So we know what is a "gouging" rate, and we know what is a"low balling" rate; but what makes a rate fair for both? What should be a carriers target RPM? $5 per mile is a fair rate... in OD/Specialized. (I guess my point is context is everything).
Unfortunately deregulation created a supply/demand market, where trucks and trailers are simply a commodity traded to the lowest or highest bidder as required, this is where relationships help! It is not who is playing the game, it is how often the game has to be played that becomes detrimental to the broker/carrier relationship.
Interesting though...I have worked at carriers that rely heavily on customer direct freight, and carriers that rely heavily on broker freight. There is more consistency with customer direct freight; Well run carriers should be using brokers to fill "extra capacity", and these ups and downs will become much less of a factor. The business model to rely on brokers to fill trucks I have literally seen it slowly kill a company due to the rate inconstancy over the past several years. I am not saying every carrier is capable of handling customer direct freight, it can often be more demanding; the carrier better have good customer service processes if they want to keep that customer satisfied (*Great Communication*). I also find that a carrier will say "no" more often than a "broker" to a customer (again, just my experience), but certainly a factor to be aware of. Strong carrier and strong brokers should not have an issue securing capacity, because there is no games, only relationships that help secure business and capacity for all parties involved.
A lot of carriers seem to be looking for "partnerships" to fill their trucks these days, so brokers can use this time as an opportunity to create fair lanes with good carriers; and carriers should use their heads too...when capacity is tight that fairness must be reciprocated with your key broker "partners" and we will all see more consistency. A big problem is that sales people are often paid based on margin of "profit", so this will require some discipline by all a for long term relationship! A lot of players seem to forget to think long term, and these inconsistencies with freight will probably only get more extreme as the economy is affected more and more by world events (things that should not affect other variables now do because everything is so inter-connected)