Even the best freight agents, with years of experience, face challenges from time to time. But the nature, scale, and severity of these issues depend on an agent’s brokerage partner.
If you work with a good freight brokerage, you’ll have access to reliable support and resources to help you overcome challenges. If you work with a bad one, though, you may not get the help you need. Even worse? Your brokerage could be causing some of your problems.
What common freight brokerage problems do freight agents face? In this post, we’ll look at key freight agent challenges and offer some solutions to help you succeed.
Here are some of the most common issues that freight agents face (plus some advice on how to solve them).
Inconsistent commission payments and a lack of financial transparency are common freight agent challenges. As a professional putting in the hours, you want to feel reassured that you’ll receive your commission on time and in full.
But when that’s not the case, you’re sure to feel stressed and less motivated to work at your best. And brokerages will miss out on your full potential — ultimately harming themselves in the long run.
The best freight agent program will always respect you enough to deliver complete commission payments on schedule with full transparency.
Before you start working with a brokerage, find as much information as you can about their commission structure. If anything concerns you, reach out to the brokerage for more information.
But always be wary of brokerages that seem to take a nonchalant approach to paying agents. That could hint at more freight broker challenges beyond overdue and overlooked commissions.
Disputes over billing, claims, and collections can eat up your precious time, leaving you with less room in your day for other critical tasks. The best brokerages offering a freight agent program will handle these and other repetitive tasks — giving you more time to focus on sales and building relationships.
DTS fully understands how difficult these freight agent challenges can be, which is why we handle back-office tasks for you. We’ve built an effective infrastructure to manage quoting, scheduling, and tracking on your behalf.
As a freight agent, you may be attracted to large corporate brokerages for the resources and connections they’re likely to have. But working with a bigger team can lead to one of the more common freight brokerage problems you may not expect: feeling undervalued.
When large brokerages offer limited access to leadership, freight agents may feel underrecognized and unappreciated. Freight brokerages should have accessible leadership that can help you solve problems faster and grow your account. Agents need a brokerage they can work with, not for.
This may sound familiar if you’re on the lookout for a partner who values your contributions more and collaborates with you.
At DTS, we’re a family-owned business with a hands-on approach. Leadership is here to help you whenever you face a tricky situation, and we’re always ready to celebrate your success after a job well done.
Have you ever tried to work with a slow, outdated system? If so, you’ll know that it’s not just frustrating and inconvenient. It can actually cost you:
That’s why you need a modern, connected transportation management system (TMS).
A reliable TMS is essential for proper quoting and tracking. And a trusted freight agent program will empower you with a modern TMS that offers real-time visibility for each shipment.
Some freight agent brokerages don’t offer agents access to new tools, marketing resources, or any innovative solutions. And this can prevent you from growing your book of business.
That’s why it’s so important to work with a brokerage that’s committed to supporting agents. The best brokerages invest in tools, marketing resources, and support to help agents expand and grow.
If you face one or more of these freight broker challenges regularly, it may be time to find a better freight agent program. Each of these issues can slow you down, affect your income, and cause you stress.
Working with an experienced, trusted team will make your work easier, smoother, and more rewarding overall. DTS’ Freight Agent Program offers a wide range of benefits, including:
Ready to try a stronger partnership? Get in touch to learn more about becoming a DTS freight agent.
Whether you're a company looking to improve one facet of your supply chain, your entire supply chain, or simply looking for a transportation and logistics consultation, we can help.
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