Thursday, February 4, 2010

Why shippers ask freight brokers for rate quotes

Many times a new freight broker will be asked for a rate quote when he finds a customer that he has prospected there are only 2 reasons for this and a freight broker must be ready to look at both

(1) The shipper is looking for the lowest rate possible and as a broker this can be dangerous because if you don’t rate the freight to move you will not get a second chance



The freight broker or agent must remember no matter how exciting it maybe that this shipper has moved this load before and he Is trying to find someone that can do it for less

it really is a shippers world since deregulation they call the shots and the transportation provider is at their mercy don’t believe that saying that if you leave on their dock they will raise the rate this is a fairy tale someone will move that load

But as a freight broker or freight agent don’t get a reputation of having cheap freight remember you have 2 customers and you must provide service to both of them

(2) This is a new lane and he does not know what the going rate should be this is the time you can provide the best customer service and if you win the bid you may have a new customer for a long time but remember bid the fright to move not to be the lowest

Successful freight broker training can provide you with the knowledge you need to know the difference make sure you pick the trainer that will be there when you need them