Looking for a Broker

Greg336 · Oct 12, 2011

Hi,

I would like to find a broker. I don't have my own authority, I would consider getting it if its not to costly. What do I look for and how do I know if the broker I find is a good one or not? I'm hoping to find something in and around the Michigan area. Any help would be appreciated. To let every one know I drive a 2011 Ford E-350 Cube van with a 12 foot box. Thank you in advanced.

Greg

Turtle · Oct 12, 2011

Well, a broker won't deal with you if you don't have your own authority, so I'm not sure what you hope to gain from finding one. You've crapped out with FECC, and Load 1, and now you're looking for your own freight while not having your authority. You clearly don't know anything about this industry, and whoever told you to go out and buy a new van and get into expediting because there's easy money to be made did you a great disservice.

paullud · Oct 12, 2011

You definitely need your own authority to get freight from a broker. It may seem like a good idea to go out on your own but your expenses will only go up and running with a company will help you to learn the basics before you make a costly mistake. A lot of the brokered freight can be low paying because a regular broker will be offering you LTL which I have seen many for .10-.25 mile. The other option will be for you to get the freight from an expediting company that has a brokerage side. These won't be the best paying but there are some that pay good, you will just want to be connected to the internet constantly to be monitoring the different sites for new loads. If I were you I would make sure any broker you deal with is bonded to make sure you won't get ripped off. I would also get a scanner that you can use as a fax machine so you aren't having to pay every time you need to send a rate confirmation or proof of insurance, that can get costly very quick. Is there a reason you are trying to run on your own?

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

lugnut1 · Oct 12, 2011

Turtle said:
Well, a broker won't deal with you if you don't have your own authority, so I'm not sure what you hope to gain from finding one. You've crapped out with FECC, and Load 1, and now you're looking for your own freight while not having your authority. You clearly don't know anything about this industry, and whoever told you to go out and buy a new van and get into expediting because there's easy money to be made did you a great disservice.

Harsh, further info on why you are bit-chee slapping this guy openly on the EO. Crapped out with Load1? FECC?

Turtle · Oct 12, 2011

Harsh, maybe, but reality can be that way. Read his previous posts, it's all connected.

bdmj989900 · Oct 12, 2011

lugnut1 said:
Harsh, further info on why you are bit-chee slapping this guy openly on the EO. Crapped out with Load1? FECC?

Turtle is not "chee slapping" him. He is just saying what Greg has already posted on EO in his previous posts.

lugnut1 · Oct 12, 2011

bdmj989900 said:
Turtle is not "chee slapping" him. He is just saying what Greg has already posted on EO in his previous posts.

So you’re saying first impressions don’t count. That if I had researched everything previously posted by greg334 I would then, and only then understand he crapped out, that it is OK to have some good laughs at him due to his failure to have NOT chosen wisely and followed the path as set forth by those of the Sacred Order EO?
Am I being harsh?

xiggi · Oct 12, 2011

lugnut1 said:
So you’re saying first impressions don’t count. That if I had researched everything previously posted by greg334 I would then, and only then understand he crapped out, that it is OK to have some good laughs at him due to his failure to have NOT chosen wisely and followed the path as set forth by those of the Sacred Order EO?
Am I being harsh?

I see no one laughing at him.

mjmsprt40 · Oct 12, 2011

I just had a look-see because Turtle mentioned it and because the business about previous posts came up. A couple of months driving for somebody else doesn't make one experienced enough to make it on his own even if he had fantastic luck with the other outfits, and since by his own admission he had hard luck for a couple of months it sounds like his bank account is depleted into the bargain. Getting his own authority and trying to get brokered loads to feed a new van--- unless God works a miracle for him, he's bought himself a van load of troubles.

Just a wild guess here, but during the time he was with Fedexcc and Load1, I'm guessing we were all running a bit thin then. I know during June and July, getting one run a week was about it, and if I got two I was doing real good. Asking around and looking around, including reading these boards before I signed on as a member, seems to me that kind of slow activity was going around then.

Turtle · Oct 12, 2011

lugnut1 said:
Am I being harsh?

No, but maybe a little ignorant, since Greg334 is a totally different Greg.

Dakota · Oct 12, 2011

Turtle said:
No, but maybe a little ignorant, since Greg334 is a totally different Greg.

It's the new and improved version of Greg version 336

lugnut1 · Oct 12, 2011

Turtle said:
No, but maybe a little ignorant, since Greg334 is a totally different Greg.

“Maybe a little ignorant” whatever words you choose; uninformed, uneducated, unfamiliar or maybe unapprised, whatever word you like it seems unlikely you can help greg336. I can. Should I?

Greg336 · Oct 17, 2011

I have been in this industry for over 4 years now and the reason I'm in a new van is because I have already put over $20,000 in repairs into my sprinter and don't want to throw any more money in that money pit. I was hoping to get some honest answers about brokers because from what I have heard and seen through the years from other drivers is being with a broker is the only way to go because most of the companies out there just care about one thing themselves and not there drivers. That is what I have found with every company I have been with so far. Either the pay was way to low or I wouldn't get any miles out of any of them. If I could find a company that would pay at least $.90 + fuel and get me at least 1500 miles a week then I would love to talk to that company, oh and they have to be able to get me back home when needed. I can't afford 300+ miles for DH's to get home.

ChanceMaster · Oct 17, 2011

Another driver who complains that the company is only out to make money. Wants to feel special ? A name..not a number ! I don't get it.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

paullud · Oct 17, 2011

ChanceMaster said:
Another driver who complains that the company is only out to make money. Wants to feel special ? A name..not a number ! I don't get it.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

Well of course, it is fine we are out here for the money but the company needs to think of us first.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

purgoose10 · Oct 17, 2011

Greg336 said:
I have been in this industry for over 4 years now and the reason I'm in a new van is because I have already put over $20,000 in repairs into my sprinter and don't want to throw any more money in that money pit. I was hoping to get some honest answers about brokers because from what I have heard and seen through the years from other drivers is being with a broker is the only way to go because most of the companies out there just care about one thing themselves and not there drivers. That is what I have found with every company I have been with so far. Either the pay was way to low or I wouldn't get any miles out of any of them. If I could find a company that would pay at least $.90 + fuel and get me at least 1500 miles a week then I would love to talk to that company, oh and they have to be able to get me back home when needed. I can't afford 300+ miles for DH's to get home.

Your not looking for a Broker. A broker brokers freight to company with authority and insurance. He's a middle man. It's your decision to take the load, your decision to DH home, not his. Since your in a C/Van 10k or less you don't need authority. You need insurance. Your looking for a company to contract to. Depending on the company about your insurance requirements. No one is going to guarentee that you run 1500 miles a week but you should be able to. As far as getting you home again thats your deal not theirs. Your mileage rate or pay is again up to the contractor to make the decision whether or not to take the load. If your with a company as a contractor you should make an agreement before contracting to as to how much your compensation will be. Maybe talk to other contractors with that company before signing on.

Turtle · Oct 17, 2011

Greg336 said:
I have been in this industry for over 4 years now and the reason I'm in a new van is because I have already put over $20,000 in repairs into my sprinter and don't want to throw any more money in that money pit.

I stand by my comment. You clearly don't know anything about this industry, despite being in it for four years. Your comments in previous threads make that abundantly clear. Your comments in this post here only reinforces that. You expect carriers to care more about their contractors than themselves, and you think a broker actually does care, despite a broker having even less of a vested interest in you than a leased carrier does. You think lots of miles and lots of money should be served up on a silver platter. You were with a carrier who's bread and butter is in and around Michigan, but you crapped out with them because they didn't get you decent loads, despite you wanting to run with a carrier in and around Michigan. You think a carrier should be able to magically wave a magic wand and manufacture expedited emergency freight that gets you home when you want to go home, because 300 miles of DH is beyond your means. Rather than fitting into the industry, you want the industry to fit you, which is the hallmark of someone who doesn't understand this industry. Even after four years.

I also have my doubts as to your ability to properly maintain a Sprinter, 'cause $20,000 in 4 years points squarely in that directly. Large repair bills on a Sprinter can almost always be traced directly back to poor maintenance schedules and incorrect fluids. A "Sprinter Money Pit" is a clear indication of someone who tries to maintain a Mercedes as if it were a Ford or a Chevy.

mjmsprt40 · Oct 17, 2011

Uh, Turtle--- Even a Ford or a Chevy demands a certain amount of maintenance or it quickly becomes a money pit. It may be a trifle less fussy about it than a Sprinter, but still--

Of course, I'm not writing this for your benefit because you've been around the block a time or three and can tell me more about it probably than I can tell you. But, for Greg 336-- keep up with that maintenance schedule, or you'll be dumping as much money on your new van as you did on your Sprinter.

Turtle · Oct 17, 2011

No question that they have to be maintained, but maintenance schedules for a Ford or Chevy are very different from that of a Sprinter. All the things you've learned about maintenance have to more or less be tossed out the window when it comes to a Sprinter. Even old standbys like you can't change the oil too often, or change it every 3000 or 5000 miles. Not so with a Sprinter. Using thinner oil in the winter and thicker oil in the summer is another no-brainer, except that will get you lots of repair bills in a Sprinter, and for things that are seemingly not related to oil at all. Using the ol' rock-solid Prestone antifreeze, even the one made for aluminum engines, can turn the entire engine into what amounts to a battery, which eats away at water pumps seals and heaters cores, and causes electrical problems which can result in premature failure with all kinds of electrical components, including glow plugs, injectors, fuel pumps, sensors, all leading to cascade failures of other components. That's one of the things that's so frustrating with a Sprinter, that many things don't seem logical, both in maintenance and repair, and in diagnostics. You can do the ol' tried and true with a Ford or Chevy and they're pretty forgiving when you make a mistake, but a Sprinter is brutally unforgiving. A Sprinter requires a certain commitment that many people are ignorant of, or are unwilling to make.