Shipping Wars

Shipping Wars is an American reality television series on A&E that premiered January 10th, 2012

In a typical episode, the carriers place bids on two jobs listed on uShip, in a reverse auction format. Each client has the option of awarding the job either to the lowest bidder, or to a higher bidder based on feedback from previous clients, although on the show, the latter rarely, if ever, happens. Ties are broken in favor of the carrier with the higher average feedback rating. Winners load their cargo and attempt to deliver it intact by the client’s deadline. Feedback ratings from clients are displayed as the loads are delivered. At the end of the episode, each carrier’s net profit or loss is tallied on-screen, with the expenses (fuel, labor, late-delivery penalties, fines, etc.) subtracted from the bid amount to determine the overall profit or loss. At times, a carrier will arrange to haul one or more additional loads on the same trip, with the extra money figured into his/her tally, or will be unable to complete a job due to concerns over load size/weight or road safety.