Importing and exporting are key components for many lucrative businesses. International shipping could present great business opportunities for you, but may also seem daunting. If you have not heard the term “freight forwarder” before, you may be a little confused. Is it a shipping company? A distribution manager? An importing…
Rental trucks provide an easy and affordable way to transport lots of small objects at once and haul large items that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to budge. Though the rental process may seem confusing at first, it is actually fairly straightforward once you know all the steps involved. Figure…
What does a freight broker do? Freight brokers are filling in a crucial role in the movement of freight, as the missing link between shippers and carriers. They negotiate good shipping rates and fast deliveries from transportation companies and connect them with the businesses that need to transport goods or…
1. Select a legal structure for your business Decide if you want to operate as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability corporation, or a number of other options. Speak with an attorney or accountant to discuss the pros and cons of each option. 2. Apply for operating authority…
“Logistics typically refers to activities that occur within the boundaries of a single organization and Supply Chain refers to networks of companies that work together and coordinate their actions to deliver a product to market. Also, traditional logistics focuses its attention on activities such as procurement, distribution, maintenance, and inventory management….
Are you a Freight Broker or Dispatcher? Freight Broker Freight brokers work with both shippers and carriers and serve as the middle man. Many freight brokers make money by negotiating rates with shippers and negotiating a different rate with carriers. The difference between the two rates is the freight broker’s…
1. Get Connected. One of the easiest ways to build your carrier database is to ask other freight brokers for referrals. Even if you don’t know any other brokers, you can start networking by joining an industry organization, such as the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). TIA is a freight broker membership community…
Here are 10 places freight broker agents can generate leads to grow their business: 1. Start with people that you know – your current contacts: Ask friends and family where they work. Not every company requires shipping, but many do. A freight agent’s current contacts are a great source for…
The most important job for any broker, owner-operator, or small fleet owner is finding the best-paying freight loads to haul. For many, this task is the most difficult part of owning a trucking company. Unfortunately, many truckers and owner-operators go out of business because they don’t know how to find…
What Does A Freight Broker Do? A freight broker is someone who assists shippers with freight ready to haul by finding carriers who are qualified to haul the load. They are responsible for brokering deals with shippers and then facilitating the movement of a shipper’s freight. They are responsible for…
Arrive Logistics opens up new office: Freight brokerage and transportation management services provider Arrive Logistics recently announced it has opened up a new office in Chattanooga, Tenn. This is the company’s third location, as it also has offices in its corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas, and Chicago, Ill. Arrive officials said…
The number of brokers registered with FMCSA may be dropping — coming on the heels of the enforcement date of the increase in the minimum surety bond required for brokers to carry — but some of the numbers being tossed out don’t represent what’s actually happening, said Chris Burroughs, who’s…
Year-over-year, van rates were up 2.7 percent while spot rates have dropped for both flatbed (down 5.5 percent) and reefer (down 0.5 percent). Intermodal traffic in November totaled 1,007,549 containers and trailers, up 7.8 percent (73,004 units) compared with November 2012, the Association of American Railroads reports. The weekly average…
Last week, Senate Bill S. 3483, the so-called Motor Carrier Protection Act of 2010 was introduced by Senators Olympia Snow (R-Maine) and Amy Klouchbar (D-Minnesota). S. 3483 would amend section 139 of title 49, United States Code, to add more regulation and oversight of freight brokers and freight forwarders –…
Payroll costs: Truck drivers may drive hundreds of miles a day, but many are doing it without benefits and routine worker protections, according to lawmakers going after companies that improperly classify the drivers as independent contractors. Assembly members released a proposal last week that sets a much higher bar for port…
International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) today announced the purchase of a 1999-built Pure Car Truck Carrier (PCTC). The vessel acquisition was funded by a $3.5 million cash payment and the sale of the Company’s 1994-built PCTC, Green Cove, to the seller in a transaction valued at approximately $27.5 million. The newly…
Tow truck driver from around central Ohio lined up and drove around Interstate 270 on Friday to say a final farewell to a Columbus man killed on the job. Bill Houck, 60, was killed on Interstate 71 just north of Cooke Road Saturday morning while he was hitching a car…
Interstate 271 was closed for about 90 minutes Saturday afternoon after a tractor-trailer hit a tow truck driver who was changing a tire along the highway. Police said the driver was between his truck and the car he was assisting, on the shoulder of the northbound lanes near the I-480…
Truckers following faulty directions by global positioning systems devices have hit bridges in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County more than 200 times in the past two years, the New York Democrat said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday. About 80 percent of bridge strikes…
The driver of a semi truck died Friday morning after crashing on Highway 18.The driver of the Fed-Ex truck became trapped in the cab when the truck drove off the road near the summit of Tiger Mountain, according to the Washington State Patrol. A witness told troopers he saw the…
Daimler’s European business has strayed outside its normal comfort zone, designing a trailer optimized for maximum efficiency with the company’s own Actros tractor. The Aerodynamics Truck and Trailer, unveiled at the International Motor Show this week, will reduce a semi-trailer’s fuel consumption to less than 25 litres per 100 kilometres,…
Weak demand for commercial vehicles persisted into August, according to the latest report from ACT Research. ACT’s State of the Industry report covers Class 5 through 8 vehicles for the North American market. “Class 8 orders are likely to continue in hand-to-mouth fashion until there is better clarity about the…
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will be selling close to 2,450 equipment items and trucks in a two-day unreserved public auction in Bolton, Ont. Sept. 25-26. Equipment highlights heading to the auction block include 115 truck tractors, including four 2011 Kenworth T800 sleeper truck tractors, according to Ritchie Bros. “This is the…
Meritor announced the production of the MTA 25 low-mount and MTA30 low-mount trailer suspensions, the two newest family members of its MTA (Meritor Trailing-Arm Air) suspension series for North American trailer operators. These units are specifically designed as part of a fully-integrated system to optimize performance and weight, and aimed…
