I'm new at this. Doing local stuff part time for a three truck flatbed outfit. $.33/mile + $12/hr for work so things are cool but I have some questions about the business end of trucking. Maybe it should be in the O/O forum....I dunno. Here goes.

-What does a broker do exactly?
-What is an agent?
-Why can't a person be a broker and an operator?
-How do you make sure you get paid for a load?
-Is there a way to check out brokers?

thanks

 

Broker finds loads and trys to find people to transport the load.

Agent works for a broker

They could. Requires a broker license.

Nornally they are paid by the broker.

Several services are available that rate brokers.


kc0iv

 

A broker basically sells freight and sells trucks, he is a licensed middleman. He finds freight shippers that need trucks and he finds trucks that need freight.

An agent works for a broker finding shippers and or trucks

A person can be a broker and operator, I've done it the last 10 years

You must run credit checks on shippers and brokers to know credit worthiness.

There are several credit services available to check credit Dun&Bradstreet, Freightjail, Red Book, Gold Book

I hope these answers help you out.

 

if you are asking those questions, you must be an O/O? If so, then how much did you say they pay to the truck? Or are you a company driver and just interested? I think we need a bit more info...

 

THanks a bunch. More questions.

Sounds like and agent does the same thing as a broker only the agent doesn't have a broker's liscense?

What's the logic behind requiring a Broker to have a liscense?
Who issues the broker's liscense?
What is a double brokered load?
Is double brokering legal?
Why double broker.....to get more trucks to consider the load?

thanks again

 

Sorry for all the questions. I'm about to go swimming with sharks and I just want to educate myself as much as possible.

To answer your question, I'm not an O/O. I'm driving within about a 250 mile radius and coming back empty. Trying to get the boss let me bring loads back. Mostly because I wanna learn how this deal works. I need to make it pay immediately because if it doesn't, he won't do it for long.

I guess you could say I'm acting like an O/O, but without owning anything LOL.