What is the difference between a public and a private freight exchange?

A public freight exchange is open to any verified registered user — all load and capacity postings are visible across the full platform. TimoCom, Trans.eu, Teleroute, and Wtransnet are all public exchanges. A private freight exchange restricts access to a pre-approved group — typically the contracted carrier pool of a major shipper, a retail group's logistics network, or an industry consortium. Private exchanges give the shipper competitive pricing from a controlled set of known, vetted carriers rather than the open market. They are more common in large enterprise logistics operations than in SME or mid-market freight.