Anyone worked with "Broker-Free Freight"?

No, what you do is quite simple and usually quite fruitless, but even a blind squirrel finds an acorn... anyway, you just call the broker and say "I need such and such more for such and such reason". Usually brokers if you used them don't allow you to contact the shipper.

 

This is a prime example of why there should be a million hoops to have to jump thru to get your own authority!

If you don't have a clue, your probably gonna hurt yourself and others by attempting this.

Lets say you go into a shipper to try to get freight. They offer you a load going 125 miles, and tell you its paying $300. You jump on it thinking thats good money, until you find out after you've agreed to take it that it has 6 stops and is gonna take 2 days to do all of them.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Shippers will take advantage of you just like a broker or a company! If you don't know, you need to stay leased on with a company and learn first how they are doing rates. Now I'm talking a company who pay % not mileage, you won't learn anything from mileage.

Don't take anything I said as offensive, I'm just trying to help you understand what your trying to get into.

 

meh... everyone learns by seeing and asking. You have to ask the simple ones first and build from there. All the warnings attached to the answers are common fair, and correct. It's good because it keeps you taking things seriously. Better not to go into it thinking it's easy.

Anyway, if you can survive the learning curve for a few months financially you'll probably come out ok in the end. No bling, no expensive road meals, keep your speed down, don't take long breaks, don't buy a square truck or an expensive truck, at least not now. Get 5 to 10 broker companies if not leasing on. Give yourself a good setup to succeed.

 

GREAT ADVICE

 

I swear,truck drivers are the only breed i no that seems to want to be a ''business man'' but do it half a.z.z.e.d...lmao.Until you do that you are only a wanna be ''business man'' and an ''imposter'' like me..

Why do truckers always want the ''easier softer way''?If you wanna be a businessman then you are going to have to take the time and energy to ''do it all''...Not half a.z.z. it..

If your going to take the ''easy'' lazy way out just stay driving as a lease operator,wanna be businessman like me...lmao...IF NOT...



Get up off your duff and solicited your ''business''.I have friends that are in the business of plumbers,electricians,carpet installers,roofing,siding etc,etc,etc and they have to work extra hard at this DOOR TO DOOR and they have to get out there and make it happen..THEY DON'T HAVE MANY BROKERS....THEY HAVE TO WEAR 10 TITLES IN THERE BUSINESS...

Just because you own a ''truck'' don't make you a ''business man''..

NOW GET UP OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND AWAY FROM THAT #### COMPUTER AND GO DOOR TO DOOR TO THESE BUSINESSES IN YOUR AREA AND START TALKING WITH THEM..JUST LIKE ''BROKERS'' DO...

MORAL OF MY STORY::::CUT THE BROKER OUT!!!!!! AND STOP BEING LAZY LIKE ME!!!!!!LMFAO

 

Talk the talk 1POD!

Seriously this is a national level business. You have to let large brokerage firms handle the logistics. You're not going to have a computer room with 50 flat screens scrolling loads and destinations like an airport web.

I owned a small local business for 6 years. It was completely different. It was a TON of hustling but at least you know where your market is and what you can reasonably expect to achieve. Advertising to citizens is completely different than trying to disrupt corporate contracts over a 2000 mile radius.

 

No, You have to be a good Sales person. When You're operating by yourself, you don't sit behind a phone calling on shippers. It won't happen that way.
Just like someone said on here. YOU get Your Own Business Card. ON that card You state what type of Insurance you carry.
You start off by searching the yellow pages in the phone book. Or better yet go to your local library and see what businesses are around.

Most of the businesses like dealing with someone in their own area. You develop more of a realtionship with them. And they feel that you would be more dependable.
You start off by going out and visiting with them! Personal contact is the best! YOU tell them what equipment you have, your insurance, and that you would like to be their "Dedicated Carrier" for them.
They may be so pleased,,, they might even give you a kiss!
Believe me,,, they want someone like that.

Most of the time, you will find, that they will pay you enough to get back without needing a "so called backhaul."

But you need to do your homework in negotiating a rate. You need to figure out what your operating cost will be. I'm trying to remember, it is well over 2.00 a mile. Some of them will give you an actual contract .

We had one time a company paying us over 4.00 a mile. So I wouldn't worry about back hauls. But you'll get richer if you do find another customer, where you deliver, when coming back.
But you really need to dedicate yourself to them, when they need you.

With a reefer, another way, is getting yourself " The Redbook" It lists all the farms and Brokers that you can contact.
That's a start, and from there you will find some Produce Brokers that operates peoples farms. I know many drivers who stuck with one broker for years. So did we. But these brokers are very hard to find. At least the good ones. There you will find them through other people.

The broker will set you up to pick up at these farms . Like potatoes, you'll go to the farm to pick up, and then deliver it to Utz potato chip plant. Then you turn around and head back to the farm to pick up and redeliver.
There's top dollar in produce. And produce prices are going up.

Reefers , I think are the best equipment to have right now. Find in your area any distribution centers, cold storage, any businesses needing refrigeration for their products.
One , I'm thinking of in my area is a medium size Bakery that makes pies.
Look for someone that manufactures food items.
You can also get into some of the heavier products like medicines that pay real top dollar. There you would be talking about hazmat though.
You may even find one that doesn't need refrigeration.

 

DOUBLE DEAR LOOK AT HOW BAD THIS REALLY IS.You been around just like me and look at this garbage...this is 1.50 paid on 2,600 miles....

you are right about the cost per mile..it is at least 2.00 a mile to run a business....why do people try to challange that fact.?????


Here is one of my trips bt.....this is a weekly trip i did....1.50 ALL MILES TO THE TRUCK

2,600 X 1.50 = 3,900 (GROSS)-SO FAR


3,000 (actual miles) = 3,000/5.5 = 545 gallons used

545gallons x 2.40 (avg) = $1,309 for fuel

loads payed are not (actual miles)--here is where the screwing starts...lol

loads payed computer miles which = 2,600 miles x 1.50 (avg) = $3,900 to the truck

deadhead for the week was 500 miles / 8.0 MPG = $62.50

3,900 x 35%(landstar cut) = 2,535.00

2,535.00 - (fuel) 1,309 - 62.50 = 1,163.50


gross to the truck is $1,163.50

deductions on a weekly basis..

work comp = 32.00
bobtail ins = 20.00
physical damage =11.00
comdata use = 12.00
pre pass = 2.70
cell phone= 20.00
computer fee = 20.00
tolls were at = 38.00
fuel tax = 40.00
truck maintanence = .10 a mile x 3000 MILES = $300.00
truck payment = 300.00
794.00

gross to truck = $1,163.50
deductions = 794.00

net pay was 368.80 / 6 DAYS OUT = 61.46 DAY

 

Thank you for your comment, and no...I am not taking it as offensive. The thing is I have been running 5 and a half years as an o/o on milage and as you very well know it is basically impossible to learn anything that way. Now after beeing leased to 4 companies during last two years the time is not any more on my side (I am sure you understand why) and I can't afford another switch to some that works on percentage. I am trying to skip that and read all relevant posts here in order to learn something and am using every opportunity to learn something useful from some o-ops at the truck stops.
So, I am asking here questions and reading posts hoping to learn something from good harted people willing to share their knowledge and experiences with me and others in order to possibly hurt myself and others as less as possible. I have 7 years of driving OTR behind me and learned a few things in the process and now am strongly determined, in spite of the bad ecconomy for the time being, to get fully on my own with my own trailer regardless of whether you think I'm ready or not (no offense). I very much welcome and am very thankful for quality advices with good intentions...they should all surely serve the idea of my being more successful in what I'll be doing and the same time not (or at least less) hurting other O/Ops by me making some stupid mistakes out there among the "wolfs".

 

With all due respect, but...you have already posted the above in this very thread and in some others. I see you enjoy your copy-paste feature on your comp very much.