2 Trimble Transportation Bid Don’t Bet Introduction What do you think of when someone asks you about bid season? To many (if not most), these are some of the most stressful weeks of the year. It’s not just the nature of bidding that can be painful, it’s that the stakes are so high - the contracts you lock in can spell out the difference between a great or terrible year for your business. Bid season is your opportunity to win the right freight at the right rate, if you can execute efficiently. It’s your chance to realize your corporate vision and strategy through the nature and strength of your relationships with shippers. The marketplace of shippers and carriers is enormous. And according to the American Trucking Associations all are competing for part of the $796.7 billion gross revenues made in the trucking industry in 2018 . Who gets how much of this profit pie is decided quite early on, as January bidding results in contracts with shippers that usually last for the next year. To put it simply, the opportunities presented by bid season are immense , and it’s up to carriers to navigate the space intelligently to secure revenues for the year to come. Understanding the Marketplace TRUCKING ACCOUNTS FOR OF AMERICA’S ANNUAL FREIGHT BILL 81.5%