OO turned Broker. Help!....
Howdy Yall,
So, long story short, I was an OTR company driver, then transitioned to an OO a few years back. Total of 6 years behind the wheel. As of July of this year, I had to turn in my keys as I had to take care of my ageing parents. With this, I decided to become a broker agent for a small brokerage (7 agents). I have sales experience from prior years, and I know the industry fairly well. Ive hauled reefers, vans, hoppers, belts, anything and everything but cattle. Well, with the way the market has been since July, even with the help of my fellow agents, I have yet to land a single customer. I had many contacts with shippers who ive worked with in the past, that simply don't have the freight, or were established with another broker, and it didnt make sense for them to switch, as the rates and margins are already tight as could be. So since July, I have been without a paycheck, thankfuly I have enough to support myself for a while. I have no clue if/when I would ever go back on the road. My reason for posting is advice. I have exhausted my known contacts in the industry, and my fellow agents have given me as much advice as possible. All of them have already had their BOB for years though. I refuse to work for a 3 letter brokerage, as I want to make sure the truckers I work with get treated fairly. I've dealt with everything you could think of, double brokering, refusing to pay, straight up no knowledge of the industry, anything. I want to be the opposite, the broker guys actually like to work with. With the market getting worse each day, I am now thinking about shifting my role to be a dispatcher, although I don't have any OO contacts. The guys I do know are already working with someone they have been dealing with and I know wouldnt switch over to me. I feel like I am out of options, and very frustrated to say the least. I would still be on the road if I had it my way, but family comes first. Can anyone give any advice on how I can proceed? Any thoughts or comments or welcome.
Keep the shiny side up