Brokers calling for rates

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brwnee

Member
Nov 11, 2009
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I have no problem taking calls and providing rates for 3pl's - but it is so annoying when they call you they want a rate and you ask a few of the most standard questions -

What's the weight? "uh-legal full load"

What are the shipping hours? "uh til uh 4pm I think"

Is the freight on pallets? "I think so"

Hazmat? What class? "Class? You mean what grade?"

Come on - if you are going to call looking for rates - at least have the courtesy to know what you are working with - guess what this affects your rate and your ability to accurately quote your customer.

Anyway that is my rant for the day - " I think "
 
yup;

Commodity
Weight
Skidded / Floor
Equipment needed
Driver Assist
Hazmat UN number
Origin
Destination
Pick up and Del times

that is pretty much the basics lol

and I only keep the good rates for my good customers lol
 
my favorite are the ones that call and have crazy dims for the freight and have no clue how to figure out the correct footage it will take.
When I started dispatch almost 10 years ago to help me with it I had a picture of the inside of a truck with the normal width and length height of a trailer. I helped me alot, but then you pick up this crazy dimmed freight and it didn't fit as planned (usually due to not being able to put sideways) and then trying to explain that to someone who in the beginning couldn't figure out how much room it would take to begin with. LOL I guess that's my rant for the day!
 
Try dealing with flat bed & spec. freight. Very rarely do you have a broker that can tell you exactly what it is they want you to quote on. The best is when they tell you that they have a full load of "construction material" that needs a tarp. Wanna reach through the phone and strangle them.
 
I can understand and sympathize with the frustrations expressed in this post regarding insufficient information offered when requesting a quote.
At our firm we try to gather as much info as possible from the shipper before we ask carriers for pricing. Unfortunately, sometimes the contact we're dealing with is not as knowledgeable about the freight as they should be, or we're dealing with someone who is not physically at the shipping point to inspect the freight. That said, there is no excuse for asking for rates with little or incorrect information. At least on the bright side of this discussion, these inexperienced brokers are asking the carriers for the pricing and not determining what the rate should be on their own! Imagine what the outcome of that would be.
 
At least they have half a chance of getting the right rate.

I always find it funny when we quote on a load that requires specialized equipment and \ or services only to find out that they have already quoted their customer based on a regular dock - dock delivery.
 
designate a voicemail !

My frustration got so bad around 6 months ago that I opened a voicemail for these 3PL's and "some brokers". There are many good brokers out there that are a pleasure to work with, there are others that just go straight to that voicemail, after a while they just stop calling.
 
As a freight broker, I agree with almost everything you guys are saying...But don't forget the following :

- People who are calling for rates don't always speak with the customer directly. Here, our sale's rep receive the calls. They are pretty good at asking everything, but not always. And we ALL have bosses. If they say do a call, we have to do a call... it's not always the poor guy / girl fault.

- Callers are sometime people who never worked into the transport industry and have just started. They can ask you stupid questions since they are new with terms and stuff. It's not because THEY are stupid. Some are, but not everyone.

I know many of you have been had / burned by freight brokers...but we are not all evil people. Some are good, some are great, some are bad. Same as carriers ! :)

That said, I wanna take 2 seconds to thanks all the carriers out there helping us moving our freight. Times are rough for everyone and you're doing a great job !
 
When specialized equipment is required.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be for someone in dispatch calling for rates if they have little or no direct experience with loading and operating the various types of equipment used in our industry. I've had the good fortune at times over the years to have experienced operating most types of road and construction equipment. This experience has served me, the carriers I do business with, and my customers well. Even at that, there are times when I call for pricing that I don't have all the information required, but in that instance it becomes a "ball park figure", and is treated as such. If it's going to be a load that I think has to be tarped and may have sharp edges and be awkward to climb on, I tell the carrier, especially if it will destroy an expensive tarp. I make it understood at the outset that it's a best guess with no commitment. This rate request is to help my customer determine feasibility for his sale only, and with the carrier's help we develop a conservative "best guess". Seven times out of ten, we get the work, and the profit therefrom.

That being said, I don't like it anymore than anyone else when this happens.
 
If you are an owner I wonder how many of you had a different attitude on your first day of business. Personally, I beleive it affords an opportunity to grade your customers all of which can be of value to you at some point in time. We were all green once and newby's deserve a chance to learn. Just maybe you could share some experience I am sure it would come back to you 10 fold.

Just my 10 bucks worth.
 
One of my customers who is always looking for rates, never has the complete information, ever.

How many skids?- 2, I think
Whats the weight?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
Standard size?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
Where is it going?- (eg) New Jersey
What city?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
When is it ready?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
When does it deliver?- I don't know, they didn't tell me

Customer- Why are you asking me all these questions? All I need is a rate!

The famous line of "I don't know, they didn't tell me" should be translated into "I didn't ask, again". If you ask the question, then people will answer.

For the record, this customer has been doing this for 18 years...
 
MyTrucksMyRates said:
How many skids?- 2, I think
Whats the weight?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
Standard size?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
Where is it going?- (eg) New Jersey
What city?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
When is it ready?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
When does it deliver?- I don't know, they didn't tell me
Click to expand...

Whenever someone like this calls me I end every conversation the same way... "My rate is as accurate as the information that you've given me. If the info changes... the rate is subject to change accordingly."
 
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I always decline to quote if the person calling is from a company that routinely is cheap to begin with and if the request doesn't have a general fit with the kind of business being done. Rome Transportation would do this all the time and, finally, I said, dude, I'm not your unpaid rates department. Fact is, the "best" rate is based on how easy the freight is to move and sell, and how quickly the customer pays. If a customer has moves that take less time to book with a carrier than ordering pizza, nice clean freight, palletized and easy then they will get the better rate than the guy who calls you when it's month-end or melon season, or at 4pm on a Friday in South Carolina? The more you ask for, the more it should cost. The bigger the pain in the ass you are, the bigger the premium. Of course, you want to develop freight and there will be those who will get the 30% a-hole surcharge quietly built in and if they want it, they will have to pay. It's a lesson I learned over 18 years ago in a rates department: if people call regularly and don't move a stick of freight, quote high.
 
Don't get me wrong about newbies we were all there once, but newbies need to be trained properly and this business isn't for alot of people.
If you can't handle doing at least 20 things all at once forget about it.
 
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