we need more good brokers

I've been doing some research today and think the Brokers have the same problem as the carriers. When everyone was falling over money last year and others jumping head first into the industry, the brokerage industry grew just as much. It's been reported that there is 25% too many trucks competing for fewer loads. Likewise there are too many new brokers in the game causing the brokerage side to cut rates to get work. When the brokers cut each others throat to get or keep business, guess who's expected to pick the slack and move those low priced loads? So, it seems we are all in a race to the bottom, too many people on both sides chasing too little. It's a sad situation which will undoubtedly not work out well for a bunch of people on both sides. Those of us with the staying power to get to the other side are along for the ride. In anticipation of a bumpy ride, the captain has activated the fasten seat belt sign, so please put your try tables and seat backs in their upright and locked position, and remain seated for the duration of the flight.

What's the difference between as you say "foreigners" running the hoppers & end dumps. You're complaint is brokers taking more money than they should. I've booked lds with foreigners & native brokers. Wanna know who's the broker that's was lying, taking more &more off the top & not wanting too re-embuse for washout after he told the shipper he would cover the cost. It wasn't the foreigner. Don't knock what you haven't tried.

If you help a broker should they not at least help look for another load

This thread is going on??? What did I miss? I'm pretty sure this horse has been beaten to death. What trucking problem we gonna solve next???? I think it's time to rail on the dispatch services. We haven't done that in a while!!

Ok, one more and I'm done;

https://youtu.be/gxpuJBfXGY8

Maybe the horse isn't quite dead yet. I came across this video this evening:

https://youtu.be/vExOmwi_bWI

To EVERYONE that thinks the magic bullet in dealing with brokers is good negotiation skills, Please watch the video I found on the subject and posted above. While I realize it is only one brokers method, how many watch the video and implement his strategy? The three video are a good example of what we are up against.

I am in my 2nd year, spent $100k+ and have 2 shippers sending loads I bid on and 8 agents in training. Can you better that?

Name the skill sets.

Have been doing this 1975 of the last century

since about 2014-2015 is when a lot of leaches started showing up.

I am a driver turned broker I always look to negotiate a mutually beneficial deal. Would love to work with some good people feel free to email me. [email protected]

People spend $2-5k in many instances for broker training.

Have you ever wondered why?

It used to, yes. Business is still done in a lot of instances this way. And as for the skill set & tools...brokering should also require bulk ag experience. These brokering courses are usually oriented around general freight. If you are trying to get into this with no behind the wheel experience, then it might not be right for you. Not saying that it can't be done, or hasn't been done. But knowledge of load/unload locations; knowledge of ease of transport; knowledge of commodity cleanliness & ability to unload can be the difference between hours of lost time. I believe all bulk ag brokers should have experience behind the wheel. Having lived the life "can" take you just as far as an expensive brokering course. Once again, this is a personal belief and I have met brokers that are good at their job without wheel experience.

The brokers are getting a lot of blame here, but there's a lot of factors that go into a trucking business being profitable or not. The brokerage side of things looks good because most people realize that owning a fleet of trucks is often times either not attainable or profitable, and even if owning a fleet of trucks is profitable, is it worth the headache of dealing with drivers?

A brokerage needs to be competitive against other brokers while offering rates high enough to keep trucks running the loads. If anybody should want reform and tighter regulations on brokerages it should be the brokers. A broker should be a professional agent, not some fly by night individual with a cell phone.

In the end, we as carriers control the profitability of our business. We as carriers like to say we need better brokers, but how many doing the complaining actually read through the carrier packets? For example, I nearly took a load recently from a brokerage that has in their fine print stating that they have the right to pay you when they get paid, and if you want paid within 10 days they take 2.5% of the load pay..... Who the heck hauls for brokerages like that?! By definition that should be a "bad" broker, but given the amount of loads posted here by that brokerage I would say plenty of carriers either don't care or pay attention to the fine print... How many complain about bad brokers, but have an expensive truck that is in no way shape or form competitive with other carriers? How many complain about bad brokers but spend little time researching current trucking rates and trends across the industry? How many complain about bad brokers, but completely shun new cost cutting technology in an effort to be "old school cool"?

Lack of knowledge across the industry hurts us all, the brokers are just the easy ones to pick on.... Do your homework, stay up to date on rates & trends. Read the fine print. Say no to cheap freight. Spec out new or used equipment that will be competitive and within your means. Embrace some new technology that could save you money on fuel, insurance, wages, or court costs... Own success or failure, and enjoy the ride!

When I hauled cattle the rates were never really what they were advertised. I had to ask the broker what his or her cut was because they would often times advertise a strong rate, but when it was time to pay they would take their cut, and sometimes pass along an insurance fee that the packers charged just to haul into a kill plant. When I started hauling bulk I got some interesting responses when I asked brokers what their cut of the load was, lol!

I personally don't care if I get paid by ton, mile, flat rate, or bushel as long as the rate is good enough and the check clears... I don't ask a broker (anymore) what their cut is, that's their business. They (the broker) don't ask what kind of fuel mileage I get, or if I have loan payments for my equipment....

I expect a professional to be my broker. Remember that these people handle your money... I often times research the brokerage. I look to see if they have a website, then I'll see if they have brokerage authority, give them a call.. a lot can be gleaned with a short conversation.... If I get the impression that they are shady I'll move on. If we were all a little more diligent the bad brokers would get weeded out.

more of ur b******* stupid comments..like i said b4..u are one of the no it all ..negative d******* that say s***..that make u look like a complete moron..never a positive response from u on nothin......most of us have legit things to b**** about...and dont like the way the trucking buissness is....but u suport all this b*******..and it is u and ur dont give a s*** attitude that makes u sound like a fool..get a life

if ur that stupid to go to the middle of wyoming or montana with outa reload..thats ur own fault.. theres 3.50/4.00 freight in both states daily....do ur homework!!!!!! find a broker that will pay u 4.00 amile..quit using the 1.00 amile brokers..just a suggesstion

I really need to unsubscribe from Bulk Lods since I keep getting these Threads sent to my email.

So, I'll just say my part on this and move on from this toxic place.

My office moved about 30 loads last week at a high negatives just to keep customers and drivers Happy.

Most brokers have to BID ON LOADS, where the lowest bid 99% of the time wins the load. Then we have to turn around and find a driver who is willing to run that load, or we pay out of pockets to move anyway.

Suprise Suprise, it is usually the hated 'foreigner' drivers who are willing to take the loads with all the requirements. And hell yes we will keep using those drivers who will get the job done without complaining the entire way.

They aren't pretending to tarp loads, hiking up rates to Covid prices, or pretending to have load equipment that they don't.

The worst thing we generally have to deal with is the constant double brokers who are doing all the skeevy crap everyone is complaining about.

Rates are down because more drivers are taking the 2-3$ mile runs. And the actual Customers are giving the loads to the cheapest bidders, which just makes a circle.

Stop Complaing about everything being the brokers fault for wanting 10-20% or a load when 90% of brokers don't even get payed that much from it. like 35% at most in some cases. The Rest goes into operating costs, insurance, and the salaries of the people who keep us going.

We put the work in to actually get the customers and book the loads, those of you who have dealt with this in the past no damn well how annoying that is. I aint gonna knock the Drivers for their work, but stop the dumb and petty hate.

The saying "you get what you pay for" is true in the trucking industry. These fly by night drivers that are flooding the ag market will go broke after a few breakdowns. It will happen, so remember this moment and what you said; because we all will too. This was the wrong approach, because all these drivers are asking for is a little empathy and a place for their voices to be heard. Free speech isn't always pretty, but it is a testament to true freedom. Trucking costs are through the roof, and those "COVID prices" were the prices that truckers needed to match the crazy upward movement in operational costs. Telling them to "stop complaining" doesn't help anyone, and won't make a difference. Everyone deserves to have their voices heard, no matter how "toxic" it may sound.

Just so everyone is aware...I am a broker. I dispatch my dad's trucks & have a small fleet that I push around and serve as a side-hand for local work & still work on equipment. Good brokers, in my opinion, should stay away from the highly visible freight (spot loads) & pursue the customers that will take care of all parties involved in these hard times. You won't become rich during this time, but you'll survive and ensure the trucks make money so that they can pay you back when (and if) this levels out. Search for volume, and pay a fair price. This mutually beneficial relationship will serve all parties involved. Mr. Barone is correct in saying that 20% is too much, and you are correct in saying the customer is setting the rates based off of the surplus in trucks. All parties can be correct in what is said. And no one is saying that 7-10% isn't an honest cut if the load is still a decent paying load; but 20% of S*** is still S***. Just my 2 cents....but it has been said before, and it'll be said again. No need to beat this horse anymore.

I'm a broker (I also invest in trailers so I can get business going, and resell at cost). Not all of us are bad guys. My goal is to to develop long term relationships, both shippers and operators. I keep a PNL of my drivers, and I make sure I understand their numbers what is acceptable in terms of pricing, and and what is not. Sometimes operators underestimate their costs, and I correct them. It's not always the operators that give out the screwing, sometimes I have operators do this to me. If you are a broker, you have to give them the finger and teach them (either party, not always the shipper) a lesson if they get out of line.

Don't jump into brokerage unless you have thick skin, and are genuintely invested in the families that you support. And deeply understand the numbers of both sides.

No, never.. Seems like a waste of money to me if you've been in the industry for a while..

That guy, or one of his friends called me today and asked me if I was looking for a "hooper" load..😂😂

They are relentless. Did you play along to see what they had going on? Props on them for keeping up with it though. I would get pretty butt-hurt if I got turned down or hung up on 500 times a day.

I think I have a secret admirer😎

Yes. And that's why this thread is titled "we need more GOOD brokers". Good brokers believe in a mutually beneficial relationship where the truck is making money, and the shipper is getting their product moved. Brokers are a necessary evil, especially in a corporate world where a lot of shippers wanna dish out volume and don't want to spend their whole day getting ahold of a bunch of trucks. Let the bad ones wean themselves out, and let the truckers who flooded our market do the same. Because, just like you, I'm sick of the bad ones in the industry.

good lord

You become a broker yet? I bet you are one more crook among them, money it's al the brokers care about, I have sent a bunch of a***** to hell because they want to keep between broker and dispatch 70% of the rate for the load, what a broker or dispatcher risks, the carrier should get 60% of the rate no matter what. Few of my customers have said they get charged between $8.50 to $10.00 per loaded mile and some a***** want to pay merely $1.89 per loaded mile. MF.

I agree with this. I was a broker for years and then stepped away when I moved and came back middle of this year and it is rough out there. I do my best to work with the cost the carriers need while still winning the business. My average Margin is like 4%. I'd love to have a 10% mnargin but the reality is, Customers know what pricing to get which leaves little room for me to have a margin. I am fine with that as long as I can run the business and make a little something. I have friends who have their own trucking companies so I can see both sides. Everyone is struggling right now with prices. Everything has gone up in cost but some do not want to apply that to running the freight.

There are good brokers out there! The bad ones always weed themselves out.