Manifold Freight

What do they actually do

Manifold Freight aggregates spot freight opportunities and presents them to carriers in one place. Carriers and dispatchers see a unified feed of available loads, filter by lane, timing, equipment, and price, and can click through to bid, book, or contact the posting party without hopping across multiple load boards and broker sites.

The current focus appears to be reducing the search time and manual coordination required to keep trucks loaded. The workflow centers on discovery and evaluation of loads, with basic support for moving from interest to booking via the source that posted the load. Depth of integrations, automation, and payments may vary by source and are likely to expand over time.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Independent owner-operator (solo truck driver): Spends hours switching between load boards and calls to find work; income is unpredictable and time is lost on paperwork and chasing payments.
• Small fleet owner / dispatcher (2–50 trucks): Juggles which truck to send where, manually searches multiple sources to fill empty capacity, and loses money when trucks sit idle or run long empty miles.
• Regional lane specialist carrier: Needs consistent backhauls on specific routes; often can’t find nearby loads, leading to long deadhead trips and lower revenue per mile.
• Dispatcher for on-demand/surge capacity: Must fill last-minute openings quickly; wastes time verifying brokers, negotiating rates, and coordinating drivers with clean paperwork.
• Small brokers or shippers moving spot freight: Struggle to reach enough qualified carriers fast, delaying pickup and increasing the chance of re-posting loads at worse rates.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founders do hands-on outreach at truck stops and local dispatch offices, demo the product, and onboard carriers live with a fee-free pilot and a small referral bonus.
• First 50: Run short paid pilots in a few regional lanes with small fleets and brokers, offering faster matches and help with coordination in exchange for feedback and testimonials.
• First 100: Secure channel partnerships with dispatch software vendors and a regional broker to onboard fleets in batches; add a small outbound team, attend regional trucking events, and open self-serve sign-up with a trial credit.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

The addressable market is the GMV of spot truckload moves that carriers seek across regions. Even a small slice of overall trucking spend translates into a large spot-freight pool; revenue potential depends on take-rate and/or subscriptions.

Bottom-up calculation:

Count owner-operators and small fleets that rely on spot loads, estimate their annual spot spend (loads per year × average rate), and sum across segments; convert GMV to revenue with a modest marketplace take-rate and/or SaaS ARPU.

Assumptions:

• Initial focus on U.S. domestic truckload spot freight rather than LTL or cross-border.
• Hybrid monetization (low take-rate on matched loads and/or light subscription) rather than full-service brokerage margins.
• Serviceable share near-term is limited to priority regions/lanes where load density and integrations are strongest.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• DAT: Long-standing load board used by carriers and brokers to post and find spot loads; broad inventory and industry presence make it a default daily check for many carriers.
• Truckstop: Major load board and freight-matching platform offering search, bidding, and dispatcher tools; competes on integrations and feature depth for spot freight discovery.
• Convoy: Digital freight marketplace/broker that has offered instant-book loads and automation for shippers and carriers; overlaps on ease-of-booking and operational workflow.
• Uber Freight: App-based marketplace where carriers can find and book spot loads with transparent pricing and mobile workflows; leverages scale and brand to attract both sides.
• Trucker Path: Driver-focused app with a load board alongside trip-planning (parking, stops, routing); large driver user base makes it a common mobile discovery tool.