Freight Brokers: The Big Picture

“I don’t work with freight brokers.”

Joe’s been in the manufacturing business for years now, and when a freight broker (or 3PL) makes a sales call, Joe usually snorts derisively. “I don’t work with freight brokers,” he says. “I work with asset-based providers.” The problem for Joe, and for a lot of managers who think like Joe, is he doesn’t see the big picture. In all honesty, he refuses to see the big picture because he doesn’t like change.

Susan is an independent owner operator, and she doesn’t want to work with brokers either. She’s a lone ranger and right now, she’s pretty happy. After all, rates are good for trucks right now. She’s making money. But we all know that the market will shift and so will margins, and sometime in the near future, Susan will have to adjust. She’s used to it. The ups and downs are part of her life as a driver. But like Joe, she isn’t seeing the bigger picture.

Freight Brokers: The Big Picture.

Most folks on both sides of the equation (take Joe and Susan) do not quite understand the freight broker’s role in the supply chain. This role isn’t to replace the shipper or the carrier but rather to ADD VALUE between the two.

Freight brokers introduce shippers to carriers they would never be able to access on their own. Here at AM Transport Services, we work with a core base of small, service-oriented carriers. They are reliable, responsible, and principled. At the same time, the freight broker acts as a sales arm for those carriers by introducing them to great shippers with a need.

Freight brokers have economy of scale on both sides. Here at AM Transport Services, we offer redundancy. What does that mean? If you’re a shipper and you’re working with one carrier, what happens when that carrier shuts down? You’re out of luck, right? But when you work with us, this will never occur because we work with many carriers. And they want to work with you. 

It’s the same for carriers. If you have one big customer and they shut down (sounds a little like what happened in the early days of COVID-19, right), you have lost your business. But if you’re a carrier working with AM Transport Services, we know where you are, what your specialties are, and we can introduce you to a variety of shippers who need your services.

Freight Brokers and Relationships: The AMT Way

Here at AM Transport Services, we believe in long-term relationships. While some freight brokers deal in transactional relationships, we believe our customers and carriers get a better deal when we get to know one another. We ask questions. We want to know you, whether you’re a shipper or a carrier, because getting to know you allows us to create solutions to help you succeed.

We want to understand your requirements in a way that offers us maximum negotiation. We’ve noticed that many of our competitors do not do this. In fact, unfortunately, many freight brokers will post your loads on a public load board, hoping and praying that the right carrier calls in. And then they serve that right back to you as dedicated capacity; when in fact, it’s the path of least resistance.

We’re different that way. We’re small and committed and we have the time and technology to run reports, to find all the domicile carriers in any given area. Enabled by this same technology, we pound the phones in the most efficient way possible and have high-level negotiations with the carriers we work with to make sure that customer and carrier are happy.

We can offer round trip opportunities, drop trailers, special equipment needed for your particular freight. And for our carrier friends dedicated, desirable freight from quality customers.

AM Transport Services: A Freight Broker You Can Trust

If you’re managing your freight based on cost alone, you aren’t taking the big picture into account. Price will never accurately reflect the total cost of your logistics–late or dropped deliveries, damaged cargo, unhappy customers, and a loss of business. It’s very likely, you do not know the total cost of your logistics because you don’t take into account the hidden costs.

Here at AM Transport, we’ve been helping manufacturers, distributors, and carriers for 30 years. Our team of experienced professionals are cross-trained and committed to our customers and carriers. That’s why we don’t employ an answering service or use a voice mail. We answer our own phones, 24/7/365 days a year. We’re here to help you succeed. Schedule a call today and simplify your logistics process.