Going Independent In 2020 .Need Broker Info .

So in reality so much proclaimed relationships with brokers, also by much popular Kevin R. are overrated. I, myself, am much disappointed by that realization that after pulling well over 200 no service failure loads ( except one due to break down, for which I spent thousands of $ to make it right) I did not make any friends that miss me or I miss them.
Perhaps that's a dry van world thing only but indeed limiting yourself to a few brokers in the dry van spot market based on some mutual loyalty expectation is rather ludicrous. That is from my own experience.

 

Imo in current conditions more often than not a relationship is good for a market rate + $50 or $100 maybe. Sometimes if they know you do a good job and they need to not piss off a customer it can get you something better but more often than not it ain't worth much more than a $100 extra to them. They don't have to. Reality is good service comes even from carriers booking cheap and bad service might come from an expensive carrier. Overall it's worth it for them to take the risk on cheap. I would do the same in a broker's shoes. Amd it doesn't matter what trailer you're pulling either it's all the same. That said, going rates with a dry van versus really any other trailer out here... Well, with dry Van's it's just typically bad. With anything else generally you can find something half decent as long as you arent in a dead hole. Relationships, smashionships. It'sa bunch of feel good talk... it doesn't really matter, you're better off to just get what you can whenever you can and roll...

 

With around 1700 loads moved in the last three years, I have four different carriers I have on speed dial. Three of them are regional. Two of them do regular work for me. Generally, you're right. These four are the exceptions.