Often, people have a preconceived notion that freight brokerage companies are over-priced scams when, in reality, they are often useful partners. Besides, the benefits of freight brokers are numerous.
What Do Freight Brokers Actually Do?
A freight broker can be a tremendous asset to organizations looking to quickly secure carriers specific to their needs and budget. Freight brokers are essentially personal freight managers for organizations. They’re working hard to find you the best carrier at the best price to move your freight. This allows you to focus on other critical aspects of your business, optimizing productivity and providing you with competitive advantages.
How does a carrier handle an urgent pickup or a problem covering lanes? What does a shipper do if they have no one to pick up their load? What does a carrier do if there are no trucks available and a customer has a last-minute request? Call a freight broker!
Freight brokers can be great partners in sticky situations, but they can also be a primary transportation solution. A freight broker can help improve service while minimizing the amount of money it takes to serve those clients. With the ongoing driver shortage, having a relationship with a freight broker serves as a useful safety net because most freight brokers have access to a carrier network or have built relationships with carriers. At PLS, we have a network of over 55,000 pre-qualified carriers to find you the best rate possible!
Benefits of Freight Brokers
Supply chains are changing. The freight industry is changing. Most companies have limited resources and limited time. Their valuable time and money shouldn’t be spent on forming relationships with trucking companies, checking loads, and dealing with claims – that’s where freight brokers come in.
A freight broker is your one-stop shop for all your transportation expertise. These professionals know how to secure loads with pre-qualified carriers through their 3PL. Freight brokers help carriers optimize their resource productivity. In other words, by doing things like scheduling back-hauls and more effective routes, each truck is doing more work for less money. This improves your bottom line.
Furthermore, freight brokers often use a transportation management system (TMS) to provide visibility into your shipment. TMSs allow you to track freight from origin to destination. Besides, they provide reporting and analysis on shipments to ensure you are getting the most out of your carriers. Using a TMS through a freight broker also benefits your customers. 97 percent of shippers identify real-time visibility as “important” or “very important,” and they are boosting routing efficiencies, capacity levels, and profitability through a centralized TMS. PLS Logistics offers utilizes our in-house, advanced transportation management system, PLS PRO, to assist with visibility and tracking for all our shipments.
The US Freight Brokerage Market is Growing
Freight brokers may be the future of transportation logistics. Research shows a 36% increase in growth in the field from 2021 to 2028, growing from 1.16 billion USD to a projected 13.78 billion USD. More companies are understanding the usefulness of freight brokers and the industry is seeing rapid growth. While trucks make up 75% of the freight brokerage market, brokers are effective in all modes of transportation including air, rail, and water.
Contrary to popular belief, freight brokers are here to help you! Their main role is to make sure the customer (you) has everything they need to get their shipment from point A to point B hassle-free! They optimize the freight business by saving time, money, and resources.
At PLS Logistics Services, our dedicated and experienced team of freight brokers partner with shippers to provide insight and cost savings throughout their supply chain. Our freight brokers’ sole responsibility is to ensure that your shipments are delivered on time, every time, providing you with peace of mind and allowing you to focus on your core responsibilities. Get a free, no-obligation freight quote, and let us show you how valuable a freight broker can be to your business. Click here to get started.
