Broker freight, helpful or harmful
This morning I recieved an email from a broker that I have done lots of work for in the past but have fallen away from them lately because they seem to have gone by the way of being just a common broker worried about their own bottom line with no reguard for the rolling stock that hauls their loads. We use respectable brokers to help us out in our day to day business to try and get from point b to point c. We normally have most of our trips planned pretty tight and stay busy due to the fact that we offer our customers the best service possible. As I was stating, one of the brokers we used quite often has seemed to have gone away from fighting for rates that the trucks who haul them can make a living on to jsut taking whatever is offered to them even if it does figure out to be 1.32/mile! As a dispatcher of a small fleet of trucks I know what amount we need to run to make a living and keep the lights on. If you do not have an idea how much you have to make to stay afloat then you are just prolonging the inevitable. I know everyone out here needs to make money, brokers and rolling stock owners and there could be enough money here for both if we work together to make sure that our rates are up where we can sustain our businesses!
I hear this on a weekly basis, "fuel is down so you can haul for less"! Fuel is a major part of trucking but is not the sole part of the game. Our insurance jumped this year again, cost of tires is not going down, cost of upgrading equipment does not go down, drivers wages have to stay healthy or we will lose the drivers and last but not least office staff still needs to be paid. I know there needs to be brokers out there, I know some customers would rather work with brokers than direct with a carrier but with that said we ALL need to make money. I for one can guarantee that my trucks and drivers will do their part to get your product from point A to B safe and timely and now it is time for the brokers to do their part and make sure the trucks and drivers make money too! We are all in this together so let's act like it!!!!
Thanks
Keith Kemper
ET Trucking.
I hear this on a weekly basis, "fuel is down so you can haul for less"! Fuel is a major part of trucking but is not the sole part of the game. Our insurance jumped this year again, cost of tires is not going down, cost of upgrading equipment does not go down, drivers wages have to stay healthy or we will lose the drivers and last but not least office staff still needs to be paid. I know there needs to be brokers out there, I know some customers would rather work with brokers than direct with a carrier but with that said we ALL need to make money. I for one can guarantee that my trucks and drivers will do their part to get your product from point A to B safe and timely and now it is time for the brokers to do their part and make sure the trucks and drivers make money too! We are all in this together so let's act like it!!!!
Thanks
Keith Kemper
ET Trucking.