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Freight brokerage firms offer a valuable service to both companies with merchandise to ship and the carriers that transport those shipments. Though the broker doesn’t do any actual shipping or handling of merchandise, it is the broker who serves as the intermediary between the shipper and carrier. This ensures that the merchandise is transported by a trucking company with the right type of truck and the experience with handling that particular merchandise at a price the shipper determines to be reasonable. It can be a complex and time-consuming task. Freight brokers do this for a living and thus have vast contacts within the trucking industry that are usually unavailable to companies unless they have their own in-house freight departments or fleet of trucks. Smaller companies typically can’t afford such a luxury and are unable to take advantage of the reduced rates that come with large shipping contracts with transport trucking companies. The freight broker evens the score for the smaller companies, saving them money on shipping by allowing them to take advantage of the broker’s relationships. Since the brokers offer repeat business to reputable transport trucking companies, they receive the same discounts available to large corporations that they can pass along to their client companies for significant savings. An experienced freight broker is a shipper’s best friend, not only to save money on shipping costs, but by contracting the right trucking company to meet the specific requirements of the load being shipped. For instance, a company may need to ship a large, expensive piece of construction equipment from Idaho to Alaska. It has to get there on time in order to meet a deadline and it has to reach the destination undamaged. The freight broker will contact flatbed trucking companies known to be reliable and experienced with transporting heavy equipment who are available at the right time to successfully make the delivery. What may take the broker hours to accomplish would take the shipper days or weeks of searching and even then, possibly without success without the extensive contacts available to the broker. With the shortage of quality transport trucking companies and drivers of late, the broker serves an even more important function in the industry. With expensive merchandise to ship, a company can’t afford to take risks on unknown trucking companies who may, or may not, prove to be reliable. An experienced broker will eliminate that risk by contracting a proven transport trucking company that will get the load to its destination safely and on time.
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flatbed trucking companies, heavy haul trucking companies, transport trucking,
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