Work with Ted

The Backhaul is the newsletter. Carolina Expressways is the business.

If you read The Backhaul and think "I could use someone like that on my side of the phone" — that's the point. Here's what Carolina Expressways actually does, and who each service is for.

Freight brokerage

The primary business. We move freight for shippers who are tired of getting quoted a rate on Monday and hearing "market shifted" on Tuesday. Dry van, reefer, flatbed, drayage. Spot or contract. We run an asset-light brokerage model out of North Carolina, which means we're not trying to fill our own trucks at your expense. The goal is a covered load, an honest rate, and a driver who picks up the phone.

Best fit: shippers moving 5+ loads a week who want a broker that treats their freight like it matters. Carriers looking for consistent lanes and a dispatcher who doesn't ghost at 4 PM on a Friday.

SDVOSB federal contracting

Carolina Expressways is an SBA-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. That means federal agencies and prime contractors with SDVOSB set-aside goals can route logistics work to us directly. DoD, VA, GSA schedules, state and municipal contracts. Transportation, managed logistics, and related support services.

Best fit: contracting officers with SDVOSB goals to hit. Primes looking for a qualified teaming partner on a logistics scope. Agencies that need a small-business-sized partner who can actually execute.

Managed logistics

For companies that don't want to build a transportation team from scratch but also don't want to hand everything to a faceless 3PL. We act as your outsourced logistics desk. Carrier sourcing and vetting, rate benchmarking, lane strategy, tender management, exception handling, KPI reporting. The stuff a good in-house traffic manager does — without the payroll line.

Best fit: shippers doing meaningful volume but without a dedicated transportation hire. Companies that want visibility and control without the headcount.

Advisory and consulting

Project-based work for teams who need an operator's read, not a slide deck. Lane network design. Rate RFP strategy. Carrier base rationalization. Freight tech stack reviews. SDVOSB teaming strategy for primes. If you're inside a logistics problem and need someone who's actually worked the phones, we can scope it.

Best fit: shippers, private equity diligence teams, freight startups, and primes with logistics scopes who need short, operator-grade engagements.

How to reach us

Freight, managed logistics, or advisory inquiries: freight@carolinaexpressways.com

SDVOSB and federal contracting: freight@carolinaexpressways.com (mark the subject line "Federal")

Tell us what you're moving, where it's going, and what's not working with the current setup. We'll respond within one business day. If it's urgent, say so.

Loads of signal. Zero deadhead.