Maxwell & Jones Transport Services is an asset$-$based brokerage company that has primarily served shippers in south Texas for many years. Recently, a new startup brokerage company has moved in and is starting to take many long$-$time customers away from Maxwell & Jones. In response, Maxwell & Jones has dropped its prices on loads to customers they are in danger of losing to the new brokerage to an amount below Maxwell & Jones actual operating costs. This has been done in an attempt to protect customers and$/$or take them back from the new startup brokerage company, hopefully also driving the startup company out of business at the same time. Maxwell & Jones is most likely engaged in the following type of pricing strategy?

Variable$-$cost pricing

Fixed$-$cost pricing

Predatory Pricing

Competitive Market$-$based pricing