Freight brokers act as intermediaries who arrange for transportation between shippers and truck owners. The freight broker will then receive a commission for their match making roles. In some quarters, truck brokers are also known as transportation brokers, property brokers, 3rd party intermediaries, and even truck brokers. And although the concept in freight brokering is very simple, there are many details that one needs to master. The freight broker must know what to do, with whom to do it, when to do it and why it needs to be done. But since this is a service business, the broker must learn the concept of demand and the needs. And although learning through experience is an important thing, it is hard to find a broker who is willing to pass on the skills to new entrants. Today, in this blog, we will look at the roles that freight brokers play on a day-to-day basis.
The main roles of the freight broker
The freight broker begins by placing calls to potential clients. While doing this, the broker has a database of over 40 to 50 truckers who are ready to take up the job. At this point, the broker has basic information such as the type of goods to be shipped, the pick-up and drop off point as well as the type of truck that is required for the job.
At this point also, the agent has to make calls to shippers, probably early in the morning as that is the time that these shippers are doing final touches on the shipment. With this call, the broker is basically asking the shipper whether they need a truck on that particular day. If one shipper does not need a truck on that day, the broker will just move on to the next potential client. The cycle goes on and on until they find a hot one who is ready to ship and this is where real action begins. If the broker has won the heart of the shipper, the shipper will actually initiate the call to the shipper instead of the reverse. You can make the work easier by planning shipment for 3 to 5 days instead of doing it on a day-to-day basis.
Once the shipper has confirmed that he has a ready load that needs to be shipped, the freight broker will then proceed to take the order. This process entails taking all the details about the load to be shipped and if he has some doubts, he can seek clarity at this stage. Also, the broker initiates a call to the truck driver who will then start making arrangements to pick up the shipment. However, it is important to give the right details to the dispatcher or truck driver to avoid costly errors at this stage.
