I talked with a FedEx Custom Critical official at the Expo about the new BR units that are being brought onto the fleet. I shared with him, and he confirmed, that there are two ways of looking at this, with just one of them being correct.
The first way is that the BR TVAL units will canibalize the one and two skid loads that CR and DR trucks are hauling now, thereby reducing CR and DR TVAL loads and revenue.
The second way is that BR units provide an additional level of customer service to existing and new TVAL customers that straight trucks and big rigs do not now provide. Those new and enhanced relationships will result in more TVAL freight for trucks of all sizes.
Not surprisingly, the FDCC official said that the second way of looking at it is the correct way. I would take this with grain of salt except for one thing.
The load we are on right now is from a location we have never been to before and the notes say "BR-unit OK." It seems a BR-unit was not available and we got the load instead. The money is good and we are happy to haul the freight. In this case, at least, we did not lose a load to a BR unit, we got a load because of the new BR market that FDCC is developing.
Go BR! and Go FDCC!