An Overview of Freight Brokerage Services
Freight brokerage services help carriers and shippers find the best solutions for their freight shipments at the finest prices. The Freight brokers use agent-model, buy/sell, cradle-to-grave, and digital to reach agreements.
They also serve as a one-point contact to handle all transportation processes which helps ensure shipments reach their destination on time through the best freight modes, such as expedited freight, intermodal, truckload, and less-than-truckload.
Freight brokers help you experience very good customer service by giving you access to their network software systems to track shipment routes. They also negotiate to give you the best freight rates so that you can transport your shipments easily.
How do Freight brokers play an important role?
Freight brokerage services rely heavily on the role played by freight brokers. They help regulate the following processes:
â—Ź Order Tender
â—Ź Logisticizing
â—Ź Freight Scheduling
â—Ź Dispatching
â—Ź Loading
â—Ź Transit
â—Ź Unloading
â—Ź Delivery
â—Ź Billing
1. Order Tender
Freight brokers serve as a 3PL (Third-party Logistics) company or freight brokerage services provider that collects all the necessary information to tender a freight, whether it be a regular shipment or a special order.
This collected information includes basic location, compliance standards, contact information, consignee preferences, equipment, and special packaging or handling instructions.
The Application Programming Interface (API) or an Electronic Data Integration (EDI) helps brokers record shipper’s information without any phone call or email, and the data is processed automatically.
2. Logisticizing
It is a very crucial part of the whole transportation process. Most of the shippers forget to comply while processing the shipment. It can cost heavily to both shippers and freight brokerage service providers.
The Consumer Packed Goods (CPG) shippers often neglect this step. They can avoid it to meet the expectations of the retailers and boost the brand’s delivery performance as they want to avoid stock out.
Non-compliance with these requirements often results in massive fees, disrupted retail relationships, and dropped sales which can be avoided by mapping out a logistics strategy to guarantee on-time in-full (OTIF) delivery.
3. Freight Scheduling
After taking the necessary information and ensuring the logistics complaint, the order is sent to the freight management system. It is then scheduled to ensure an accurate order pick-up and timely delivery.
Freight brokerage services play an important role here. They secure qualified transportation by taking an experienced and skilled carrier on board from their carrier network to ensure further processing.
Meanwhile, brokers ensure carriers have a valid license, appropriate equipment, required cargo, insurance coverage, ability to handle special needs, commitment to a specified timeline, and required drivable hours.
4. Dispatching
When the shipment is ready for the pickup, the truck dispatch services provider contacts the driver to doublecheck the important details of the carrier like name, truck type, tuck number, cell phone, and the current location.
At this time, the drivers receive the pick-up information and handling requirements. It helps them fortify the best freight brokerage services that meet their standards.
5. Loading
The freight broker stays in touch with the carrier during the whole process of loading from the freight being put on the truck, to the truck being shut or sealed, and the carrier signs the Bill of Landing (BOL).
The cargo directly comes under the possession of the carrier here. Moreover, the freight broker also verifies the case count, the skid, and the reaching point on the bill. That’s why it is a very important step in the complete process.
6. Transit:
The broker stays in touch with the driver through GPS tracking technologies such as Macro Point to supervise the location of the truck until delivery. It also includes regular check-in calls to keep everything on track.
In some cases, the freight broker also provides additional help like driving directions to avoid any hurdles in the way like traffic or bad weather conditions that helps maintain the standard of the freight brokerage services.
7. Unloading
When the driver reaches the destination, he must submit the reach time to avoid any problems. If the carrier takes longer than usual to submit the reach time, he/she must be charged to avoid any future negligence.
8. Delivery
As soon as the truck is unloaded, the recipient stamps the Bill of Landing (BOL), notices any Overage, Shortage, and Damage (OS&D), and accepts the possession of the product for delivery so that the shipper can be invoiced and carrier’s payment cycle can begin.
9. Billing
When the freight broker receives the invoice from the carrier that includes all the required paperwork for the shipper, an invoice is generated so that it can be billed finally.
The paperwork includes all the important documents like:
â—Ź Driver Work receipts
â—Ź Lumper receipts
â—Ź POD/BOL
â—Ź Rate confirmation
By following this process, the best freight brokerage services are nurtured.
Why TruckVerse Freight Brokerage Services?
As an experienced truck dispatch services provider, TruckVerse utilizes the attained experience and relishes it to carve the best freight brokerage services because we have a wide range of knowledge about the functioning of carriers and shippers.
Moreover, we also comply with the official standards and we are a USDOT-certified freight brokerage services provider that uplifts our authority to be trusted for the tuck dispatch services.
Conclusion
It is the best way to conclude that freight brokerage services require a complete skill set to maneuver the strategies for carriers and shippers and furnish services that match the set official standards.
