The drivers are accusing many freight brokers of price gouging during the pandemic. A petition has been set up on change.org, calling for the government to crack down on the largely unregulated freight brokerage industry. Most notably, they want to require brokers to disclose what their shipping customers are paying them per freight movement, thus revealing the profit margin between what brokers are bringing in and paying out to drivers/carriers. Currently brokers are allowed to keep that a secret. More protests are scheduled for Friday, May 1, in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and elsewhere under the banner and hashtag #MayDay. These protests dramatically underscore what LaneAxis has long advocated – and is now building: a shipper-to-carrier direct network that cuts out the need for freight brokers altogether. As we’ve all seen first hand, the direct model works and is ingrained in our current way of life. Think of Netflix cutting out Blockbuster, or travel sites like Orbitz cutting out travel agencies. That’s precisely what LaneAxis is doing to intermediary “managed freight services” such as brokers. Bypassing freight middlemen creates transparency and trust between shippers and carriers, while eliminating inefficiencies and unscrupulous behavior.