Trucking is a carrier that allows you to travel a lot, but can be very taxing on you after a while. If you have been trucking for a few years and feel like it is time to make a change in your career, consider becoming a freight broker. Freight brokering allows you to still work in the field that you love, without having to travel from one place to another. The following guide walks you through a few things you need to know about starting a freight brokerage business.

Learn How to Run a Brokerage Business

You want to get training to learn the ins and outs of brokering. You will be responsible for handling any claims that clients or transporters make, determining how much the loads will cost to transport, and determine how large of a load can be transported by each truck based on the loading capacity they can legally haul. While you may know some of this information from your time as a trucker, the clerical parts of the business may be new to you. To learn more, take a freight broker training. 

Use Your Connections to Your Benefit

When working as a freight broker, you will help clients that need to have items transported find the right transporter to carry the items for them. You will be able to use the experience you have to find experienced drivers who are careful with their runs and use the most direct routes possible when transporting a load. Working with the same reliable transporters again and again will help your clients know that you provide a service that is trustworthy and worth investing in.

Determine Your Startup Costs

When you are first starting as a freight broker, it is important to take the time to minimize your starting costs as much as possible. In the beginning, you will more than likely be going to potential clients to meet with them to discuss possible jobs. This means that investing in an office space right away may not be the best investment to make. Take your time to invest in things that are absolutely needed in order to start your business such as insurance on your business, licensing, and advertising.

Once you have received your training for brokering and have taken the time to insure and get the proper licenses for your business, you can start brokering right away. Be sure to start with a few jobs at first to be sure that you get the hang of it before brokering numerous jobs at the same time to be sure you can handle any issues that arise with ease.