Bypassing the Brokers

Discussion in 'Freight Broker Forum' started by TruckTech56, Dec 17, 2012.

  1. TruckTech56

    TruckTech56 Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    Hi All

    I'm new to this forum, so I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong place, or this topic has already been discussed.

    My company primarily ships produce. In the past, we've used brokers to coordinate moving our loads, but we'd really like to work directly with O/O and trucking companies rather than going through the middlemen. It would be great to get truckers opinions on whether this is possible, whether it would be better or worse for you all then going through a broker, and anything else you think I should know about going this route. Also, it would be great to get your opinion on the good & the bad about working with brokers. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks!
     
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  3. EZX1100

    EZX1100 Road Train Member

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    a couple of shippers have tried that on this forum

    it usually means they are not paying good rates

    but i cant answer for others

    as much as we may dislike brokers, brokers are there for a reason, to facilitate the movement of freight for their customers, so the customers can focus on manufacturing and the broker gets the freight moved

    my first question would be, if you have had drivers already delivering to you, why have you not made this proposal to them, and if you did, why did they not accommodate your needs?
     
  4. ginanur

    ginanur Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    i am an owner operator (flatbed) but i have done brokering before paying directly to carriers saves money
     
  5. TruckTech56

    TruckTech56 Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    Thanks! How much would you say it saves?
     
  6. TruckTech56

    TruckTech56 Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    Thanks for the quick response! To answer your question, we have made the proposal to them, and it was received well. They were nervous about "stealing" a load from the broker we'd originally worked through (in regards to that specific load). My company is very young, so we don't have many loads at the moment. I'm really most interested if we could rely on if drivers would work directly with us in the future as we grow, especially if we didn't originally go through a broker to connect with them.
     
  7. jbourque

    jbourque Heavy Load Member

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    you might look at the brokers load sheet and see if says anything about how long you have to wait to do that. and i would not do it if they still owed me money
     
  8. jbatmick

    jbatmick Road Train Member

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    Dec 1, 2009
    hastings, Fl
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    :Transportation costI have messed with produce off and on nearly all my life. Grower, shipper, buyer,but mostly hauling. There are plenty of independent , GOOD truckers who are looking for direct connections for hauling produce, but not just to save the buyer or shipper a little money, but to also have a steady , dependable source of loads, at a reasonable rate. Splitting the brokerage helps both of you.Check your Blue Book for truckers in your area.
    If you develop a following of truckers, count on them to be your eyes at the shipper / receiver. If there is a problem, and the driver has an on-going relationship with you, you can count on him to help you out.:idea1: Quite often this is very valuable.
    Just notice the trucks you hire from the brokers, and if they do you a good job, strike up a conversation and see if they are interested. Look for the ones with an individual's name on the side, they are usually independent owner/ operators, and can haul for just about anybody.Remember, truckers talk a lot. If you fail to live up to your part of the bargain, word will spread:protest:, and you will have trouble getting trucks.
    Just be fair, do as you agree, use your gut feeling on hiring a trucker, check his insurance and his references, and you can certainly benefit:hello1:.
     
  9. ginanur

    ginanur Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    for example i would tell the shipper that i can find a carrier for about $2000 but as a broker i only pay about $1600 to the carrier because like every broker i want to make money, now my father is an owner operator so time to time i book and post loads. But i booked loads for my father directly from shipper and i only asked for $2 a mile and he was very suprised because the broker that he used to do business before was charging him almost 2.5 a mile. So if you are a shipper it's cheaper to just pay directly to carriers instead of going through brokers
     
    amscontr Thanks this.
  10. Marlin46

    Marlin46 Medium Load Member

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    Get an account set-up with Internet Truck Stop or GetLoaded or any other load board and sign up as a direct shipper ( several shippers have done this ) and you can post the load and see what kind of response you get as well as call trucking companies with trucks posted in the area and get a rate from them. Call three trucks and ask for a rate and see if they are in the range you are looking to pay. If you go this route pay within 15 days based of an email or fax copy of the bol / pod / invoice / rate con and do not throw up a bunch of road blocks to getting a carrier paid you should do well. As jbatmick said - everyone talks in this business. Get a reputation for dragging out payments or taking 9 hours to load a truck and the reputation quickly goes downhill.
     
    jbatmick and bruceb Thank this.
  11. TruckTech56

    TruckTech56 Bobtail Member

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    Dec 17, 2012
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    Thanks for the response. I'll check out those sites.
     
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