cutthroat rates and brokers

change always seems good at first trucking is kinda like golf takes more than 1 club to play, myself I park the van in the summer and do shorthaul flatbed and my reefer is where I stash my hotrods for the winter

 

they could care less.


on another subject.......

It it is amazing how many times you can broker a load and ask an o/o what he needs to move the load, you agree to it and then they will get pissed off when they find out what the load pays. Many time it is the o/o themselves cutting their own throats and undercharge for their services....It isn't easy to find direct customers, if you think all it takes is a few phone calls then you should be making those calls to the shippers instead of the brokers. So they are a necessary evil..... Now as a trucker if someone is offering you $3 a mile on a 1000 mile load, are you going to say "no, I'll do it for $2 a mile." Or do you want the gooberment saying you can only get $2 per mile? Don't think so! If you get what you ask for a load or you agree to what the broker is offering then you have no right to be upset about what it paid. If your upset about rates in general you can only blame other carriers or o/os. If they or we don't accept what is being offered then the offer will go up because the freight WILL move, one way or another.

 

You need to have a whole new MC number for your Broker authority, you can not even put the same address as your carrier authority.
Now Broker authority is linked for your social security number, so if you screw up and do not pay carrier, then carrier sends an invoice to bonding, if one cent is taken out of that bond, that broker is shut down, and can not open another brokerage for 10 yrs.
That is the new law, that protects carriers, and stops chameleon brokerages...

 

Hmmmmm, guess we better get some new numbers and change addresses and give an SSN instead of taxpayer I.d.

 

lots of shippers will not deal with carriers direct with less than 10 trucks. its hard for o/o to have good paying costumers

 

Right, you know MAP-21

• 32915 - Requires anyone acting as a broker or forwarder to register and obtain separate authority. A motor carrier may not broker transportation services unless the motor carrier has registered separately as a broker or forwarder. A motor carrier registered as a freight forwarder or broker may only provide transportation with vehicles owned by the carrier, or through interchange agreements (IF the originating carrier physically transports the shipment at some point and retains liability for the cargo and payment of the interchange carrier). Otherwise, a motor carrier may not arrange transportation unless the carrier has obtained separate registration as a forwarder or broker.

 

Separate numbers you are correct, My bad, same name, address, and taxpayer ID. No problem. We have had ours for several years and it is a corporation so that may have something to do with it.

 

Lots of shippers won't deal with carriers with less than 50 trucks. You just have to go after the ones that will, or establish relationships with brokers or lease on to a carrier that has more trucks. Point being, there is a lot more to brokering loads than just making a call or two. Some drivers think that if a broker makes $100 on a load then he is a crook. I stand in for the lady that does our brokering once or twice a year so I can get exposure while she goes on vacation. I promise you, at the end of the week I'm begging to get back in my truck. But it does give you some insight to the other end of that phone line. I don't plan on getting out of my truck anytime soon. And yes it doesn't take long till I am ready to curse some brokers out. Lol. Seems like some of them need to educate their shippers as to what a fair rate is. But truckers, brokers and shippers are all trying to get the best deal for themselves. Hey, it's the American way! Just remember, in the long run, believe it or not, trucking companies set rates.

 

Doesn't mean a separate MC number. Means that you have to register the authority. There are many of us that have common, contract and broker under the same number, address, phone.

 

If you have your own authority stick with it. You will clear as much or more on your own than you will leased to a carrier. Plus you have a lot more freedom to do what you want and go where you want.

I leased to a carrier once pulling end dump and hopper. Good company, no complaints. Made about the same as when pulling my own van getting very cheap rates (during the great recession). No more money and a lot less freedom.

Hang in there. Spring and better rates should be around the corner.