Key facts
- Founded 2017 · headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ
- Privately held
- Gross revenue: $0.09B (est.) per Transport Topics 2024
- Primary freight modes: Dry Van
About Emerge (Freight Procurement)
Emerge is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based freight procurement platform and brokerage founded in 2017. With an estimated $90 million in gross brokerage revenue, Emerge has positioned itself as a technology-first alternative to traditional freight brokerage — specifically for shippers who run contract freight programs and need a better tool for managing the annual or semi-annual RFP process. The platform enables shippers to source contract freight, run competitive bid events, compare carrier and broker proposals, and award lanes digitally, reducing the manual spreadsheet work that has historically made freight procurement a slow, error-prone process.
Emerge's brokerage capability — covering dry van FTL, LTL, and flatbed — complements the procurement platform by providing spot capacity on lanes where the shipper doesn't have a primary carrier or needs overflow coverage. The combination of RFP platform and spot brokerage makes Emerge particularly useful for mid-market shippers running contract freight programs of 50–500 lanes who want to modernize their procurement workflow without hiring a large internal freight team. Managed transportation services extend the offering for shippers who want Emerge to execute as well as procure.
For shippers evaluating Emerge, the primary differentiator is the RFP and procurement platform — if you're running contract freight and currently managing the process in Excel, Emerge offers a meaningfully better workflow. The brokerage capability is strong for dry van and flatbed FTL, with active LTL support. Shippers with purely spot freight needs, or those requiring refrigerated, intermodal, or cross-border capabilities, will find the platform less differentiated and should consider established brokers with deeper mode coverage.
Listing assembled from public records (FMCSA Li-Public, Transport Topics, company website). Are you Emerge (Freight Procurement)? Claim this profile →
Load Types Transport Topics Top 100
FMCSA & Licensing FMCSA Li-Public
Coverage
All 48 contiguous states
Strongest Lanes
Pros & Cons
- Freight procurement platform built specifically for contract RFP management — digitizes bid events, carrier comparison, and lane award workflows that most shippers still manage in spreadsheets
- Strong dry van FTL and active flatbed capability — solid execution on the modes that dominate most contract freight programs
- Active LTL support alongside FTL allows shippers to consolidate procurement across modes in one platform
- Technology-forward approach with API integration — connects to TMS systems for award execution and load management
- Founded 2017 with significant VC backing — strong product investment trajectory in the freight procurement software space
- No refrigerated, intermodal, or cross-border capability — shippers with reefer or Mexico/Canada needs must use additional providers
- Procurement platform value is highest for shippers running formal contract freight programs — transactional spot-only shippers get less differentiated value
- Relatively young company (founded 2017) — fewer years of market cycle experience than established brokers
- Platform-centric model means service experience may differ from dedicated relationship brokers during capacity crunches
- No mobile app or instant quoting — the platform is optimized for procurement workflows, not on-demand spot booking
Compare Alternatives
Select 2 brokers, then click Compare Side-by-Side to view load types, FMCSA data, coverage, and ratings head-to-head.
FAQ
Is Emerge licensed and bonded as a freight broker?
Emerge, Inc. operates as a licensed freight broker. FMCSA MC# and DOT# are not confirmed in this profile — verify current broker authority status at li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov by searching 'Emerge Inc' before tendering a load. All licensed freight brokers are required to carry a $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond or trust fund.
What types of freight does Emerge move?
Per Transport Topics' Top 100 Freight Brokerage Firms report, Emerge primarily brokers dry van FTL, with active LTL and flatbed capability. Refrigerated is limited. Emerge does not actively cover intermodal, air/expedited, bulk/tank, or parcel freight. The brokerage operates alongside a freight procurement platform optimized for contract freight RFP management.
How do Emerge's rates compare to other freight brokers?
Emerge's procurement platform is designed to drive competitive pricing by running carrier and broker bid events — shippers typically see rate improvement from the competitive process rather than from Emerge's brokerage margin alone. For spot coverage, benchmark Emerge's brokerage quotes against ShipperGuide's 50+ broker network. For contract freight, the platform's RFP tooling is the primary value driver.