F3 Tech in Action: Taming the cargo insurance challenge

Truck brokers can ease the burden of insuring both LTL and truckload cargo while saving time and money

Jessie Merritt and Brad Clark discuss partnership aimed at streamlining the cargo insurance process.

This recap is from Day 3 of FreightWaves’ F3 Virtual Experience.

TECH IN ACTION TOPIC: Per-load cargo insurance coverage simplified with Reliance Partners and EZ Loader.

DETAILS: Trucking insurance specialist Reliance Partners and freight brokerage transportation management software company EZ Loader want to level the playing field for small and midsize carriers that want access to the same freight markets as the bigger guys. Reliance Partners’ Jessie Merritt and EZ Loader’s Brad Clark discuss how their companies have teamed up to accomplish that by extracting time and costs out of the cargo insurance process for truck brokers.

SPEAKERS: Merritt is the VP of sales at Reliance Partners and Clark is the sales director at EZ Loader TMS.

BIOS: Merritt serves on the board of the Tennessee Trucking Foundation and is the current chairman of the Tennessee Trucking Association’s Young Professionals Council. She combines her technology and transportation experience in her work with RUBI, Reliance Partners’ usage-based insurance for motor carriers and freight brokers.

Clark, who was previously a sales manager at a freight brokerage, started at EZ Loader TMS in 2019. He currently heads up new client acquisition and utilizes customer feedback to help drive future development efforts.



KEY QUOTES FROM MERRITT AND CLARK:

“On the LTL side, anyone in the industry has seen that they’re never covered for the value. It takes months to get your money back. It has become a big headache for the freight broker, and it puts the broker in a bad position with the client as well.” – Brad Clark

“For any high-value freight, [brokers] can now not only source carriers that match up with a particular lane, they can source carriers based on whether the carriers’ cargo insurance covers it.” – Brad Clark

“We’re at a point with the supply chain where we have to level the playing field for midsize and small motor carriers to move every piece of freight with every opportunity that they have.” – Jessie Merritt

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

John Gallagher

Based in Washington, D.C., John specializes in regulation and legislation affecting all sectors of freight transportation. He has covered rail, trucking and maritime issues since 1993 for a variety of publications based in the U.S. and the U.K. John began business reporting in 1993 at Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. He graduated from Florida State University majoring in English and business.