So many Brokers! So, so, many!
I am sure that your mailbox and junk folder are full of brokerages calling for business. Dialing for dollars seems to be the model for may brokerages who hire by the dozens, quickly train them and see if they sink or swim.
Other brokers are operating out of their garages and gone as soon as the market turns.
The thought is that with over $18 billion in annual brokerage revenues, there is enough for everyone, but you need to do your due diligence. Low costs get forgotten when the high cost of poor service prevails. Here are some tips for making sure you are covered when brokering shipments.
When vetting a new brokerage (or one you are currently using but did not vet) make sure they have a physical address that you can verify on Google Maps. If it is only a P.O. Box or you see the image online doesn’t seem right…it probably isn’t.
If the broker offers you a price that you know is too low, be careful, as that has a chance to be covered by a terrible carrier or not picked/delivered on time.
Ask how the broker vets out their carriers. You don’t want someone who finds the first truck and you find out the insurance
has lapsed.Make it a standard that the broker does not get the load until he has a vetted carrier on it.
Check their Surety Bond to make sure there are not any claims against it. All brokers must have this to legally operate.
If you get called by a new person each week from the same brokerage, you will never have the kind of customer service you deserve.
Having a relationship with your brokerage instead of it being transactional will benefit you in the long run.
Pay within terms or ahead of terms. It will put you at the top of the brokers list to cover your freight first when the market is tighter.
Set your parameters with your brokers so they know what is important to you, what communication you need and contact information if a load fails.
Following these simple steps and you will have another tool in your supply chain toolbox! Meantime, check out WBT’s Brokerage Service
Call Mike Matz, Director of Sales & Operations, today at 262-339-4701, or email here.
Chris Greenberg,
President and C.O.O.
West Bend Transit and Service Co.