An open letter from Project44 CEO Jett McCandless regarding MyCarrier dispute

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Sat, Feb 1, 2025, 5:25 PM 4 min read

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.

Mike Bookout’s recent FreightWaves letter is misleading and filled with misrepresentations.

Here’s the real story:

As many readers know, I have been an investor in MyCarrier, and Project44 (p44) and MyCarrier have had a long-standing partnership focused on innovation in the LTL industry. In fact, p44’s data and products have powered MyCarrier’s platform since its founding in 2017.

From Day 1, p44 licensed its data, APIs and analytics to MyCarrier at a substantial discount — far below market value. We made this investment because we believed in the partnership and the potential to digitally transform LTL shipping. For years, MyCarrier was one of p44’s largest users, relying heavily on our technology, including eBOL, which p44 launched in 2019.

MyCarrier signed a contract it never intended to honor

By 2023, as the original contract with deeply discounted rates was expiring, p44 made it clear that MyCarrier had two options:

Part ways amicably, with p44 even offering to help MyCarrier build its own carrier integrations.
Sign a new five-year contract, with rates that would gradually increase over time to align with market rates.

MyCarrier chose to stay and signed a new five-year contract in October 2023. The agreement included standard “no build behind” and non-compete clauses – terms that MyCarrier agreed to without reservation and had similar clauses in the 2017 agreement.

At the time, MyCarrier assured p44 it had no intent to compete and only sought limited, non-competitive connectivity for its TMS. However, documents obtained through court order tell a different story.

Behind the scenes: MyCarrier was secretly building a competitor

While negotiating the new contract, MyCarrier was already planning to breach it.

Just days before signing the contract, MyCarrier hired an API specialist and engaged a team in Serbia to build a replacement for p44’s platform.
Internal MyCarrier documents reveal that the company’s CTO estimated their “proxy system” was 18 months away from completion — proving that this was a premeditated effort to phase out p44 while still using our services.

The eBOL excuse doesn’t hold up

In late 2023 and early 2024, MyCarrier requested customized eBOL changes. Due to resource prioritization, p44 didn’t immediately implement them, but by mid-2024, those changes were enabled.

Despite this, MyCarrier launched its own eBOL system anyway, even though:

eBOL was included in their contract with p44, and they were still using p44 to send thousands of eBOLs every day.
Project44 remains the largest eBOL provider in the world, processing 99,000 NMFTA-compliant eBOLs in June 2024 alone, far exceeding any competitor.
p44 introduced an NMFTA-compliant eBOL in April 2024 and continued investing in carrier-specific enhancements.

The truth is MyCarrier didn’t develop its own eBOL because of any deficiency in p44’s EBOL service. It did so because eBOL was the easiest first step in a larger plan to fully replace p44 – despite the contract explicitly prohibiting this.

Legal violations and attempts to evade accountability

When p44 formally notified MyCarrier in June 2024 of its contract violations, MyCarrier initially promised to “work towards a cure.”

Instead:

In July 2024 MyCarrier filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against p44, falsely claiming we threatened to suspend services.
After the court granted p44’s request for an evidentiary hearing and discovery, MyCarrier unsuccessfully tried to abandon the court proceedings in favor of private arbitration — a clear indication that their own evidence was problematic.
In September 2024, without notice, MyCarrier abruptly severed its relationship with p44 and moved to a competing provider—another violation of the contract.

Why this matters to the LTL industry

This isn’t just about a contract dispute. It’s about trust, fair business practices, and the integrity of industry partnerships.

The agreement between p44 and MyCarrier explicitly prohibits them from developing standalone APIs, products and services that are substantially similar with p44’s offerings. The agreement also prohibits MyCarrier from competing with project44, which they clearly are through a new data provider. MyCarrier is also misusing data obtained through p44 to power analytics products in violation of the contract.

Despite multiple warnings, MyCarrier has continued these breaches, threatening serious competitive harm to p44 and disrupting the LTL industry. That is why p44 has asked the court to stop MyCarrier from further violations and prevent the continued use of alternative service providers.

Final thoughts

I have been deeply invested in the LTL industry my entire career. This industry is built on relationships, trust, and long-term collaboration. That’s why I personally tried to resolve this issue privately with MyCarrier’s leadership, including Mike Bookout, a board member, and other stakeholders, before legal action was necessary.

Unfortunately, MyCarrier made it clear they had no intention of honoring their commitments.

Project44 did not initiate this dispute, but we will not stand by while MyCarrier undermines contracts, misuses our technology, and deceives the industry. We are committed to protecting our customers, partners, and the integrity of the LTL ecosystem. The full transcript of the hearing and p44’s courtroom presentation materials can be found here.

The post An open letter from Project44 CEO Jett McCandless regarding MyCarrier dispute appeared first on FreightWaves.

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