How does one become a freight broker?

You need a process agent in the state you work out of and the state you write your contracts in - pretty much the same state for almost all. This is to ensure that your company is accessible to being served by courts or officers of the courts.

 

I am a broker and I work at home for a small company that allowed me to use their broker's license without coming onboard with any existing book of business. I got my initial training by working 3 years for a broker who taught me the business. I agree with everything Indspirit says above with a big DO NOT PAY somebody to train you to be a broker for some certificate warning. That would be a waste of your time and money.
I work on a commission only basis with no complaints. It isn't hard to find companies to quote them rates for shipping as a broker but it is extremely difficult to find a shipper that pays their bills within 30 days. Imagine that. Most carriers I use want their money within 30 days.

Let me make a suggestion on your idea of a career change with your experience. Investigate the idea of becoming a truck driver recruiter working from home helping drivers get jobs. I have been asked to help a friend who gave me the job at my current company to assist him help another company hire drivers and the past 4 months I have been successful in doing so.
You heard of the driver shortage? Companies paying 3-7k sign on bonuses? Leave the broker career change on the back burner and start investigating how you could help companies find drivers for their trucks.
Call 100 shippers and ask if they need any help moving their freight. Then call 100 trucking companies and ask if they need any help recruiting drivers. I would bet that the ending score if you did that would be Drivers 80 Shippers 2.
Invest your time in learning more about recruiting and call on some companies in your locale to see if they would let you assist their efforts.
You will get to that beach with the ####tail and laptop sooner IMHO

 

Yes I still work for the same company in their brokerage dept from home. I apologize that I saw you said you could live off of 3k a month just about anywhere and assumed without knowing you were money driven. Just as you are sure I make pretty good money is wrong. lol
I just want to maintain my current lifestyle after raising 4 kids and now live(rent) in a big farm house on 40 acres surrounded by Amish, for last 13 years with 2 labs, 4 cats, 4 hens, and feed neighbors 2 swans and watch his 40 acres while he snowbirds in Fla. Get small stipend for that.
Play piano on the weekends and some nights with a young girl singer.
Take those aforementioned Amish around in my 85 Dodge Pick up for $1 a mile(yoder toter).
Been Married for 35 years to same women. Grown kids live nearby and come over often.
What can I say? Life is Good. Everybody healthy. Heaven is in my future but I think it might not be as good as life here now.
I have had over 50 jobs in my lifetime. Piano sales, hotel mgmt for the longest lasting.
Your speaking with a person here that thinks he has finally found what it is that I really enjoy doing. Truck Driver Recruiting.
Don't let me side track your dreams of becoming a freight broker if that is what you want.
Here is a youtube link to take you to where I play for the Amishman's cows and not getting paid anything but they weren't talking nor
texting on the phone and seemed to be enjoying my performance. I get paid a fee plus tips out in bars and restaurants but enjoy playing for those cows for free. It isn't all about the money I guess is my point I'm trying to make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRkTXooqTYU

 

I am a broker and I am a person who gets paid to find qualified drivers to feed into a company's online hiring process. Not someone who sits in the office doing hiring paperwork and checking history and references. What city are you in currently?

 

bruceb, I see you posted that some companies are paying $3-7K for a driver. Can you share what you get paid to recruit a driver? If I were to endeavor to become a Truck Driver Recruiter, how much can I expect to make per driver? I'm asking to figure out how many I need to recruit each month to create the net income I'm looking for.

Thanks!