Problem solving is an essential part of the freight industry. Every freight broker must be ready to face a fresh set of problems every day and handle them efficiently in order to keep their customers happy. Here are 3 freight broker tips for common problems.

 

Carrier Capacity

Sometimes it feels like carriers are tripping over themselves to pick up your loads, but with the truck labor shortage growing it seems more often than not difficult to find someone to pick up your load. One solution for this is to plan ahead and establish relationships with carriers before you actually need them. Utilize the technology and networking as it will allow you a broader outlet of carriers. And always make sure to pay your carrier on time for their services! Even when your customer is slow to pay you, keep up that good relationship with your carriers to guarantee they will be there for you in the future.

 

Transit Delays

There are so many ways for freight to get delayed: bad weather, construction and mechanical breakdowns can all hinder freight reaching a customer. When these things occur you must be prepared to work with your customer and the carrier to get the freight to its destination as quickly as possible. A broker can often prevent some delays by being aware of transit patterns and helping carriers to avoid areas of construction or poor weather. It isn’t the broker’s job to ensure that a truck doesn’t drive into a snowstorm, but being aware that it could cause a delay and keeping everyone informed always improves the customer experience.

 

Cargo Loss or Damage

A freight broker is not responsible for covering fees for lost or damaged freight, but often a customer will come to the broker with these issues. The best way to handle this is to be aware of the process that carriers should be following when handling freight. The driver is expected to review the BOL before leaving with freight to ensure that what is loaded on the trailer is actually there and the consignee’s receiving clerk should also review the shipment before signing off on it. When you hear of a claim, immediately contact the carrier and dispatcher. You will often be needed to act as the middleman between the customer and the carrier, therefore going above and beyond to help resolve the claim will ensure that your customer knows you truly care about their business.

Every day brings a new set of challenges to a freight broker, but that’s part of what makes this field an exciting one! By making sure that the customer is always given the best possible service in difficult situations, you can ensure that the future of your company will be very strong.