August 15, 2025 • 29 mins
What’s the biggest threat to your freight business right now—fraud, market volatility, or outdated regulations?
Today, let’s break down the harsh reality of trust issues between brokers and carriers, as fraud reaches all-time highs across social media and industry platforms!
Tune in to find out the exact verification steps I use to spot real carriers, why load boards are becoming less relevant as reliable partnerships take over, and why details like pallet counts, addresses, and special requirements matter more than ever for protecting deals!
This episode also covers current market conditions, how interest rates and tariffs tie into recovery timelines, the keys to surviving long downturns, my take on tech investments, compliance updates, and what’s really needed to protect our industry from the inside out!
📊📉 Don’t miss out on the latest market trends by subscribing to your TOP Transportation Morning Show! 🌎
🎬🎯 #TheFreightCoach Morning Show is LIVE every weekday at 10:30 AM CST to break down transportation industry headlines! Mark your calendars!
🤝 Shoutout to my sponsors!👇
- Denim | https://info.denim.com/chrisjolly
- SPI Logistics | https://spi3pl.com/
- Revenova | https://revenova.com/freightcoach/
- NMFTA | https://nmfta.org/
🚚 Ditch your carrier packet, drive more carrier sales, and get better load coverage with seamless digital onboarding, TMS integration, and smart load coverage by visiting https://brokercarrier.com/.
To donate and contribute to the Have a Heart’s purpose, visit https://www.haveaheartinc.org/donate.
🚀🔥 To sign up for my Newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/iNoHco, get in touch with me through the social media channels below, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!👇
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrL70IEnCfDkNaiYMar3jw
📷 https://www.instagram.com/thefreightcoach/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them made them make a bigger ball hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach Podcast, the top podcast in transportation coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30 in Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines, but most importantly, provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve so you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Friday everybody.
We are going to jump right in.
(01:08):
We got a solo show today, but I got some freight moving.
I got, I got stuff going on today, so I'm going to get right in and get to the point.
Corey Buin, TGIF to you as well, my friend.
And just, well, hold on, we're not going to get right in.
I just.
Quick little reminder, you guys, we do drop a weekly newsletter.
My team wants me to bring this up, but I do need you to go to the freightcoach.com if you want to get in on it.
(01:29):
It'll auto prompt you to register.
It drops every single Wednesday.
And trust me, it's all about freight, you guys.
We talk rates in there, we talk the market, fuel prices, everything.
It's just about transportation because like, at the end of the day, it's kind of all I know.
Not trying to be a life coach because I'm trying to figure my own out as we speak.
So that is, whatever it is, you guys, if you want to register for it, I don't auto sign anybody up for it.
(01:52):
Just like I don't want to auto get downloads and everything else out there.
I want to earn all of your guys's attention and there's just a little value exchange is all I need from you.
But with that being said on today's solo show, we're going to be talking about kind of like what I think and what kind of, I've seen and kind of.
But like what are the top concerns out here for freight brokers for 2025?
(02:16):
And some of these are very applicable to the driver community as well.
Sunny Sharma, happy Friday to you.
Let's go.
And these are very interchangeable out there.
And you know this is just kind of some quick, this is just some quick insight in just kind of like where my head's at on where the industry is at and kind of one of those top concerns that I face as a freight broker.
(02:43):
But I feel like a lot of the drivers as well out there are, you are the kind of the victims of some of this stuff.
The ones who are out there trying to run a good and honest business.
So first and foremost I think you know, for me fraud and fraud is like top of mind out there.
And trust, I think trust is at an absolute all time low between most carriers and brokers out there.
(03:05):
And if you don't believe me at all, just go to some of these driver Facebook pages and other social media sites that are out there.
They, they are very vocal about some of the stuff that goes on.
And this is, this happens every single broker market that happens.
I've seen this happen numerous times throughout my career and I, I think like this is one of those situations is that people need to start looking at it from a different perspective.
(03:31):
And you know, for me as a service provider and this is just Chris Jolly's opinion on stuff and you know, maybe I'm wrong on some of my opinions.
I'm, I'm learning as I go.
But, but I look at fraud as one of those things that I think it's a, the core issue that a lot of the fraud comes from is the fmcsa.
I've stated this on the show.
It is a core FMCSA problem and there are companies that have been built up after the fact to try and help curb some of this.
(03:59):
And again I'm not associated with any of these companies.
Right.
But you know, we all know of highway, we all know of rmis, we know of Carrier Assure, we know Freight validate, Dale Praxis Co. That's out there and there's I'm sure a myriad my right of others that are out there trying to fight this.
But you know, just like with everything you guys, software is a, it's a great tool but it cannot be the end all, be all for your entire strategy out there.
(04:24):
And you know, when it comes down to it, you guys this is going to sound so Much easier than application of it because I understand that I'm in a controlled environment right now, right?
Like my back's not against the wall trying to cover a last minute load that I just won from a new prospect.
And if I don't cover it, I'm going to lose my job.
Like I'm not going through that right now.
But I look at it is as, you know, a lot of the telltale signs that I've come across in my career to help severely minimize fraud is going to come into how are you actually selling the freight out there?
(04:57):
And now I'm going to tailor this in two ways.
I'm going to talk about it from a broker's perspective and then I want to give a perspective out there of what the drivers and the owner ops and then the fleets, what they can do to challenge the brokers out there to ensure that the freight that they're talking about is real.
So one thing that has been a constant with fraudsters, double brokers, all the criminals out there, let's just call them what they are, they're criminals.
(05:21):
They do not care about details.
They care about money, right?
They just, they will brush off a lot of the tangible things that the real drivers out there care the most about.
Loading times, weights, commodities requirements that come along with the load.
Every real trucking company out there takes the time to vet that because you know, there's a lot of drivers out there who won't do certain things for a various really reasons out there.
(05:49):
And they want to ensure that the freight that they're hauling aligns with what they want to haul.
So they'll ask you more questions about that stuff.
Fraudsters, they don't care about any of that stuff.
They're going to push you on the rate.
They'll say that, you know, things along the lines of like if you're trying to pay say $2,000 on it, they're going to be like, oh brother, buddy, brother, whatever, send it over for 1900.
(06:10):
We know you need to make a little bit of money on this.
And they try and act like you're your friend.
They're not.
All right, just hate to break it to you guys, you're not that good, I'm not that good, nobody's that good.
And I've never found a real carrier who wants to give money back because they need to make money at the end of the day.
So that's one of those signs.
And you know, as a broker, take your time, know the load details out there because that is the biggest deterrent, when it comes down to it, a lot of these criminals out there, they want easy, they want fast.
(06:41):
They want to get the rate confirmation and they want to go out there and they're going to double broker that load.
Or maybe they're going to go out there, double broker it, doctor it to have it sent out to, you know, a port or something like that, and they're going to get rid of that freight right away.
Or it goes off to a random warehouse in a random city and they already have the entire truckload liquidated, depending on what the commodity is.
(07:02):
And you know, and that's another thing too.
You guys stop posting the commodity in the load posting, all right?
Like, you're literally putting a target on your back if you put the commodity in there.
Like, come on, you guys, that has to be step number one.
And if you're out there and you're doing that, stop right now.
And if you're listening to this live, go into your load postings and remove all commodities from that stuff, you guys, because that is the biggest target that they are looking for.
(07:30):
It's just.
You're just sitting ducks at that point.
So go from that and really just start there.
You guys ask a lot of questions.
Verify equipment types, the number, the top three things that I do every time I book a load, get their MC from them right away.
Verify the equipment type, all right?
Want to make sure that's legit.
(07:51):
Verify that they can scale the weight, all right?
And then those are three really big things out there because it benefits you.
But again, if they don't know, if they can't answer, I think we have.
Or maybe that will get.
Just hang up on him and move on with your day.
You guys, the real carriers out there, the ones that you want to work with, know their stuff, they know their operation, and they are going to want to answer that stuff because for the drivers out there who are listening to this, you guys that are the real brokers know the answers to all of your questions.
(08:24):
And the same things goes to you if you feel like you might be talking to double brokers out there who are trying to sell you some freight.
As a broker, this is just my opinion only.
This is how I run my operation.
You have all the information that I have, all right?
You do, you got the address, you got the name of the business, you have the pallet count, you have the weight count.
(08:48):
We listed out on our bills of lading, what is required of the load tarps, edge protectors, whatever that looks like.
All of that stuff is listed out in the bill of lading for you.
Same thing with the receiver.
The majority of my shippers, when you're picking up for them, when they hand you their bill of lading as well, the receiver information is listed on there and the contact phone number that they provide me is all listed on there.
All right.
(09:08):
Because I am not afraid for you to call ahead and verify and check me on my shit.
Because you should.
You have a business to run as well.
But the way that I operate, I pre call every single shipper that I pick up at.
Unless it's my customer.
Obviously they're the ones telling me to come in on those days to pick it up.
I, you know, and I picked up from them enough.
But every single receiver that I go to, I call them, I verify, I make sure they are aware of this load.
(09:31):
I make sure they have the right equipment on site to offload it.
I ask them what their receiving address is.
I asked them if there's any special instructions for the driver that they need to be aware of prior to arrival.
And then I ask them a couple of other things out there just to verify because I want a seamless transaction out there and drivers, if your brokers are not willing to provide a lot of that stuff and I understand how tight the market is out there, I don't know if I would want to take freight from somebody like that or if I got a bill of lading.
(09:58):
And I looked this place up and there was no phone number listed.
And then I googled the address quick and the building looked a little bit sketch and there was no businesses actually listed on there.
I would be a little bit weary about that, you guys, because at the end of the day they might, these double brokers and these criminals might promise you $4amile on this and you're not going to get paid for it.
(10:20):
All right, so the deal is in the details.
All right?
If they cannot answer basic questions, do not work with them.
That is as easy as I can summarize this whole fraud and trust situation that goes on out there.
Because fraud can be very much minimized at the desk level.
When you are training your teams up on how to proper vet the carriers that you're working with and then as a broker or as a carrier, vet the brokers that you're working with.
(10:46):
You can ask me and my company any questions you have about that for a. I will gladly answer that stuff for you guys at the end of the day, you guys, because at the, like my carriers that I Source are a direct reflection of me and my abilities to my customers.
And then from there, that is a direct reflection to the receiver who is our, my customer's customer.
(11:07):
All right, So I want to make sure we are all on the same page to have as seamless of a transaction as possible out there.
And so that one, you guys, fraud and trust, I think that's number one.
Number two is finding and vetting reliable carriers.
So we kind of already talked about that, right?
Like it's all in the details.
(11:27):
They're going to know their operation.
I want to ask them some qualifying questions out there.
Like, hey, why are you interested in this load?
Do you guys have a drop yard in the area?
Do you have a reload?
Does the driver live out there?
What does that look like?
Because again, I'd like that little bit of an incentive to haul the freight.
And this all comes from the fact that I've actually worked in opposite markets.
Besides just the easiest market ever to cover trucks.
(11:50):
I've been in markets before where we have to make 50, 60, 70 outbound calls to cover one load for a 400 loss out there for a customer of ours.
So when it comes down to it, I want to vet these carriers because I want to find the ones that are running these lanes no matter what.
And they like to run these lanes.
And it helps me create a closed capacity loop because out of all those great fraud companies and stuff that I had listed out there, you guys, at the end of the day, this is the most efficient and effective way to minimize all of that stuff and potentially eliminate it is by using the same carriers time and time again that you know are legit, that treat your customers right, that communicate at the level that you like and reward them with more and more business.
(12:31):
All right?
And like legitimately, you guys, we are almost to the point where 80% of our freight will never see a load board.
All right?
The only time my operation posts anything out there is if my core carriers are not available to haul that freight.
They don't have a truck in the area or whatever that looks like.
It doesn't align with my customers requirements.
So again, this is how you vet them.
(12:53):
And I already touched on that out there.
You guys, you got to find out a little bit more about their operation if they communicate well.
For us, we love photos of the freight because we move open deck.
We need to make sure the shit's tarped, has edge protectors, all of that stuff.
Because I like to protect all parties involved out here because things happen, you Guys and people don't always take accountability for things.
And we need to make sure that we're protected, our customers protected, and the drivers protected out there.
(13:17):
And when you find all of that, they're worth every penny.
I understand that people are in business to make money.
I am a capitalist, unapologetically a capitalist.
But I need to preserve revenue and project growth of my revenue, and that comes with servicing my customers at a very high level.
And those carriers are worth every additional penny out there.
(13:38):
And I don't understand why people go out and try and reduce the rates after they've been working with the carrier long enough.
On the opposite, I want to try and get them as much money as I possibly can by working with them, by, with more shippers of mine and everything else to keep their trucks moving.
Because there's a, there's a general partnership out there that can be curated in time, it can be done.
(13:59):
Contrary to what you see on the Internet, you guys, there are a lot of great carriers who just want to work hard and provide for their family.
And if you treat them with respect and you lay everything out there, you will find them and you will attract them into your operation.
So that's, number two, finding and vetting reliable carriers.
The reliable carriers are out there if you want to work with them.
(14:19):
All right, if you treat people like shit, you're going to get treated like shit.
All right, I'm going to summarize it as easy and simple as that.
Now, next one, number three, market volatility.
I think we're at a point where it's very clear that this is going on a lot longer than all the experts in three letter, whatever people in their job titles had predicted.
(14:44):
And I, I think we're at a point now where there's a lot of things riding on if anything's going to change anytime soon.
Again, I've been saying this for a while.
This could be the case up until into next year.
I think there's a lot riding on if the Feds are going to actually reduce interest rates.
I think that's the first thing that will fall in regards to a potential sign of a market recovery is if the Feds drop their interest rates.
(15:11):
I think that's going to increase confidence in buying excess inventory and everything else.
And then I think a lot of the stuff that's going on in with the tariffs right now, I, I think that might calm down a little bit more.
If people are more willing to buy, I think that they're very much more intertwined than I think most people are even trying to correlate out there.
(15:34):
Again, I'm not an economist.
I went to public school.
So take everything that I say here with a grain of salt.
Do your own research on it.
But, but I truly think that is, that could probably bring some more consistency out there in the tariff talk is if interest rates were lowered and people were more willing to buy inventory and kind of get the ball rolling there.
(15:55):
And then it's going to be interesting to see because I know in the open deck sector right now, you guys building is seemingly down, at least from a lot of the prospects that we're talking to out there.
A lot of them just are not busy.
They should be working, you know, 50, 60 hours a week right now, but a lot of them are not.
At least that's what they're telling us.
And again, you guys, this is just coming from somebody who makes cold calls every single day.
(16:19):
But I think that, you know, market volatility and you know, it is, it's tighter margins that come along with that.
You know, I, I know there's a lot of talk out there about broker transparency.
We're not going to talk about this on this exact episode.
I've done enough talk about that.
But I think that, you know, tight margins is another big concern out there.
And you know, I, I think with where we're at in the market with as volatile as it.
(16:43):
Well, it's volatile in the sense of where it's not as busy as a lot of people want.
I think it's very kind of right now and how it's going to perform.
But I think it's going to drive a lot of people out of business with tighter margins.
They're going to be less willing to lose on freight because they might not get a lot of opportunities out there and they can't justify it as a business anymore.
(17:05):
So unfortunately I think that is going to drive some more of an exodus out there in the market.
I hope more people stay in business.
I'm not advocating for it, but that's just the reality, you guys, it's dollars and cents game.
Dollar in, dollar out, and if the profit.
Because again, a lot of people like to celebrate revenue, but you can make all the, you can gross all the money in the world, but if you're not making any profit, you can't sustain any downtime out there.
(17:30):
And cash is king at the end of the day.
And I think that's kind of where we're at overall Is that could easily be number one out there.
The more and more I think about it, and from my perspective, it is.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
It.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
It's grim.
But I also look at it as this is.
This is what I signed up for.
And again, I'm speaking from Chris Jolly's opinion only on this.
With market volatility, tight margins, challenging times, this is what everybody goes through.
All right, so you're not alone.
If you're struggling with developing business right now.
(18:10):
If things aren't looking good right now, and you thought it was going to be a lot easier than it's turning out to be, there's a lot of people who feel that way.
But you have to approach this in one or two ways.
Either you give up and quit, or you figure out a way to control your P L, reduce your expenses.
What can you do to preserve this a little bit longer?
(18:30):
But you also got to look at it is this is what you signed up for, like I had mentioned.
But you got to find a way to make it work.
Because if you can make it work in downtimes and then you can apply this exact same conservative strategy in good times, think of the war chest that you could build up.
Think about how much more fiscally responsible you're going to be, stash away those emergency funds, and look at things a little bit differently.
(18:56):
Right.
I've.
I've went through this, you know, when.
When revenues are high, you want to think it's always going to remain that way.
And that's not always the case.
You guys, you have to learn to operate, especially if you're bootstrapping, you have to learn to operate off of a shoestring budget at times, but it's only going to make you stronger in business overall.
(19:18):
And as much as I hate it, I thought were going to be a lot farther ahead than we are right now.
But I also thoroughly enjoy what we're working on behind the scenes and ironing out a lot of our processes.
So when we're at a point to be able to grow and scale, we have the systems in place.
You guys, like, if the revenue justified it, I could like hiring 10 people tomorrow.
(19:40):
If the revenue justified it is not off the table.
Because we have the systems in place, we have the training in place, we have a lot of that stuff in place.
The only thing that's not there is the revenue to justify it.
So that's where we're at, and that's how we're approaching it.
Another thing that I think is going to be a top concern for people is technology.
(20:00):
Now when I say technology, I think that people are, and again, not knocking any companies out there.
This is what these freight tech companies, marketing teams are paid to do.
They're paid to make you think you might need something that you might not actually need.
And it's the fomo, it's everything else that comes along with it.
(20:22):
I am a, and I've said this before, you guys, you need a TMS and you need load boards when you're, you have the revenue for other things that will come about.
But I, I, it's not necessary, all right?
And, and I think a lot of people over invest in technology too soon.
Again, if you have the revenue to pay for it all, it's the same thing with lead generation software.
(20:45):
It's the same thing with CRMs.
It's the same thing with a lot of other great tools.
If you have the revenue for them, buy them, use them.
If you do not have the revenue for them, it is not necessary to pay for them to get customers.
All right, I did a show, I believe it was last week on how I literally developed business based off of Google, all right?
(21:09):
And I did that because I paid for lead generation software, you guys, and it didn't give me anything of a return.
Okay?
So there are ways that you can go about this and again, if you can afford it, great, run with it, invest in it.
But if you can't afford it, you guys, there are free tools that are out there, all right?
99% of my job is done on this right here.
(21:29):
My cell phone, legitimately.
I make all my cold calls from my cell phone.
I know there's people out there who are against that.
I don't give a shit.
I want everybody to know who they need to reach out to at any given moment.
You can text me on that.
Does not matter.
But again, that's how we do it.
Technology is great, you guys, but I feel like there's a, a big FOMO effect of like, you need this, you need this.
This is just coming from somebody who, again, I'm not saying every shipper out here doesn't require it, but the shippers that I'm working with, the shippers that I'm talking to, that I'm prospecting, have never asked me what my tech stack looks like.
(22:04):
All right?
The furthest it's gotten was, do you have EDI capabilities?
That was it.
Yes, I do.
Shout out Revinova makes it very easy.
But I look at it, you guys, where technology is great if you can afford it get it as long as you have the right systems in place.
Because I've said this and I'll say it again, automation is everything.
(22:28):
Automation can be a very good tool.
But if you have shitty manual processes, you will then convert them to shitty automated processes.
Because I feel like the biggest misconception with AI is that it's going to do the work for you.
You got to train the to do what you want it to do out there.
All right?
So again, if you have shitty processes that are done manually, you're going to have shitty processes that are now automated.
(22:49):
So again, take that for what it's worth.
So I think technology is number four out there.
Regulatory compliance is, I think, another top five concern out there.
And I bring this up because I don't think the FMCSA is doing enough.
I think they need to really step up how they are allowing a lot of this stuff to continue out there.
(23:15):
I know broker transparency is a very big thing.
I'm not here to argue what's right or what's wrong with this one, but I think that the FMCSA really needs to look at the verbiage of that because I feel like that the historical relationship between a broker and a carrier are vastly different than it is today.
And I think they really need to get every dispatch company that's out there on this and having the exact same standards that a freight broker has having to have a bond.
(23:45):
I think every broker out there should be required by a lot of have insurance.
You might not agree with that, but I feel like at the end of the day, you guys, again, this just comes from somebody who actually moves freight.
When you get to the finish line with a prospect and they ask you do you carry cargo insurance, that is a sticking point that will prohibit you from getting business.
(24:06):
I know it's not required by law, but I feel like it is worth it to invest in it early on out there.
But again, I feel like if brokers are going to have all of that dispatch services should be held to that exact same standard because I feel like they are the ones who actually act in a manner that a broker did back in the 80s when that law was written.
(24:27):
I don't have the verbiage in front of me right now, but I've talked about this on the show.
So I feel like that needs to be cleaned up and I feel like that will help minimize a lot of it.
Because again, you guys, if you want to clean up some other stuff, you got to increase the standards, you got to increase the barrier.
To entry because when it's a low barrier to entry, I feel like you get a mass migration of people who think they can come in and do it at any given moment.
(24:50):
And I'm not saying that they can't.
But I also think, like, if we increase the standards out here, I think some of this other stuff would start to minimize.
So I think from a regulatory standpoint, I think the FMCSA really needs to stand it up and step it up.
And I know Sean Duffy, I'm a fan of you, sir.
I know that, you know, people were celebrating that he commented on Twitter.
(25:13):
But commenting on Twitter and actually applying meaningful change out there are two very different things.
And we need to see meaningful change out there because there are a lot of hard working men and women of this industry that are struggling due to the lack of the regulatory agency who is supposed to be overlooking this entire process.
All right, you can't blame the fit.
(25:33):
You can't point the finger in a different direction when you're the solution.
You got to step it up there in D.C. so that is my top five out there, you guys.
Those are my top five concerns for the trucking industry from a freight broker's perspective.
And again, I tied in some driver stuff as well and how you can fetch your broker.
So that's fraud, finding and vetting reliable carriers, market volatility, technology and then regulatory.
(25:56):
I think those are out there, you guys, and you got to be on top of it.
Yeah.
As a business owner, it's on you, all right.
It's on you to implement these systems, to look at how can you improve out there?
Because down markets are going to come back, you guys.
I know everybody's looking for when is it going to get improved?
When is it going to improve?
You need to be looking at when it does improve, how are you going to get better for when it drops back down?
(26:18):
How are you going to stay in business?
How are you going to improve in these times?
So that's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, do your boy a solid.
Rank the show on itunes and Spotify because if you saw value, chances are, you guys, your network's going to see value as well.
I appreciate you guys.
(26:38):
I love you guys and we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money, anything hey, oh got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal When I'm get to the back hey Got the foot on the gas Pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate them make a bigger boss hey.
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them made them make a bigger ball hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach Podcast, the top podcast in transportation coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30 in Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines, but most importantly, provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I do say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve so you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Friday everybody.
We are going to jump right in.
(01:08):
We got a solo show today, but I got some freight moving.
I got, I got stuff going on today, so I'm going to get right in and get to the point.
Corey Buin, TGIF to you as well, my friend.
And just, well, hold on, we're not going to get right in.
I just.
Quick little reminder, you guys, we do drop a weekly newsletter.
My team wants me to bring this up, but I do need you to go to the freightcoach.com if you want to get in on it.
(01:29):
It'll auto prompt you to register.
It drops every single Wednesday.
And trust me, it's all about freight, you guys.
We talk rates in there, we talk the market, fuel prices, everything.
It's just about transportation because like, at the end of the day, it's kind of all I know.
Not trying to be a life coach because I'm trying to figure my own out as we speak.
So that is, whatever it is, you guys, if you want to register for it, I don't auto sign anybody up for it.
(01:52):
Just like I don't want to auto get downloads and everything else out there.
I want to earn all of your guys's attention and there's just a little value exchange is all I need from you.
But with that being said on today's solo show, we're going to be talking about kind of like what I think and what kind of, I've seen and kind of.
But like what are the top concerns out here for freight brokers for 2025?
(02:16):
And some of these are very applicable to the driver community as well.
Sunny Sharma, happy Friday to you.
Let's go.
And these are very interchangeable out there.
And you know this is just kind of some quick, this is just some quick insight in just kind of like where my head's at on where the industry is at and kind of one of those top concerns that I face as a freight broker.
(02:43):
But I feel like a lot of the drivers as well out there are, you are the kind of the victims of some of this stuff.
The ones who are out there trying to run a good and honest business.
So first and foremost I think you know, for me fraud and fraud is like top of mind out there.
And trust, I think trust is at an absolute all time low between most carriers and brokers out there.
(03:05):
And if you don't believe me at all, just go to some of these driver Facebook pages and other social media sites that are out there.
They, they are very vocal about some of the stuff that goes on.
And this is, this happens every single broker market that happens.
I've seen this happen numerous times throughout my career and I, I think like this is one of those situations is that people need to start looking at it from a different perspective.
(03:31):
And you know, for me as a service provider and this is just Chris Jolly's opinion on stuff and you know, maybe I'm wrong on some of my opinions.
I'm, I'm learning as I go.
But, but I look at fraud as one of those things that I think it's a, the core issue that a lot of the fraud comes from is the fmcsa.
I've stated this on the show.
It is a core FMCSA problem and there are companies that have been built up after the fact to try and help curb some of this.
(03:59):
And again I'm not associated with any of these companies.
Right.
But you know, we all know of highway, we all know of rmis, we know of Carrier Assure, we know Freight validate, Dale Praxis Co. That's out there and there's I'm sure a myriad my right of others that are out there trying to fight this.
But you know, just like with everything you guys, software is a, it's a great tool but it cannot be the end all, be all for your entire strategy out there.
(04:24):
And you know, when it comes down to it, you guys this is going to sound so Much easier than application of it because I understand that I'm in a controlled environment right now, right?
Like my back's not against the wall trying to cover a last minute load that I just won from a new prospect.
And if I don't cover it, I'm going to lose my job.
Like I'm not going through that right now.
But I look at it is as, you know, a lot of the telltale signs that I've come across in my career to help severely minimize fraud is going to come into how are you actually selling the freight out there?
(04:57):
And now I'm going to tailor this in two ways.
I'm going to talk about it from a broker's perspective and then I want to give a perspective out there of what the drivers and the owner ops and then the fleets, what they can do to challenge the brokers out there to ensure that the freight that they're talking about is real.
So one thing that has been a constant with fraudsters, double brokers, all the criminals out there, let's just call them what they are, they're criminals.
(05:21):
They do not care about details.
They care about money, right?
They just, they will brush off a lot of the tangible things that the real drivers out there care the most about.
Loading times, weights, commodities requirements that come along with the load.
Every real trucking company out there takes the time to vet that because you know, there's a lot of drivers out there who won't do certain things for a various really reasons out there.
(05:49):
And they want to ensure that the freight that they're hauling aligns with what they want to haul.
So they'll ask you more questions about that stuff.
Fraudsters, they don't care about any of that stuff.
They're going to push you on the rate.
They'll say that, you know, things along the lines of like if you're trying to pay say $2,000 on it, they're going to be like, oh brother, buddy, brother, whatever, send it over for 1900.
(06:10):
We know you need to make a little bit of money on this.
And they try and act like you're your friend.
They're not.
All right, just hate to break it to you guys, you're not that good, I'm not that good, nobody's that good.
And I've never found a real carrier who wants to give money back because they need to make money at the end of the day.
So that's one of those signs.
And you know, as a broker, take your time, know the load details out there because that is the biggest deterrent, when it comes down to it, a lot of these criminals out there, they want easy, they want fast.
(06:41):
They want to get the rate confirmation and they want to go out there and they're going to double broker that load.
Or maybe they're going to go out there, double broker it, doctor it to have it sent out to, you know, a port or something like that, and they're going to get rid of that freight right away.
Or it goes off to a random warehouse in a random city and they already have the entire truckload liquidated, depending on what the commodity is.
(07:02):
And you know, and that's another thing too.
You guys stop posting the commodity in the load posting, all right?
Like, you're literally putting a target on your back if you put the commodity in there.
Like, come on, you guys, that has to be step number one.
And if you're out there and you're doing that, stop right now.
And if you're listening to this live, go into your load postings and remove all commodities from that stuff, you guys, because that is the biggest target that they are looking for.
(07:30):
It's just.
You're just sitting ducks at that point.
So go from that and really just start there.
You guys ask a lot of questions.
Verify equipment types, the number, the top three things that I do every time I book a load, get their MC from them right away.
Verify the equipment type, all right?
Want to make sure that's legit.
(07:51):
Verify that they can scale the weight, all right?
And then those are three really big things out there because it benefits you.
But again, if they don't know, if they can't answer, I think we have.
Or maybe that will get.
Just hang up on him and move on with your day.
You guys, the real carriers out there, the ones that you want to work with, know their stuff, they know their operation, and they are going to want to answer that stuff because for the drivers out there who are listening to this, you guys that are the real brokers know the answers to all of your questions.
(08:24):
And the same things goes to you if you feel like you might be talking to double brokers out there who are trying to sell you some freight.
As a broker, this is just my opinion only.
This is how I run my operation.
You have all the information that I have, all right?
You do, you got the address, you got the name of the business, you have the pallet count, you have the weight count.
(08:48):
We listed out on our bills of lading, what is required of the load tarps, edge protectors, whatever that looks like.
All of that stuff is listed out in the bill of lading for you.
Same thing with the receiver.
The majority of my shippers, when you're picking up for them, when they hand you their bill of lading as well, the receiver information is listed on there and the contact phone number that they provide me is all listed on there.
All right.
(09:08):
Because I am not afraid for you to call ahead and verify and check me on my shit.
Because you should.
You have a business to run as well.
But the way that I operate, I pre call every single shipper that I pick up at.
Unless it's my customer.
Obviously they're the ones telling me to come in on those days to pick it up.
I, you know, and I picked up from them enough.
But every single receiver that I go to, I call them, I verify, I make sure they are aware of this load.
(09:31):
I make sure they have the right equipment on site to offload it.
I ask them what their receiving address is.
I asked them if there's any special instructions for the driver that they need to be aware of prior to arrival.
And then I ask them a couple of other things out there just to verify because I want a seamless transaction out there and drivers, if your brokers are not willing to provide a lot of that stuff and I understand how tight the market is out there, I don't know if I would want to take freight from somebody like that or if I got a bill of lading.
(09:58):
And I looked this place up and there was no phone number listed.
And then I googled the address quick and the building looked a little bit sketch and there was no businesses actually listed on there.
I would be a little bit weary about that, you guys, because at the end of the day they might, these double brokers and these criminals might promise you $4amile on this and you're not going to get paid for it.
(10:20):
All right, so the deal is in the details.
All right?
If they cannot answer basic questions, do not work with them.
That is as easy as I can summarize this whole fraud and trust situation that goes on out there.
Because fraud can be very much minimized at the desk level.
When you are training your teams up on how to proper vet the carriers that you're working with and then as a broker or as a carrier, vet the brokers that you're working with.
(10:46):
You can ask me and my company any questions you have about that for a. I will gladly answer that stuff for you guys at the end of the day, you guys, because at the, like my carriers that I Source are a direct reflection of me and my abilities to my customers.
And then from there, that is a direct reflection to the receiver who is our, my customer's customer.
(11:07):
All right, So I want to make sure we are all on the same page to have as seamless of a transaction as possible out there.
And so that one, you guys, fraud and trust, I think that's number one.
Number two is finding and vetting reliable carriers.
So we kind of already talked about that, right?
Like it's all in the details.
(11:27):
They're going to know their operation.
I want to ask them some qualifying questions out there.
Like, hey, why are you interested in this load?
Do you guys have a drop yard in the area?
Do you have a reload?
Does the driver live out there?
What does that look like?
Because again, I'd like that little bit of an incentive to haul the freight.
And this all comes from the fact that I've actually worked in opposite markets.
Besides just the easiest market ever to cover trucks.
(11:50):
I've been in markets before where we have to make 50, 60, 70 outbound calls to cover one load for a 400 loss out there for a customer of ours.
So when it comes down to it, I want to vet these carriers because I want to find the ones that are running these lanes no matter what.
And they like to run these lanes.
And it helps me create a closed capacity loop because out of all those great fraud companies and stuff that I had listed out there, you guys, at the end of the day, this is the most efficient and effective way to minimize all of that stuff and potentially eliminate it is by using the same carriers time and time again that you know are legit, that treat your customers right, that communicate at the level that you like and reward them with more and more business.
(12:31):
All right?
And like legitimately, you guys, we are almost to the point where 80% of our freight will never see a load board.
All right?
The only time my operation posts anything out there is if my core carriers are not available to haul that freight.
They don't have a truck in the area or whatever that looks like.
It doesn't align with my customers requirements.
So again, this is how you vet them.
(12:53):
And I already touched on that out there.
You guys, you got to find out a little bit more about their operation if they communicate well.
For us, we love photos of the freight because we move open deck.
We need to make sure the shit's tarped, has edge protectors, all of that stuff.
Because I like to protect all parties involved out here because things happen, you Guys and people don't always take accountability for things.
And we need to make sure that we're protected, our customers protected, and the drivers protected out there.
(13:17):
And when you find all of that, they're worth every penny.
I understand that people are in business to make money.
I am a capitalist, unapologetically a capitalist.
But I need to preserve revenue and project growth of my revenue, and that comes with servicing my customers at a very high level.
And those carriers are worth every additional penny out there.
(13:38):
And I don't understand why people go out and try and reduce the rates after they've been working with the carrier long enough.
On the opposite, I want to try and get them as much money as I possibly can by working with them, by, with more shippers of mine and everything else to keep their trucks moving.
Because there's a, there's a general partnership out there that can be curated in time, it can be done.
(13:59):
Contrary to what you see on the Internet, you guys, there are a lot of great carriers who just want to work hard and provide for their family.
And if you treat them with respect and you lay everything out there, you will find them and you will attract them into your operation.
So that's, number two, finding and vetting reliable carriers.
The reliable carriers are out there if you want to work with them.
(14:19):
All right, if you treat people like shit, you're going to get treated like shit.
All right, I'm going to summarize it as easy and simple as that.
Now, next one, number three, market volatility.
I think we're at a point where it's very clear that this is going on a lot longer than all the experts in three letter, whatever people in their job titles had predicted.
(14:44):
And I, I think we're at a point now where there's a lot of things riding on if anything's going to change anytime soon.
Again, I've been saying this for a while.
This could be the case up until into next year.
I think there's a lot riding on if the Feds are going to actually reduce interest rates.
I think that's the first thing that will fall in regards to a potential sign of a market recovery is if the Feds drop their interest rates.
(15:11):
I think that's going to increase confidence in buying excess inventory and everything else.
And then I think a lot of the stuff that's going on in with the tariffs right now, I, I think that might calm down a little bit more.
If people are more willing to buy, I think that they're very much more intertwined than I think most people are even trying to correlate out there.
(15:34):
Again, I'm not an economist.
I went to public school.
So take everything that I say here with a grain of salt.
Do your own research on it.
But, but I truly think that is, that could probably bring some more consistency out there in the tariff talk is if interest rates were lowered and people were more willing to buy inventory and kind of get the ball rolling there.
(15:55):
And then it's going to be interesting to see because I know in the open deck sector right now, you guys building is seemingly down, at least from a lot of the prospects that we're talking to out there.
A lot of them just are not busy.
They should be working, you know, 50, 60 hours a week right now, but a lot of them are not.
At least that's what they're telling us.
And again, you guys, this is just coming from somebody who makes cold calls every single day.
(16:19):
But I think that, you know, market volatility and you know, it is, it's tighter margins that come along with that.
You know, I, I know there's a lot of talk out there about broker transparency.
We're not going to talk about this on this exact episode.
I've done enough talk about that.
But I think that, you know, tight margins is another big concern out there.
And you know, I, I think with where we're at in the market with as volatile as it.
(16:43):
Well, it's volatile in the sense of where it's not as busy as a lot of people want.
I think it's very kind of right now and how it's going to perform.
But I think it's going to drive a lot of people out of business with tighter margins.
They're going to be less willing to lose on freight because they might not get a lot of opportunities out there and they can't justify it as a business anymore.
(17:05):
So unfortunately I think that is going to drive some more of an exodus out there in the market.
I hope more people stay in business.
I'm not advocating for it, but that's just the reality, you guys, it's dollars and cents game.
Dollar in, dollar out, and if the profit.
Because again, a lot of people like to celebrate revenue, but you can make all the, you can gross all the money in the world, but if you're not making any profit, you can't sustain any downtime out there.
(17:30):
And cash is king at the end of the day.
And I think that's kind of where we're at overall Is that could easily be number one out there.
The more and more I think about it, and from my perspective, it is.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
It.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
It's grim.
But I also look at it as this is.
This is what I signed up for.
And again, I'm speaking from Chris Jolly's opinion only on this.
With market volatility, tight margins, challenging times, this is what everybody goes through.
All right, so you're not alone.
If you're struggling with developing business right now.
(18:10):
If things aren't looking good right now, and you thought it was going to be a lot easier than it's turning out to be, there's a lot of people who feel that way.
But you have to approach this in one or two ways.
Either you give up and quit, or you figure out a way to control your P L, reduce your expenses.
What can you do to preserve this a little bit longer?
(18:30):
But you also got to look at it is this is what you signed up for, like I had mentioned.
But you got to find a way to make it work.
Because if you can make it work in downtimes and then you can apply this exact same conservative strategy in good times, think of the war chest that you could build up.
Think about how much more fiscally responsible you're going to be, stash away those emergency funds, and look at things a little bit differently.
(18:56):
Right.
I've.
I've went through this, you know, when.
When revenues are high, you want to think it's always going to remain that way.
And that's not always the case.
You guys, you have to learn to operate, especially if you're bootstrapping, you have to learn to operate off of a shoestring budget at times, but it's only going to make you stronger in business overall.
(19:18):
And as much as I hate it, I thought were going to be a lot farther ahead than we are right now.
But I also thoroughly enjoy what we're working on behind the scenes and ironing out a lot of our processes.
So when we're at a point to be able to grow and scale, we have the systems in place.
You guys, like, if the revenue justified it, I could like hiring 10 people tomorrow.
(19:40):
If the revenue justified it is not off the table.
Because we have the systems in place, we have the training in place, we have a lot of that stuff in place.
The only thing that's not there is the revenue to justify it.
So that's where we're at, and that's how we're approaching it.
Another thing that I think is going to be a top concern for people is technology.
(20:00):
Now when I say technology, I think that people are, and again, not knocking any companies out there.
This is what these freight tech companies, marketing teams are paid to do.
They're paid to make you think you might need something that you might not actually need.
And it's the fomo, it's everything else that comes along with it.
(20:22):
I am a, and I've said this before, you guys, you need a TMS and you need load boards when you're, you have the revenue for other things that will come about.
But I, I, it's not necessary, all right?
And, and I think a lot of people over invest in technology too soon.
Again, if you have the revenue to pay for it all, it's the same thing with lead generation software.
(20:45):
It's the same thing with CRMs.
It's the same thing with a lot of other great tools.
If you have the revenue for them, buy them, use them.
If you do not have the revenue for them, it is not necessary to pay for them to get customers.
All right, I did a show, I believe it was last week on how I literally developed business based off of Google, all right?
(21:09):
And I did that because I paid for lead generation software, you guys, and it didn't give me anything of a return.
Okay?
So there are ways that you can go about this and again, if you can afford it, great, run with it, invest in it.
But if you can't afford it, you guys, there are free tools that are out there, all right?
99% of my job is done on this right here.
(21:29):
My cell phone, legitimately.
I make all my cold calls from my cell phone.
I know there's people out there who are against that.
I don't give a shit.
I want everybody to know who they need to reach out to at any given moment.
You can text me on that.
Does not matter.
But again, that's how we do it.
Technology is great, you guys, but I feel like there's a, a big FOMO effect of like, you need this, you need this.
This is just coming from somebody who, again, I'm not saying every shipper out here doesn't require it, but the shippers that I'm working with, the shippers that I'm talking to, that I'm prospecting, have never asked me what my tech stack looks like.
(22:04):
All right?
The furthest it's gotten was, do you have EDI capabilities?
That was it.
Yes, I do.
Shout out Revinova makes it very easy.
But I look at it, you guys, where technology is great if you can afford it get it as long as you have the right systems in place.
Because I've said this and I'll say it again, automation is everything.
(22:28):
Automation can be a very good tool.
But if you have shitty manual processes, you will then convert them to shitty automated processes.
Because I feel like the biggest misconception with AI is that it's going to do the work for you.
You got to train the to do what you want it to do out there.
All right?
So again, if you have shitty processes that are done manually, you're going to have shitty processes that are now automated.
(22:49):
So again, take that for what it's worth.
So I think technology is number four out there.
Regulatory compliance is, I think, another top five concern out there.
And I bring this up because I don't think the FMCSA is doing enough.
I think they need to really step up how they are allowing a lot of this stuff to continue out there.
(23:15):
I know broker transparency is a very big thing.
I'm not here to argue what's right or what's wrong with this one, but I think that the FMCSA really needs to look at the verbiage of that because I feel like that the historical relationship between a broker and a carrier are vastly different than it is today.
And I think they really need to get every dispatch company that's out there on this and having the exact same standards that a freight broker has having to have a bond.
(23:45):
I think every broker out there should be required by a lot of have insurance.
You might not agree with that, but I feel like at the end of the day, you guys, again, this just comes from somebody who actually moves freight.
When you get to the finish line with a prospect and they ask you do you carry cargo insurance, that is a sticking point that will prohibit you from getting business.
(24:06):
I know it's not required by law, but I feel like it is worth it to invest in it early on out there.
But again, I feel like if brokers are going to have all of that dispatch services should be held to that exact same standard because I feel like they are the ones who actually act in a manner that a broker did back in the 80s when that law was written.
(24:27):
I don't have the verbiage in front of me right now, but I've talked about this on the show.
So I feel like that needs to be cleaned up and I feel like that will help minimize a lot of it.
Because again, you guys, if you want to clean up some other stuff, you got to increase the standards, you got to increase the barrier.
To entry because when it's a low barrier to entry, I feel like you get a mass migration of people who think they can come in and do it at any given moment.
(24:50):
And I'm not saying that they can't.
But I also think, like, if we increase the standards out here, I think some of this other stuff would start to minimize.
So I think from a regulatory standpoint, I think the FMCSA really needs to stand it up and step it up.
And I know Sean Duffy, I'm a fan of you, sir.
I know that, you know, people were celebrating that he commented on Twitter.
(25:13):
But commenting on Twitter and actually applying meaningful change out there are two very different things.
And we need to see meaningful change out there because there are a lot of hard working men and women of this industry that are struggling due to the lack of the regulatory agency who is supposed to be overlooking this entire process.
All right, you can't blame the fit.
(25:33):
You can't point the finger in a different direction when you're the solution.
You got to step it up there in D.C. so that is my top five out there, you guys.
Those are my top five concerns for the trucking industry from a freight broker's perspective.
And again, I tied in some driver stuff as well and how you can fetch your broker.
So that's fraud, finding and vetting reliable carriers, market volatility, technology and then regulatory.
(25:56):
I think those are out there, you guys, and you got to be on top of it.
Yeah.
As a business owner, it's on you, all right.
It's on you to implement these systems, to look at how can you improve out there?
Because down markets are going to come back, you guys.
I know everybody's looking for when is it going to get improved?
When is it going to improve?
You need to be looking at when it does improve, how are you going to get better for when it drops back down?
(26:18):
How are you going to stay in business?
How are you going to improve in these times?
So that's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, do your boy a solid.
Rank the show on itunes and Spotify because if you saw value, chances are, you guys, your network's going to see value as well.
I appreciate you guys.
(26:38):
I love you guys and we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money, anything hey, oh got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal When I'm get to the back hey Got the foot on the gas Pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate them make a bigger boss hey.
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!