Freight 360

The trucking industry faces a major safety crisis—1 in 5 trucks shouldn’t be on the road, 97% of carriers lack safety ratings, and nearly a quarter of drivers stopped during inspections don’t even have a CDL. At the TIA Policy Forum in D.C., industry leaders pushed for long-delayed safety standards and legislation like the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. With freight volumes at historic lows, brokers need layered ...

The FMCSA’s sudden shutdown of data feeds threw brokers, carriers, and safety officials into chaos, cutting off access to critical verification tools and exposing major vulnerabilities in the freight system. Criminals are already exploiting these gaps by hijacking FMCSA credentials, altering carrier info, and stealing loads—while the agency fails to track changes. At the same time, industry groups continue to push the false “driver...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

🚛 Tips for new freight brokers

🎓 How to get training as a freight agent

🛑 Dealing with false reports on Carrier411

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Veteran trucker Gord Magill joins the podcast to dismantle the “driver shortage” myth. He exposes how cheap labor schemes, like Nebraska recruiting Kenyan drivers, fuel exploitation while rates stay low and safety violations rise.

Gord on X: https://x.com/GordMagill/

Gord's Substack: https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/ 

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Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

🚚 Factoring roadblock: New broker stuck on net-30 factoring with no quick pay — is there a workaround?

📞 Building a book: How can a new broker land shippers and sharpen cold-calling strategy?

🏛️ Gov’t freight: Which business certifications actually help brokers win government loads?

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The trucking industry is being rocked by fraud schemes that threaten honest brokers, carriers, and shippers. In this episode, Justin Martin (SuperTrucker) exposes tactics like ELD tampering, stolen trailers, and “chameleon carriers” that exploit loopholes and undercut legitimate businesses. He shares red flags to spot, why rates remain depressed, and how to protect yourself in today’s high-risk freight market.

Follow Justin Mar...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

❓ How do I scale past $10K/month when my current customers are all small? How do I win bigger shippers, and how should my prospecting and pitch change?

🚚 I got a load from a customer — how do I find a truck now?

🇨🇦 As a broker, can I move CAN–CAN (intra-Canada) loads?

🌍 Can I move international loads?

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The ELD mandate was supposed to make highways safer, but instead it’s created one of the biggest security and safety risks in trucking. On this episode, Danielle Chaffin exposes how fraudulent ELDs fuel crashes, enable drivers to break hours-of-service rules, and leak sensitive cargo data—putting every family on the road at risk.

Danielle on X: https://x.com/maybedanielleee 

Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayb...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

🚫 How to address customers that ask for quotes but never award you business

🤝 Why shippers use brokers instead of going direct to carriers

⚖️ Breaking down negotiating during a hostage load situation

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Top freight sales pros don’t win with flashy pitches or closing tricks—they succeed by truly listening. This episode shows how strategic questioning, genuine curiosity, and overcoming ego-driven barriers create the trust and understanding that drive lasting customer relationships.

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Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

💰 Bulk Tanker Profitability – Which pays more for dedicated contracts: food-grade or non-hazmat chemical tankers? We break down the pros, cons, and market factors so you can chase the best rates.

📧 Email-Only Prospects – Stuck with a shipper who only wants to email? Learn how to engage on their terms while steering the conversation toward a phone cal...

Learn how to turn your freight brokerage into a business that thrives without you. We’ll cover the first hires you should make, how to protect and transfer customer relationships, and the smart way to structure your business for maximum value. Whether you’re selling soon or years from now, these strategies will set you up for long-term success.

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Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

🚛 Is demand for freight brokers declining, and are small brokers still relevant?

❄️ Tips for finding carriers for 2–3 pallet frozen LTL loads.

🛣️ How to transition from owner-operator to freight broker.

💸 What to do if you misquote a load and face a potential loss.

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DAT’s acquisition of Convoy’s tech platform marks a major leap in freight innovation—pairing the largest load board with cutting-edge automation. Bill Driegert, EVP at DAT and co-founder of Uber Freight, explains how the platform streamlines carrier procurement, automates up to 98% of loads, and slashes brokerage costs. With DAT’s full ecosystem—load board, factoring, tracking, and now digital freight matching—the future of freight...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

🚛 Customer keeps asking for quotes but never books — what to do?
📈 How to find new shippers and grow beyond one customer.
🚨 Carrier holding freight hostage — who do you report it to?

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How can freight brokerages stay profitable in the toughest market in modern history? In this episode, we break down real strategies—like cross-training staff and maintaining a growth mindset—that help companies survive downturns and stay competitive when margins shrink.

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Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

💰 Walmart Bid: New broker asks if bidding 94.75% of Walmart’s RPM is a smart strategy.

🤬 Broker Backlash: Trucker calls brokers “legal scammers” and slams their role in the industry.

🎁 Gifts & Content: Best/worst customer gifts and best/worst social media posts for leads

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AI isn’t the future—it’s already transforming freight. In this episode, we chat with Thilo from Levity AI about how tools like ChatGPT and Levity are automating quoting, tracking, and sales insights to boost broker productivity and eliminate soul-crushing tasks.

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Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss:

• Broker vs Dispatcher: We break down the differences between a freight broker and a dispatcher, and whether one person can legally and effectively perform both roles.
  
  
• Fraudulent Carrier Scenario: A listener shares a case where a broker paid a fraudulent carrier and now refuses to pay the real trucking companies who actually moved the freig...