Why trucking companies want to work with freight forwarders

Over the past 10 years, trucking company owner operators have found themselves in a technology leap as we all try to learn, understand and, in most cases, install ELD technology on our trucks. Technology has slowed down our delivery time with the ELD and HOS hours of service mandate to the point that it is affecting the bottom line of every small trucking and freight brokerage company in America.

These reasons are the final decision for most of us this year to force us to start focusing on better paying lanes and less deaths. Fuel prices for the national average diesel continue to rise and trucking company owners are faced with strategic planning. Another big blow to small trucking business owners in America today is the shortage of drivers. It’s getting harder and harder to find drivers who just won’t give up or do too much damage to your gear. For these significant issues facing us today, we must be prepared to find alternative measures to put into our business structure to ensure more consistent freight and gain greater exposure to more shippers. your transport company. Today it is imperative that we learn how important a true freight broker is for small trucking business owners to build relationships.

Over the past decade, trucking companies have been faced with many new freight forwarders who don’t keep their promises, typically walking away with a one-dollar quick-haul freight. The influx of freight forwarders literally sent a trickle down effect to the point that shippers and carriers are having a hard time with freight rates due to floating inconsistency in logistics caused by unprofessional freight forwarders since late from 2008 to now.

For these reasons, carriers today find themselves dealing with issues of trust and general business ethics that freight forwarders have represented. These kinds of assumptions are valid because all of us who own trucks have dealt with dodgy freight forwarders. In today’s world of logistics, trucking company owners can still find many excellent professional logistics service providers who are trained and capable of building freight routes.

Getting over the stigma and trying to understand how the relationship between freight brokers and carriers will never go away, it’s time for more owner operators to be open to the idea of ​​truly working with a logistics broker who can understand your trucking company and help. to develop freight routes. on behalf of the benefit of your trucking company.

Trucking business owners should realize that the national average of cargo carried on the back of trucks in America today is 70%. This means that you can’t get a lot of cargo by going directly to the sender. Shippers in the United States today are connecting to EDI systems (electronic distribution interchange technology that allows shippers to connect their supply demands to an online network of logistics options within a main system). Within logistics, we geeks call this fun and exciting as it allows us to better manage freight routes and see the future forecast within route prices.

Asset companies that are smaller find it difficult to connect to better loads or recreate lanes they previously lost and keep trucks on the road with fewer dead miles and higher rates. A true freight brokerage company will help you overcome these obstacles and represent you in more solutions through technology that provides real freight charges that pay.

The main logistics qualities to look for when working with 3pl companies and freight forwarders are:

A true freight broker should provide your business with these services:

• A true freight broker will have an established logistics niche within certain industries. He or she will have the ability to manage your freight needs and be able to forecast with new direct freight loads allowing your team to gain consistency.

• A True Freight Broker Agent will have their trucks within certain geographic areas allowing them to maximize the type of drivers and equipment they have within key markets.

• A True Freight Broker will build your freight lanes on solid consistency with freight that connects you directly to the freight source moving out of your location and back to the freight terminal locations.

• A True Freight Broker is perfect when dispatching your trucks and managing your verification calls for timely delivery. They ensure that the driver has all the necessary information and is available for assistance with the pickup and delivery of assigned cargo.

• A True Freight Broker will assist you with your compliance and IFTA reporting by providing detailed reports on your freight loads for your convenience.

• A True Freight Broker keeps you up to date with safety and maintenance compliance information and any new mandates or laws that affect your trucking business. It is your job to make sure you are always informed and prepared for compliance with state regulations.

• A True Freight Broker keeps their drivers satisfied with GPS and TMS services with excellent communication skills to assist the driver with freight issues or compliance issues with freight movement.

• A true Freight Broker Agent is someone who doesn’t work alone and has a strong team to help move your freight business forward.

There are so many other attributes that only better describe what I believe to be a true freight forwarder and working with one can help any trucking company gain a better solid foundation for the growth and stability of their full truck loads. Freight forwarders should always keep the carrier first by building more lanes that provide a consistent load and should always represent their business to more shippers with load options. If both parties work together, these lanes can be created quickly and both benefit from consistency volume. I personally believe that a small trucking business can become more profitable faster if they work closely with their freight forwarder.

Working with a freight forwarder can be rewarding if both parties are focused on the same industry. For this reason, trucking company owners want to choose freight forwarders who are focused on the right industry that suits their teams. Trailers determine the cargo you carry, which is why trucking company owners don’t want to reinvest in new trailers, for this reason it’s best to build with what you have and grow within the niche with the right freight broker currently working. in this niche for freight transport services. The old saying about doing one thing well and doing it to the best of your ability is true in this situation. Provide consistency across your trucking business with the same team. This allows the freight broker to go further in creating better options for the carrier on behalf of the carrier, and the services the broker can offer the carrier can lead to better results for both teams.

I think in today’s logistics industry, it’s a very smart idea for trucking companies to join forces with other like-minded trucking companies and create volume within the same team. Volume is what gets the attention of big shippers and lands you in good solid pay lanes. This is very difficult to do if smaller trucking companies are not networking within their freight corridor to partner on good loads.

Some other qualities a new trucking company might want to compare when working with a freight broker is to find out exact information about how the freight broker will pay you for the full truckloads you deliver for them. Every major freight brokerage will offer payment options with no additional fees. Getting paid on time shouldn’t cost you more money to get paid for your freight delivery services.