Broker/Carrier Contracts - Watch out! Read carefully!

6wheeler, I have no problem indemnifying the broker from any damages not associated with them. The problem is when the broker contract indemnifies everybody and their brother who loads, unloads or gets near your truck, so if you get hurt or they hit or damage your truck, you are SOL for getting compensation or even bringing it to court. That's unacceptable.

 

Pepper24, what I'm referring to is anyone who is loading or unloading you or me as a carrier, whether a shipper, consignee, rigger or other contractor will not be held liable for any damages to you or your vehicle should they do anything out of negligence or otherwise, if you don't strike out the clauses in the contract that specifically indemnify them. I don't have any problem indemnifying the broker and it's customers from any acts on the part of the carrier, but some of these contracts go too far and exonerate their customers to the detriment of the carrier being able to pursue legal action against them should they not want to pay for your truck if they damage it or for any injuries they might cause to you or your driver. This is just a case of greedy brokers protecting their own interests of keeping their customer happy at all costs, showing how little they care for or respect us as carriers.

 

Pepper24, I've had many companies that are my direct customers. Before the fall of '08, I had 95% all direct customer work and only 5% broker work. Since then things have changed greatly (thanks to the village idiot in the WH and all his and Hillary's crooked thugs determined to destroy America). But with the customers I now have and all the previous ones, I have NEVER had a contract to do business with them and was always paid either at pickup, COD or within a few days to maybe 2 weeks. I had one company that I finally parted ways with that paid 45 days, but I did a lot of wide loads on a consistent basis and made good money with them until they decided to get cheap. A couple of companies wanted to have a contract, but I didn't like what they wanted in the contract and walked out on them. Don't need a one-way contract. Either it's a win-win contract or I don't sign. The same with brokers.

Ever ask a broker why his company gets to write the contract with another company they want to do business with (namely, the carrier) and why can't the carrier write one for the broker to sign, instead? You'll get some pretty confused, angry or dumbfounded responses!