Booking loads from load boards - how much work is it?

My thinking, I think it is a sign of weakness on my part to ask an unknown broker I've never worked with if they have a reload when I finish the first load with them. It's none of their business that I actually don't have a reload. If they know that then they might take it that I will be a tad desperate to get moving again when empty.

On the other hand, if they tell me "I usually have a reload out of there" then they are shopping to get the reload covered and we can talk. With regular brokers I know and trust I will ask about reloads - I do that all the time.

 

I know when I load my guy's to a certain area or their picking up for me; and if I have a reload at the other end I will offer it up to him IF I KNOW HE'S A GOOD DRIVER, AND WE CAN AGREE ON ALL BUSINESS SPEAK! I like to keep it simple; meaning that if the driver does a good job, and he needs a reload, it's in my best interest to keep him moving, and my client happy. Just simple Business.

Now; if he's not one of my core guy's I may not offer it up to him. But if you run me weekly or 2-3 times a month and your good, oh yeah your getting offer first!

 

I typically call anywhere from 10-15 trucks to get a load moved. Sometimes on our harder lanes, I'll make as many as 50 phone calls. It's not that my rates are bad, it's that capacity is that tight which is why I reach out on every medium I can to create relationships with truckers.

 

I am constantly mining for information. You have to feel the broker out a little bit though, sometimes they're busy as heck and got no time for #### chat. However, when appropriate I always ask them if they have steady loads out of the area or what other areas they might have loads from. There are certain spots now where I can get loads just by sending an email a day or two in advance. Loads that haven't even been posted on load boards yet. It's always a good idea to ask the brokers questions. Asking questions shows that you respect their knowledge and are looking for a long term relationship.

Some other members on here have mentioned how they laugh at brokers and hang up the phone when quoted a low rate. But think about this, let's say me and two other guys call a broker and he tells us $1.60/mile from Baltimore to St. Louis. Now, the first two guys laugh and hang up the phone but I say, "I usually do quite a bit better than that out of Baltimore, let me see what else I can find.", and maybe I ask the broker a few other questions about his customer base or something. Then the customer calls the broker and says, "I gotta have that load this week, whatever it takes !" Now, who is the broker going to call back offering $2.50/mile ? It happens, quite often. edit- I got censored for c-h-i-t ?

 

Shippers have been doing more shopping around for rates. That is why you will see 10 of the same load on the load boards now. Its a pain on everyone's end. I try to avoid the mass emailing shippers for that reason. As a broker, you do a lot of work to find that the load has been gone for hours, when you get a truck for it. So, if a broker says they have to call you back, that is probably the reason. A question for a trucker could be "Is the load yours, or shipper is shopping"?

 

That's a good point and I'll give credit where credit is due. However, you can typically see that right off the bat by looking at the load board and you're better off to just pass on it and move on to the next load anyway because that's very likely what's happened. For instance, I was trying to help a guy get out of Colorado today who didn't have access to InternetTruckstop. He wasn't one of my guys, but I was helping him anyway because it's the right thing to do and he's helped us out of tight spots in the past. 7 different brokers, had the same exact load posted for different rates, with one saying "call." I wound up not because that particular driver doesn't like hauling for the only broker with a confirmed credit rating and he didn't want to waste time on a load that was very likely being rate shopped.

 

Informative thread, wish it would keep going....

 

Always amazed at what I usually end up talking to when calling most brokers. Unprofessional, uneducated, numb nuts. My favorite line from these type of brokers: Let me ask "them" if they'll take that rate. All the while placing the call on hold for a second pretending to ask about the rate. Kinda like good cop bad cop. Spineless indeed. Or, "That's more than we have in the load". Haha!
Very refreshing when you do actually talk to the occasional decent broker.

 

Half the time you are right, and half the time the broker is right, when they have to ask if they will take it, it almost always means the shipper is asking for the best rate and not giving the broker a "final" number,

 

Never take these loads. I understand looking to get the best rate but when a customer doesn't value loyalty then what else that is important to you do they not value? Have you ever taken one of these loads and been treated with respect when getting loaded? Likely not because from the beginning the already told you that they are a company that doesn't believe that quality service is worth anything.