Knight-Swift Cut Broker Carrier Network 70% as Stricter Vetting Reshapes Trucking Capacity

Knight-Swift Transportation has reduced its approved brokerage carrier pool by roughly 70% over the past two years, CEO Adam Miller said Tuesday at the WEX OTR Summit in Jacksonville, Florida, as tighter vetting standards and stricter regulation threaten to shrink industry capacity already tightening. Miller said the company now requires motor carriers to have operated for at least one year before hauling brokered freight, citing increasingly organized cargo theft and potential broker liability. He pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which he said exposes brokers to greater legal risk when hiring carriers with questionable safety records, including unfavorable CSA scores. Tender rejection rates remain elevated while available capacity tightens, and Miller argued the changes could produce a more sustainable freight recovery by barring the cheapest, less-compliant carriers from entering during an upcycle. He also warned brokers may pay multiples of current premiums to maintain the same insurance limits as liability concerns mount.