Brokers. What is the biggest problem you have to deal with?

If you do a good job of screening the drivers or the fleets you use then the problems you list are minimal, mostly breakdowns and weather. Anyone can do a little research and know what the going rate$$$ is for a region and type of load being offered. If I shop for the lowest price for my loads I'll get an idiot with unreliable equipment that doesn't know the first thing about customer service = more problems for me. The best drivers get the best rates. Always on time at both ends, take care of the load, act like a professional in front of my customers, call me with updates where needed, always has tractor/trailer in tip top shape and clean. Most of the drivers I use come from referrals from other drivers that I trust and most of the loads you see on the internet load boards are junk and low paying. You might fool me once and get a load and suck on it but it will never happen again. Brokers talk with brokers just as truckers talk with truckers and driver/company lists are discussed and rated. I drive as well as broker loads and I only use the guys that are top notch and get the job done and pay accordingly, I'll give up a load rather than risk my reputation being soiled by poor performance and poor service. So, no secret really, do the job well and get paid more than the other guy. Trucking is more than holding a steering wheel and talking smack on a radio. This industry is like any other, 20% of drivers love their job and look for ways to improve themselves. For 50% of drivers it's just a job and the age of 65 can't come quick enough. The final 30% have a chip on their shoulder about everything and know everything and complain about everything. So my job is to find the 20% to haul my loads because it makes my life easier.

Some brokers hire agents that have no trucking/logistics background but have a history of sales and marketing. These are the ones that generally don't care who takes the load as long as it's cheap and they make the most commissions. I would like to hear from one of them, their list of issues is much longer than mine.

 

Biggest issue is finding reliable carriers. The level of service from most carriers is absolutely astonishing low. In almost all major markets, the service failure rates for ad hoc loads is over 20%. 20 PERCENT

1 in 5 loads will not pick-up or deliver on-time. And weekly we see a thread about how low brokers pay. Forget the broker. It is the customer. Why on earth would they agree to pay contract rates with that level of service? They are looking to save a little money on freight that is not under contract. When the rate starts getting near contract rate they will just give it to the contract carrier that has penalties for service failures.

And if the contract carrier can't cover it then they move it to a 3PL that works with premium carriers that are graded based on service.

Would you pay Nordstom prices for factory seconds? Why do you expect the customer to pay (via the broker) top rates in a market that has proven to be sub-standard.

Now, if you are a carrier that provides service then you can get onto preferred lists and work your way into premium freight.

OK, little rant. Can you guess we dealt with some issue on the brokerage side today.

But as a new broker it is very hard to find the better carriers like Dryer is talking about. I agree about if you are not offering rates on the top end of the market you will have more issues but even that is not going to help you. It takes time and you will lose good customers because of bad carriers. It just happens. Part of the pain.

 

Any time you use a new carrier you take a chance. Even with good references. And the rate really doesn't change anything.

 

Amen to that.

 

Drivers are the biggest problem we face. You can use a premium carrier pay top rates but get a bad driver and it all goes wrong. Hopefully the shipper understands what we have to work with at times. I move a lot of produce so most loads are spot market prices .Some of the rates i pay to trucks are good money yet still they manage to mess things up. When a carrier can not get the delivery on time and they have more than enough time to get the load their they don't like it when you have to charge back for missed appointments. Or when the receiver closed because they are 6-7-8 hours late then want lay over pay.

 

Im dealing with a load right now. Appointment for 09:00. Freight ready and on the dock at 08:00 (customer called when it was ready telling me to send the driver in as soon as we wanted). But I had already be informed that the driver was on site. After some searching, the found the driver who had arrived at 04:00 and shutdown for his 10-hour break. WTF

But the driver never checked in. And of course can't move.

If you are not a driver that plays games (or carrier) you can get a very good reputation and brokers like myself and many that my drivers work with will pay good rates becuase they know you will do the job. You will deal with plenty of bad brokers. Cross them off your list and move on. In time you will have a book of brokers that know and trust you and won't be complaining about rates.

But, keep working like all the other carriers that can't seem to get their act together and you will get garbage rates like all the other carriers.

 

That's getting more common lately. Accept a load(dispatch)and then the driver doesn't have the hours to PU/Del.

 

Even worse when it's an O/O.

 

My daily problem is lack of capacity to go to New England area from Harrisburg PA area. I pay $3.20 a mile but still a daily struggle. Doing it 1 year now and thought it would get easier but it's been a challenge. I can only use carriers that have no yellow flags on their CSA scores which lessons the available pool. Also finding flatbed carriers that can move something 2.50 to 3 a mile in other lanes next day service is difficult.