Freight broker
A freight broker is a licensed intermediary who arranges transportation between shippers and carriers without taking possession of the freight, earning the margin between what the shipper pays and the carrier receives.
Last reviewed · by the fleetchart dispatch desk
Brokers hold their own authority and are required to maintain a surety bond. They exist because shippers want one point of contact and carriers cannot economically maintain a sales force.
For a small carrier, broker relationships are a business asset. Rate matters, but so do payment speed, honesty about detention, and whether the broker's loads actually appear as described.
Ranking brokers by realised margin and days to pay — rather than by quoted rate — tends to reorder the list considerably.