more Updates

March, 6 2012

Verse 1: I walk into the bar with a thirst in my throat I want to buy enough booze to float a boat What I am really looking for comes in a bottle An ice cold ( golden? ) beverage of any model Chorus Verse 2: Every new beer bottle that I see Is best one that will ever be Cold to the touch, filled to the top I just want to drink you, never stop Chorus Verse 3: I don’t care if your green, brown or clear As long as you contain that delicious beer Tall, short, skinny or fat, you cannot hide Unlike for a woman, I just care what’s inside Chorus Verse 4: The cold crisp beer that hits my lips Is a taste that is always hard to eclipse It is something that is hard to be sipped Sends me on my way to get ripped Chorus Verse 5: So I drank you down, now your empty inside That beer was the best thing I have ever tried So smooth going down, quenches my thirst Too bad that tonight you’ll only be my first Chorus Verse 6: There goes another bottle of beer I never worry though the next one is near Soon I’ll have another bottle to coddle My next cold full one, my beer bottle Not in love with any of these, they need some work Chorus Option A Down goes the first bottle, my beer bottle Order another one, a new beer bottle Chorus Option B Drink it u--------p! Slam it d-----own! As long as that beer gets in my mouth! Chorus Option C Bring me a cold beer bottle Bring me a full beer bottle I just want my beer bottle Chorus Option D Beer Bottle! My Beer Bottle! Beer Bottle! My Beer Bottle! trucking freight, broker updates for all.

New Functions

March, 2012

We will be doing several updates in March to the software. Mostly around the mobile site as well as the carrier information.

Meanwhile, here are some tips for you from Freight Broker Training:

7 Tips on Freight Brokering

Freight brokers search for shippers who need to transport their cargo from point A to point B. The broker then searches for a truck to move the cargo. The freight broker, then, puts the two together and acts as a middle-man, collecting a commission for his or her matching-making skills.

There are a multitude of details and procedures that freight brokers follow. These procedures and details involve a great deal of coordination with both the shipper and the carrier.

Here are 7 tips that will help you manage and coordinate your freight broker duties.

1. Understand the needs and desires of both shippers and motor carriers.
One of the biggest items of importance for shippers is "cost". Big companies employ entire logistics departments to find the most cost-effective route and method to move their cargo. Some large shippers use their own trucks; some use freight brokers; and some allow their customer to arrange for the transportation. Smaller shippers rely more upon freight brokers to move their cargo. But both large and small shippers have "cost" at the top, or close to the top, of their priorities.

Carriers also place a priority on "cost". The current situation with high fuel costs and other high operating expenses have taken a toll on the availability of trucks. This availability, commonly known as "capacity", has been dwindling for several years. While shipper rates have increased, it's unlikely that rates have kept pace with a trucker's ongoing costs. The bottom line is, the truck needs to cover not only the actual costs but he or she needs to generate a profit on top of the costs.

2. Understand that the freight broker needs to negotiate a win-win-win situation whereby everyone achieves their goals - shipper, carrier and freight broker.
Negotiating skills come easy for some people; others hate the idea of "haggling" with opposing parties. A good negotiator will understand that there is, at times, a "give-and-take". Knowing when to "hold em" and when to "fold em" can result in huge profits over time. The best way to exercise this "hold em and fold em" tactic will come from a broker monitoring his or her profit margin along with other important items such as volume of loads and days-in-collection on the receivables from shippers.

3. Pay attention to sound business fundamentals.
There are many successful freight brokers. Some have been around for quite awhile; others are just getting a good start. Of these successful brokers, each and every one, most likely, has relied upon sound business fundamentals. In fact, that's probably the very reason for their success. It takes more than just "brokering" to be successful. It takes a person to "purpose" to pay attention to marketing, cash management, planning and creating an operating blueprint.

Each of these four topics has had volumes written about them. Without attention to these, a freight broker is most likely doomed to failure - regardless of his or her brokering knowledge.

4. On finding shippers, find a strategy that works and then stick with it - but keep experimenting as well.
One of the biggest fears for beginning freight brokers is how and where to find shippers. It's not as difficult to find shippers as one might think. However, it is difficult to find good paying shippers who also have loads that are relatively easy to cover.

One of the most effective (but not easy) methods is to search the internet using unique keywords. There are plenty of various shipper directories available; but then you've got thousands of other brokers calling the same shippers as you are.

Unique keyword searches will likely uncover shippers who aren't being called by every freight broker in the country.

5. When a shipper wants a quote or your rates, find out more about what you can expect.
Some shippers will require quotes before they accept your set up package. Some of their requests will involve 10, 15, 20 or more loads. Others will want a quote on just a specific load.

Sometimes the shipper is using you to gather information on how to price his load. Other times the shipper will throw your quote into a large pool of other quotes - and there it stays with the shipper having no intention of actually giving you the load.

Here's what to do: Ask the shipper how often a particular load or loads are available. Are they daily, weekly, monthly? Make sure you understand if the shipper needs a dry van, reefer, flatbed or whatever. Refer to various pricing sources that provide the "going rates" for various lanes. If the shipper responds after you have given a quote that the quote is too high, tell the shipper that you'd like to try to cover the load for what he or she wants to pay. And ask for the order.

6. Get set up with as many carriers as you can regardless of whether or not you have a load for them.
There may be many, many incoming phone calls in response to some loads you have posted on the internet. Many of these calls will be "dead end" calls as the carrier is looking for either a higher rate or whatever.

However, while talking to the carrier, get him or her talking about what THEY are looking for in regards to what lanes they like, how many and what kinds of trucks they have, etc. If you "hit it off" with them, ask them if you can get set up with them. Most likely they'll say Yes. Then you have one more carrier in your database.

7. Be prepared for things to go awry at times.
In addition to "dotting your I's and crossing your T's", be not only mentally prepared for problems - have some specific plans in place.

For example, let's say you think you have a load covered. The carrier has said, "Yes, I want the load". And you've sent out your set-up package, you've received the broker-carrier agreement back. Next you prepare and fax out the carrier confirmation. However, it doesn't come back and your phone calls go unanswered. So what do you do? You first consider yourself "dropped".

However, you will probably be getting phone calls after you think you have a load covered. So what do you tell them? You tell them that you "think" you already have the load covered but you ask them to leave their name and call back number just in case something falls through.

This, sometimes, is a lifesaver when things do fall through.



New Functions

February, 2012

We have done several incremental updates to the software.


How to Start a Freight Brokerage Business

January, 2012

Get your entrepreneurial destiny really moving by becoming a broker--matching shippers and transportation servicess--for the freight industry. February 22, 2001
Editor's note: This article was excerpted from our Freight Brokerage Business start-up guide, available from SmallBizBooks.com.

Take a look around your home or office. It's highly unlikely you have much--if anything at all--that didn't reach you either entirely or partially by truck. The size and scope of the motor freight industry is almost overwhelming. The good news is, there's still plenty of room for you to start and grow a profitable business serving the industry as a freight broker.

What exactly is a freight broker? Very simply, it's an individual or a company that brings together a shipper that needs to transport goods with an authorized motor carrier that wants to provide the service.

A freight broker falls into the category of transportation intermediary, which is a company that is neither a shipper nor an asset-owning carrier, but plays a role in the movement of cargo. "Transportation intermediaries leverage their knowledge, investment in technology and people resources to help both the shipper and carrier succeed," says Robert A. Voltmann, executive director and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

Brokers provide an important and valuable service to both motor carriers and shippers. They help carriers fill the trucks and earn a commission for their efforts. They help shippers find reliable motor carriers that they (the shippers) might not have otherwise known about. In fact, some companies use brokers as their traffic department, allowing the broker to coordinate all their shipping needs.

Brokers aren't new to the trucking industry; they've been around since the industry itself began in the early part of the 20th century. Prior to the 1970s, however, regulations governing brokers were so restrictive that few firms were willing to even try to gain entry into the industry. But with dramatic changes in federal transportation policy during the 1970s, regulatory restrictions have eased, creating new entrepreneurial opportunities in the third-party logistics arena. The Players

An industry so huge and diverse requires a wide range of participants to thrive. Some of these participants' titles may be a bit confusing, and some of their responsibilities may overlap. But to keep things as clear and simple as possible, let's look at who the key players are and what they do.
Freight broker. A freight broker is the middleman who connects shippers and carriers. Shipper. A shipper is an individual or business that has products or goods to transport. Motor carrier. A motor carrier is a company that provides truck transportation. There are two types of motor carriers: private (a company that provides truck transportation of its own cargo) and for hire (a company that is paid to provide truck transportation of cargo belonging to others). Freight forwarder. Often confused with freight brokers, freight forwarders are significantly different. Forwarders typically take possession of the goods, consolidate numerous smaller shipments into one large shipment, then arrange for transport of that larger shipment using various shipping methods, including land, air and water carriers. Import-export broker. These people are facilitators for importers and exporters. Import-export brokers interface with U.S. Customs, other government agencies, international carriers, and other companies and organizations that are involved in international freight transportation. Agricultural truck broker. Generally small and operating in one area of the country, unregulated agricultural truck brokers arrange motor carrier service for exempt agricultural products. Shipper's associations. Shipper's associations are exempt, nonprofit, cooperative organizations formed by shippers to reduce transportation costs by pooling shipments. Shipper's associations operate in a manner very similar to that of freight forwarders, but their service is limited to their members and is not available to the general public.

In a perfect world, of course, each entity in the industry would handle its traditional role and that's all. However, the transportation industry is changing so rapidly that once-distinctive lines are blurring. Also, it's quite common for a successful freight broker to expand his or her business by creating subsidiaries or additional companies that offer other freight services. Education And Experience

The brokers we spoke with recommended working in the industry--either for a shipper, a carrier or both--before starting your own brokerage. You'll not only gain technical expertise, but you'll make contacts that are critical to success in this business.

Some brokers may opt to use agents to develop a wider scope of operations. In this context, agents are independent contractors who represent a freight broker in a given area. This would enable you to offer a local presence when you might not have the volume to justify opening your own office.

Along these lines, you may want to consider starting out as an agent rather than a broker. Chuck A.'s company is based in Indianapolis, but he has agents in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Texas and West Virginia. Because his agents aren't brokers and because they're homebased, their start-up materials are minimal and typically consist of a computer, telephone and fax machine. An agent's work is very similar to what a broker does, but the agent functions under the auspices of the broker and the broker is the one responsible for such issues as paying carriers and maintaining the required surety bond.