Insider Secrets to Successful Freight Brokering

The Fast Act Mandates the FMCSA .....

The Fast Act has mandated that the FMCSA review and reform its CSA program. The FMCSA has ignored this mandate and continues doing business the way THEY want to.

What is in question is the way the FMCSA determines safety fitness ratings for carriers. The ultimate goal is for the FMCSA to identify high risk carriers that may be involved in crashes.

Instead of working on their review and reform of CSA, the FMCSA is about to modify how safety fitness determination are made.

You will be hearing more on this issue and it will be interesting to learn to what extent lawmakers will get involved.

Truckers: What do they worry about the most?

Truckers have a lot of things to juggle most of which could do them in if they are not careful. According to a survey conducted by TMW and reported in Land Line magazine, here are some issues that impact carriers (and may impact brokers indirectly as well).

There's

• Driver retention,
• Traffic congestion,
• Maintenance costs,
• Regulation, and
• Utilization to mention a few

Of all of these, Utilization concerns them the most in this survey. That means, keeping their trucks rolling. If they're not rolling, they're not making any money. Simple enough.

Here's where brokers come in to play: Simply put, brokers go out there everyday to find loads. It takes hours and hours to do this. Even when good loads are found, the broker and the carrier have to service these accounts with professional service.

Brokers - don't ever think you are not important. You ARE the important link between loads and trucks. So, let's keep these trucks rolling.

Alert! New Food Safety Rule

The new food safety rule addressed by the Owner Operators' Independent Drivers' Assoc, (OOIDA), in a recent article states that the new rule includes "sweeping changes for shippers and carriers".

OOIDA does not mention how freight brokers are impacted in this new rule. At this moment, this writer believes that freight brokers will assume some liability under this new rule.

More to come on this later.

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Freight brokering - how much trucking do you need to know?

Many individuals interested in becoming a freight broker think they have to come from trucking or be very familiar with trucking. This is not necessarily true.

Knowing a lot about trucking won't hurt - but it's not a requirement for brokering. Let me tell you why?

As a freight broker you are the middle guy. You get info from the shipper and give it to the carrier. The important thing for you as a broker is to capture info from the shipper accurately and transfer it to the carrier accurately. One of the biggest problems in brokering, as far as I'm concerned, is lack of good communication.

The most important part of working as a freight broker is to know how to run a business. Individuals who know how to manage cash flows, create effective marketing strategies, set up operations properly and conduct good planning sessions are much more likely to succeed than those who don't know basic, business fundamentals.

If you would like a copy of my f.ree ebook, "7 Skills of Highly Effective Freight Brokers",  Go here now:

Click Here for 7 Skills

Brokers looking for agents .....

Nearly everyday, I see ads by freight brokers seeking agents. The "problem", if you are new to this industry, is that these brokers want experience and those agents with a following. That's bad news for newbies.

I see ads from newbies as well, seeking brokers who will "take them under their wings". Some newbies are even willing to work for next to nothing just to learn the ropes.

For the most part, these newbies are not going to find a broker to work under.

I wish I could help; what I CAN do is train you to become a fully self-employed broker. You would be building YOUR business instead of some one else's.

Go here to learn more: www.atexfbt.com

 

Compitition: Good or Bad - nothing will replace it for getting things done

People sometimes ask about the competition in freight brokering. Yes, there is always competition in something that holds good potential rewards. Most people are concerned about competing against the "big" guys. This is not the real problem.

In reality. individuals getting into freight brokering (or any serious endeavor) find that they are competing against themselves. Having real or imaginary competition motivates people to work harder. But, you have to dominate your fears and concerns.

During the building of the Hoover Dam, 6 million tons of concrete had to be poured. But before the concrete - three gigantic tunnels were constructed, going through solid rock. These tunnels were essential for diverting the Colorado River. Workers found themselves in 140 degree temperatures. Many got sick, some died. Yet, they continued. One big motivator was seeing which team could drill the furtherest every day. No one wanted to be last.

I don't think you'll be working in 140 degree weather - so don't worry about that. And, don't worry about the "big" guys.

Be more concerned about YOU. The WILL to get prepared is more difficult to conquer than getting prepared itself. You can start building your WILL TO WIN by going here and downloading my f.ree eBook, "Introduction to Freight Brokering". Read it. Then email me if you have questions.

Go here: http://www.atexfbt.com