Posted by Tara Sutton Roberts.

Every shipper has different standards and policies when selecting a freight brokerage to work with. Most, if not all shippers, look at a few of the following basics during their vetting process. While shippers are selecting carriers and brokers to move their freight, they need to be able to trust these professionals. Trust is a very important aspect in this business because shippers need to be able to rely on their logistics broker with moving their freight from point A to point B without any problems, considering the shippers’ reputation with their clients is on the line.

By shippers having the knowledge of the following criteria, it will help them to make a better decision on which transportation broker to use for handling their freight. If the shipper asks the following questions to their preferred freight broker and answers are received that the shipper was expecting, then the shipper should be able to move forward with confidence that their freight is in good hands with their transportation broker of choice.

 

1. How many years have you been in business?

When looking at the history of a freight brokerage, it is also important to know if they have a good track record through references. If a company has been around for longer than a decade, then that is a solid key indicator that the business is strong and reliable.

The longevity of a business signifies that their expertise and experience is measurable. You will be able to distinguish what you can expect from the freight brokerage company by their depth of experience. For instance, Austin Freight just celebrated 21 years in business this past May (2017). AFS is a privately owned partnership. The CEO & CFO (Brian Sutton and George Copeland) have over 80 years of combined industry experience. The dispatch team consists of several seasoned employees as well.

 

 

2. Do you have a freight broker bond?

This is a very important question to ask your freight broker. By having a freight broker bond, the freight brokerage is bonded and licensed and it will also protect the shipper against any broken contract agreements or defaulted payments.

The FMCSA has a database of all licensed and bonded freight brokers.

Most of the times, shippers may not even ask this question, considering the database is searchable. However, it is always important for the broker to keep proof of the bond on the Motor Carrier report, if they ever get into a situation where it is needed.

 

3. How do you decide which carriers to use?

Trucking companies must have proper cargo and liability insurance put in place that is not expired.  A good broker will follow the steps in the process in order to protect their customer (the shipper), against any potential lawsuits. At Austin Freight, we have an entire team of transportation professionals that streamline this process.

It is important for a shipper to know how the broker chooses which carriers to use on their loads. Austin Freight has a step-by-step process put in place for checking compliancy of motor carriers. AFS uses a 12 point proprietary procedure for ensuring that we use the very best carriers possible for your freight.

 

4. How many types of transportation do you use?

It is essential that the shipper knows all of the freight brokers’ modes of transportation. In order to accurately serve their customer, appropriately, the shipper must be aware of the different means of transportation that the freight brokerage works with.

 

Austin Freight Systems has the following freight services available:

• Flatbed services
• Refrigerated services
• Truckload services
• LTL-Partial Loads
• Dry vans
• Step Decks