Some owner drivers think it’s best to work with as many freight brokers as they can so that they can get more good loads.

This approach at first sight appears to be sensible. New brokers can be able to access new lanes or alternative freight networks or even higher-paying freight.

But, going back to find new broker relationships only consistently ends up creating the opposite effect: less stable freight, more downtime between freight, and unpredictable weekly revenues.

This is not something that is done by consistently loaded owner/operators. Instead, they develop business based on the knowledge and experience of the broker, repetition lanes and very specific freight planning.

Knowing the reasons behind this disparity can be the key for drivers to minimize downtime and achieve more predictable weekly earnings.

Why Chasing New Brokers Can Hurt Owner-Operators

While consistent communication with new freight brokers can seem like potential prospecting, it normally leads to a breakdown in business.

Owners, who are heavily dependent on new brokers, will often have:

• slower load confirmations
• weaker negotiating position
• rising competition from other carriers.
• A greater effort in looking for goods transportation.
• Meanwhile, repeat carriers are likely to book freight more quickly as the brokers know that they are reliable.

In the long run, this trust can drastically cut down on the process of looking for loads.

Why Brokers Prefer Familiar Carriers

Trust and reliability are key elements in freight brokerage.

Brokers are responsible for dozens or even hundreds of shipments weekly. If they are satisfied with carriers who communicate well, are on time, and transport freight without problems, they will remember them.

This familiarity will bring about an internal preference.

Rather than advertise all loads publicly, brokers oftentimes will reach out to a select group of carriers that they trust first to ascertain availability.

Requiring frequent broker changes on the part of a driver does not have a positive influence on that dynamic. Every time a load happens, it is a completely new negotiation with a broker who is unfamiliar with that carrier.

This means that often the driver is in competition with numerous other trucks that are likewise bidding on the same shipment.

Industry Data: The Cost of Empty Miles

Among the top hidden costs of trucking is the time and distance a truck is on the road without any freight.

Empty miles have been and continue to be a huge problem across the trucking sector, according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

Research shows that:

• On average, 15%-20% of a long-haul truck’s miles are wasted on emptying.
• For many owner operators and smaller carriers time spent with no load is even greater.
• One of the highest hidden costs in trucking is poor load planning; this downtime is one of the largest contributors to downtime and to loss of money by many owner operators between loads, even though the actual load rate may be profitable.
• When drivers do not receive loads with a firm loading to unloading association or broker familiarity, they are likely to be spending hours – or even days – looking for the next load.

One of the most important factors that leads to stable revenues is to reduce empty miles by lane consistency and broker relationships.

Data from The ATRI Operating Costs of Trucking Report (No. 334).

Why Freight Moves Through Relationship Networks

Freight activity is very centralised in the United States.

City regions with distribution infrastructure and highway networks have high volumes of freight traffic, for example, the cities of Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Columbus, and Memphis.

Often, these freight flows are not random.

Rather, they operate on brokers and carriers that often operate in the same lanes. Often, carriers can develop long-standing relationships with truckload brokers that do regular business on these trading lanes.

This knowledge allows drivers to obtain the necessary re-loads more quickly and lower the amount of time they spend trying to find freight.

The Hidden Cost of Constant Broker Prospecting

Drivers are always pursuing new brokers and, in the process, constantly going through the cycle to build up new relationships.

For every new broker communication, there’s a need for:

• Adding the carrier authority.
• The specific method is for rate negotiation on the basis of a new negotiation.
• Verifying load details, establishing credibility
• This repetition takes time away from planning their next load or getting the truck into a better freight market.

Many drivers will eventually come to understand that they have a better chance of getting a successful trucking week than finding one “good load.” This kind of maneuvering is challenging to apply in the midst of a full-time driving situation, and that is why many experienced operators plot appropriate lanes, set up reloading time and act as other communication conduits using truck dispatch services.

Why Dispatch Planning Reduces Broker Chasing

Another major advantage of an experienced owner-operator is that they have fewer brokers, as their operations are based on a structured planning model.

Rather than going back to book freight once a shipment is done, freight is always thought of first, with known freight lanes and broker relationships, for the next delivery.

This cuts down on having to find new contacts continually.

Dispatch planning is all about maintaining the balance between loads, and that’s where most operators are losing out on money.

When it comes to earning money on a regular basis, timing is really the key, as discussed in Reload Timing Is The Real Skill Behind Consistent Income – sometimes the difference between a profitable week and a frustrating week for the reader lies in the positioning of the truck for the next reloading.

What Consistent Owner-Operators Do Differently

These distinctions are what make some motorists book themselves on a weekly basis, and others spend hours looking for loads.

However, as time passed, savvy owner operators came to realize that good trucking careers are built on weekly plans — not looking out for “good loads” — as detailed in how weekly planning is always superior to “good load” thinking.

Why Stable Freight Comes From Positioning

Rarely interrupted trucking operations don’t require continual expansion.

However, they concentrate on getting the truck in the markets where freight demand is likely to be, and keeping the brokers in those markets happy.

This is leading to freight cycles over time – loads naturally following each other.

Drivers who travel within these cycles can save quite a bit of time looking for freight.

Conclusion

Given that playing new brokers every better betting week is certainly not always a bad idea, it’s easy to not realize that there is a hidden risk in doing so.

It’s tempting to think of it as a way to unlock potential travel, but it typically impedes the building of travel relationships, which generate the most certain travel opportunity.

If an owner-operator is consistently booked, they’re usually not continually subject to broker prospecting.

Rather, they concentrate on repeat lanes, reliable broker connections and organized dispatch planning.

When it comes to a stable revenue, in the world of trucking, it’s typically not about a constant search, but rather predictable freight positioning.

👉 Contact Dexter Dispatch Services at www.dexterdispatchservices.com or call us at [682-336-0385]

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