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Advertise Your Company Here! WE TRAIN THE RIGHT CANDIDATES!! We also have companies seeking inexperienced agents with a background in the freight or transportation industries. Contact us to see if we have an opening to fit your background. Becoming a Freight Broker Agent - An Independent Freight Agent will have full support, software training, and care provided by our experienced group of transportation professionals. We can have you booking freight in no time with our state of the art software, load boards, and back office support. We are members of TIA and other highly recognized transportation organizations. The Role of a Freight Broker A
freight broker is a third party individual responsible for matching
a load with a carrier from the shipper to the consignee. The reason
brokers are in business is the fact that manufacturers can take a
huge workload off of their shipping department by allowing a broker
to manage the shipments. The broker is responsible for quoting a
rate to the shipper for the load, finding a carrier, negotiating a
rate with the carrier, and ensuring the load is successfully
delivered. While doing all of this, they are striving to make a
decent profit between the rate they are getting from their customer
and the rate they are paying the carrier. As an
agent you are responsible for setting up new customers, carriers,
handling rate confirmations, and faxing all of this to your
brokerage. You must stay in constant contact with your brokerage,
customers, and a driver that is under one of your loads. You want to
stay on the driver to make sure they are on time, in route, and
following all necessary load information. You will also be on call
at all times in case there is a problem with the load. You are
responsible for that load. The customer trusts you as a business
partner to handle a large amount of money in that load.
The broker, as an independent agent, answers to their
brokerage. They must operate in a manner reflecting the ethics of
the company they work for. Brokers are usually 1099 contractors and
are responsible for their own taxes. The brokerage will usually pay
you your commissions weekly and also provide detailed commission
reports.
Now there are employee type broker positions. These brokers
are usually handed a book of business to deal with on a daily basis
and are paid salary. These positions are usually rare, and do not
come easy. The real entrepreneurs decide to become independent
agents. And I have seen employee brokers that realize the income
potential they could make as an independent agent only to go out on
their own.
If you are an agent, your brokerage also has
responsibilities. They should handle all of the back office work.
This would include billing, collections, payroll, and other normal
office duties. They should provide software for the agents, a
commission split, and often provide load board subscriptions. They
are also responsible for credit approvals for the customers and
carriers. They handle paying the carriers also. The Role of a
Dispatcher A
dispatcher is usually an employee of a trucking company. They are
responsible for managing the drivers of the company. They
plan and coordinate loads for the drivers, they manage the drivers’
schedule, ensure they are following DOT guidelines, and many other
essential duties. The dispatcher is usually the person that will
contact you when you have a load available. They will be looking for
loads that match the needs of a drivers’ route, and contact the
broker about the load. They will usually be very abrupt and straight
to the point. They usually are not rude people, they are very busy
and have a hectic job. Being a dispatcher, in my opinion, is the
stress equivalent of an air traffic controller. Most dispatchers use
a software program that that will coordinate their trucks, loads,
and customers’ information. Most companies also now use tracking
software that will check driver’s location, speed, arrivals and
departures. This software has significantly decreased a dispatchers’
workload. The 3PL
Industry and Warehousing A
3PL company is a jack of all trades, They usually have divisions in
brokering, warehousing, and freight forwarding. They will handle
air, ocean, and land freight. A 3PL will also offer services of
storage, tracking, labeling, and inventory management. They are an
all around logistics provider. A
company would benefit from a 3PL in a situation where they wanted
someone to store their product, manage the inventory of it, and
handle the orders when a buyer wanted some of that product. A 3PL
can offer a great service to reduce the workload and manpower needed
at a company that produces goods. It is not out of the question for a 3PL and a broker to work together to handle shipments in and out of their warehousing facilities. This, in most cases, would not be considered double brokering.
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