Brokers 101

read part 371 fmcsa

 

I agree. knowledge is power. when you know the truth you can make better decisions. One of the problems in our industry is that (some) brokers have low rates then ignorant drivers come in and say they can haul it for less... not knowing that the rate they were hauling it for was far lower than what was really charged...


Knowledge is power!

 

Ok, I went back and re-read part 371. Again, nothing says it is public information. It confirms what I stated previously.

Each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record of the transaction required to be kept by these rules.

 

Brick, not necessarily "supporting the brokers here", but rather having seen the other side I can tell you it is not all champagne and roses. I agree there are some scumbag brokers out there.....not doubting your position at all. But there are a good deal of honest brokers as well and to paint them all with a broad brush reflects poorly on the good ones as well. And we all know that truckers are angelic, run their equipment in tip-top shape at all times, are ethical to a fault, never back solicit, never cancel a load for a better rate, and are the salt of the earth, right?

Bottom line is if I agree to haul a load for a certain rate and I make or exceed what fits into my business plan, what do I care what the broker made? I doubt that any trucker here makes a fixed margin on each and every load they haul; some are dogs and some are gems. Why would that not be any different with a broker?

 

That is what I said. You can see what they made off the deal. Shop till you find a good broker and stick with them. You wouldn't grab just any lawyer and you shouldn't grab just any broker. They are or can be a intra cant part of your business. To look at a brokers paper is to tell if they are good. They shouldn't complain if they are dealing square. If they are bad tell people and if they are good really tell people. Develope good relations with several brokers "good brokers" and you will drive the wheels of your truck for a fair price.

 

good info keep up the work

 

Hello Guys, I'm looking for some tips how to deal with brokers, I would like to know some key questions that I can ask before taking any load, and how could I calculate the cpm rate on the loads, I'm looking to start my own authority and any comment it's very appreciated..

 

you calculate your per mile rate based on what your expenses are. it has nothing to do with there load. If it doesn't cover your expenses plus profit you don't haul it PERIOD!

If you don't know how much it costs you to run per mile then you have to seriously look at your ability to run a business

 

There are a couple of good threads regarding brokers in the O/O section that you may want to check out. Hit the search feature at the top, type in 'brokers' and make sure you set it to search 'Thread Titles' only.