for prospecting, and Trucker Tools for tracking — with My Freight World and View-Only Mode slated for Q2 2025.

The company operates as a community-led and channel-partner go-to-market, monetizing primarily through transaction-fee commissions on brokered freight. Inbound demand is generated through content marketing (blog, case studies, free ebooks, SEO) and an agent referral program. No external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity is disclosed; the business appears founder- or management-owned and bootstrapped. Named leadership includes Sean Richardson (President), Damon Anderson (Founder/CEO per addendum), David Barnes (COO), Bob Brown (VP Growth & Development), John Ruf (VP IT), Michael Clemmons (VP Operations), and Jordan Brady (Senior Director of Agent Development).

Name

Tallgrass Freight Co

Legal name

Tallgrass Freight Company

Website

https://tallgrassfreight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tallgrass Freight Co is a private, non-asset freight brokerage that serves small and mid-sized shippers via an independent freight agent network, combining agent commission splits with a proprietary in-house CRM and full back-office support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Brokerage Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) / Groupage Forwarding (TLACACAB)

Keywords

• Freight brokerage services
• Third-party logistics
• LTL freight shipping
• Truckload shipping
• Freight agent network

Headquarters

HQ city

Shawnee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Freight Brokerage Services: Tallgrass operates as a freight brokerage, brokering freight between shippers and carriers. Agents earn commissions based on gross margin splits (65-70% typical range, with competitive compensation packages for top performers).
2. Agent Commission Splits: Agents earn commission based on gross margin generated. Tallgrass offers competitive splits with unlimited earning potential. The company emphasizes no salary caps and high splits for top performers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tallgrass Freight Co operates an independent freight agent network that provides a full-service logistics solution across 11 freight modes (Truckload, LTL, Air, Expedited, Temperature-Controlled, Drayage, International, Rail, Parcel, Warehousing, and White Glove). The company recruits independent freight agents who operate as 1099 contractors under the Tallgrass umbrella, providing them with proprietary CRM technology, back office support, carrier relationships, and agent development resources to run their own freight brokerages.

Product overview

Tallgrass Freight Co operates as an independent freight agent network offering a comprehensive suite of logistics services centered around an 11-service freight shipping portfolio (Truckload, LTL, Air Freight, Expedited, Temperature-Controlled, Drayage, International, Rail, Parcel, Warehousing, and White Glove services) powered by its proprietary Tallgrass Freight CRM. The CRM serves as the core technology platform, with integrated modules including the Online Payment Portal, LTL Rating Engine, Reporting Engine, Notification Engine, Auto-Invoicing, and Franchise Mode for larger agencies. The company differentiates through its What-If? innovation program that incorporates agent feedback into CRM development. Beyond freight services and technology, Tallgrass offers tiered rewards programs (Club 250, Diamond Club, Elite Circle) for high-performing agents based on gross margin thresholds, plus educational resources including a freight agent ebook.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truckload Shipping
• LTL Shipping
• Air Freight
• Expedited Shipping
• Temperature-Controlled Shipping
• Drayage
• International Shipping
• Rail Shipping
• Parcel Service
• Warehousing
• White Glove
• Tallgrass Freight CRM

Quantifiable outcome

• 386% increase in lifetime margin growth achieved by Garett L. over his Tallgrass career
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MyCarrier PortalcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership for carrier vetting that enables fast, rules-based carrier lookup. Carriers cannot work with Tallgrass agents unless they pass all vetting requirements set through this system.
• Triumph PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationCross-departmental integration that automates key parts of the carrier payment process, enabling faster carrier payments and streamlined financial operations.
• DAT Freight & AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationLoad board access and freight analytics platform provided to agents for rate quoting, load matching, and market intelligence.
• TruckstopcoreTechnology or IntegrationLoad board platform available to agents for posting open loads and finding carrier capacity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Landstar System: Landstar is the largest agent-based freight network in North America, with thousands of independent owner-operators and agents brokering truckload, LTL, and expedited freight. Closest direct comparable to Tallgrass's independent agent model, though at materially greater scale.
• Worldwide Express: Worldwide Express runs an agent-based sales channel for parcel, LTL, and truckload services, recruiting sales agents who build book-of-business under the WWEX umbrella. Highly comparable to Tallgrass's agent network, especially in LTL and parcel cross-sell.
• Coyote Logistics: Coyote is a large non-asset 3PL acquired by UPS, offering truckload, LTL, intermodal, and supply chain services through its brokerage platform. Comparable to Tallgrass in TL/LTL brokerage but operates employee-driven, not agent-driven.
• Echo Global Logistics: Echo is a technology-enabled non-asset freight broker covering truckload, LTL, intermodal, and managed transportation. Direct comparable on tech-led brokerage model, though owned by The Jordan Company post-take-private.
• Uber Freight: Uber Freight operates a digital freight marketplace plus managed brokerage and Transplace TMS services, competing across TL and intermodal. Relevant on technology-enabled brokerage, less so on Tallgrass's agent model.

Broad incumbents

• C.H. Robinson: C.H. Robinson is the largest North American non-asset freight broker, offering truckload, LTL, intermodal, and global forwarding across enterprise customers. Broad incumbent that overlaps with every mode Tallgrass brokers but at vastly greater scale.
• RXO: RXO is a major asset-light freight brokerage spin-off from XPO, providing truckload, LTL brokerage, last-mile, and managed transportation. Direct competitor in TL and LTL brokerage with similar SMB-to-enterprise customer mix.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services: J.B. Hunt operates J.B. Hunt 360, a digital freight marketplace combined with its ICS brokerage and intermodal services. Broad incumbent with overlapping TL and intermodal brokerage offerings.
• Hub Group: Hub Group provides intermodal, truck brokerage, logistics, and dedicated trucking services across North America. Overlaps with Tallgrass on intermodal/rail and TL brokerage at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Loadsmart: Loadsmart is a digital freight broker applying automation and pricing intelligence to TL and LTL bookings. Comparable as a tech-forward brokerage competitor, though without Tallgrass's agent channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tallgrassfrt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tallgrass Freight Co