What do brokers ask shippers?

Ha 86 most of last post BoyWonder I just figured out you aren't trying to get in the brokering side of things.

Basically we get as many details as possible to provide a quote which at a minimum is: pick/delivery zip, weight, type of trailer

When moving load we get: Shipping location, company name, contact name, contact number, commodity, pickup / delivery #, Reference #'s piece count, value of load, is shipper/consignee Shipping hours, FCFS or by appointment, special instructions ex. tarps, coil racks, load bars, temperature, type of trailer, pricing confirmed with customer, I'm probably missing something but that's it in a nutshell. Then once we secure wheels we send rate con to a dispatcher and then communicate.

 

Sorry Wanderer my HOS were up a long time ago haha. You ever have any questions let me know I'll try to get you an answer. I'm going down for the count. Til next time

 

I assume the broker typically waits for the carrier to ask for detention/layover/TONU. Then they come to me and ask me if I accept the charges. I'll double check time in/out with my warehouses or what not to make sure I'm not getting taken advantage of. I'll sometimes negotiate with the broker, which sometimes works, other times it doesn't. As a shipper, it's hard to negotiate, because you don't know if the broker is yanking your chain or trying to take a cut of the extra charges.

I'll pay the charges if the broker/carrier followed my instruction letter. If a truck arrives for their delivery appointment on time and the receiver won't unload that day, most certainly, here is your layover. But if they arrive at 1800 for a 1200 appointment and the receiver won't unload until tomorrow. Sorry man, I can't help you. If you had communicated with me I could have changed your appointment, but now it's too late!

If I were you, I'd try working at a bigger brokerage. I like working with CHR, Coyote, and Command because they have offices with people in them. I can always reach someone, and that someone has a group of people to ask for help if they need it. I'm sure they're harder to get into, but might be worth it in the long run. I'm not a big fan of working with the independent "agents." I always figure it's some dude sitting in his garage in his boxers calling loadboard posts all day. Working with a carrier that offers brokerage services might be another idea? Might also be harder to get into. Most new brokers I've worked with have come from a sales background. Might be interesting to try that on and see if you like it.

 

BoyWander, coming from one of those "smaller brokerages," I can tell you, if you want to work as an agent, you've got a treacherous road to travel. There are really only a few brokerage houses in existence, from what I've seen. Sure, they operate under many different names, but here they are, in order of popularity:

The big guys (1% of brokers but 40% of loads) - these guys will offer you a job, in house, with a salary and bonuses. Regardless of your experience, as soon as you fail to meet their quota, you're out the door with a bad reference.

The regular guys (80% of brokers) - they pay good, all commission, but you're either lucky enough to live close to their offices (where they'll charge you cubicle rent) or you work from home. Either way, you've got to have experience and a full book of business to even get looked at.

The trainers (15% of brokers) - They could care less what experience you have, its not going to do you any good anyway. You'll spend all the money you can on setting up a home office, then they'll charge you in excess of $1,500 for training. After that, if you make money, good. If you don't, oh well, they're in it for the training fees, anyway.

Finally, there's the legit little guys that will give you a chance (4%). These guys, my firm included, prefer experience, but if you don't have it, they'll work with you so you'll get it. There's no outrageous training costs, there's no minimum quotas, and there's no 5 year experience requirements. What we expect is hard work, dedication, motivation, and trainability.

This is not an advertisement, I couldn't care less if you want to partner with me or a competing firm. This is more a breakdown of what to expect if you're looking for an agent position in today's brokerage market.