What are the issues with brokers?

Discussion in 'Freight Broker Forum' started by m16ty, Oct 15, 2022.

  1. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    I've been a long time member of TTR but I think this is the first time I've ventured into the broker's forum. What brought me here is the major issues I've been having brokers lately. These issues have been ongoing since I've been in the business (since 1992), but it has gotten much worse lately.

    You see, our main business is machinery moving. Lots of our day to day operations is loading and unloading trucks at customer's location with men and heavy machinery. I say all this because brokers don't seem to understand the time and cost involved in dealing with these loads on both ends. The main issues are trucks not showing up when scheduled, and when they do show up it is a driver that often isn't dressed properly do be in an industrial construction site and can't speak or comprehend English.

    I don't think brokers understand that it can cost us $1,000 an hour or more for all the men and equipment to sit around waiting on a truck to show up. I've had 3 no-shows this week. It's always some excuse that the truck is broke down or whatnot. I'm know that breakdowns are unavoidable sometimes, but if trucks broke down as much as brokers claim, the shoulders of the highways across the US would be littered with broken trucks. I just don't understand the process of quoting a load for a low price and a agreed to pickup time, and then try to find a truck to take the load. And then if you can't find a truck for your rate, start lying about what is really going on.
     
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  3. Ruthless

    Ruthless Road Train Member

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    You are looking at solving a different problem than they are:
    You want trucks on time, operated by professionals; and cheap would be great.
    They (almost exclusively) want the cheapest truck they can find, being on time is likely an afterthought at best; and they don’t know or care if the driver is a professional.


    Unless they bare the cost of missed appointments or improper communication/dress: what you been getting is what you’re gonna get.
    They are making their money on the spread between what they told you/ your customer for price and what they told the carrier they’d get paid. Trucks being late or unprofessional only costs you/ your customer, there is no benefit to the broker to paying more for a truck as it is money out of their pocket.

    I certainly hope you’re charging for all the downtime. Might be a worthwhile conversation with your customer:
    “cheap is really costing you here”
     
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  4. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    Personally, I’m not looking for cheap. What’s a extra $1,000 to the overall price compared to over $1,000 an hr waiting on a truck?

    Yes, the customer is charged for us sitting waiting on a truck, it’s in our quote as a condition. I can usually haul the load or I can get others that I trust to haul it, but I’m almost always higher that other quotes they get. Sometimes the customer understands the value of us handling the transportation, even though the quote is higher, but there are some that have to learn the hard way. Even though we do get compensated for waiting on a truck, it still messes with our schedule and can put us in a bind.

    I’ve got one guy I use sometimes when we can’t move the load. He has a few of his own trucks, but will broker it out also if he doesn’t have the availability. He will often quote me a price and I’ll tell him to add $500 or so. In my opinion, you can’t expect to get a decent hauler just going with market rate, you’ve got to be over and above the market price.
     
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  5. REO6205

    REO6205 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    If brokers whine about detention charges they'll really have a coronary when they see the charge for a few hours of crane time and a rigging crew.
     
  6. Kenworth6969

    Kenworth6969 Road Train Member

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    Expect more breakdowns because all these trucks out here hauling these cheap rates can't afford maintenance.
     
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  7. Midwest Trucker

    Midwest Trucker Road Train Member

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    A lot of brokers throw low ball rates to
    Potential customers or even say they have a truck ready to go and then try to turn their lie into a truth. Sometimes they can do it, and sometimes they can’t.
    Unfortunately without more control of the situation, sounds like your stuck hoping for the best and recovering costs where you can. The only thing I can think of is making it mandatory to use yourself or your own preferred brokerage as a condition of the sale or job. Whatever it is you do.
     
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  8. Joyce's Volvo

    Joyce's Volvo Light Load Member

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    When you have a crane and crew out to load it’s not cheap, they’re out there by the hour,And any delay cost ! The truck needs to be there when you want it, yes breakdowns occur, but the more people you go through is more chances for delays. I would suggest that you deal direct with the trucks, most brokers don’t know the difference between a excavator boom and a boom off of a 2400 Lima shovel. You know what type of trucks you need , and you could save yourself money not fooling with brokers.
     
  9. MartinFromBC

    MartinFromBC Road Train Member

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    Buy your own trucks, or even better skip the brokers, and talk to a top notch trucking company directly, and make them your go to hauler.
    Not everyone is set up to deal with heavy/oversized loads.

    Get the right people to do the job, and it will be done right every time.

    You wouldn't ask your cobbler to do heart surgery on you, so why ask a broker to move your special loads, they don't know what they are talking about in heavy haul, nor do they own the trucks, trailers, or employ the drivers in a conventional way.
    They just give it to a random stranger, who probably knows just enough to be dangerous.
     
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  10. KrumpledTed

    KrumpledTed Medium Load Member

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    Exactly. Needs to sit down with his customer and give ‘em the line from those old commercials, “You can pay me now or you can pay me later.”
     
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  11. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    I don't deal with brokers. We either haul our loads or I have other trusted trucking companies help us out. The brokered loads are all hired buy my customers. I often quote the trucking, but they will say I'm too high, so they end up paying crane detention. We get paid, for the detention, but it really screws up our scheduling.
     
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