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female freight broker, sitting at a desk with a laptop, using a headset to call out to freight clients

What is a Freight Broker?

What Does a Freight Broker Do?

Think of a freight broker as something of a “middleman” between two important parties – a shipper and a carrier. As a business owner, handling the logistics of shipping yourself can be an often frustrating and time-consuming affair. You’ll need to constantly communicate with multiple carriers, deal with the intricacies of different contracts, try to figure out who to call if something should unfortunately go wrong, etc.

Working with a freight broker helps to streamline this process exponentially. You’re getting access to a team of shipping professionals who already have their own network of carriers and pre-existing relationships they can draw from. The freight broker helps make sure that the transportation of critical freight goes as smoothly as possible at all points in the process, making sure that it arrives at its destination safely, on time, and in full.

Advantages of Freight Brokering

The most immediate benefit of working with a freight brokering professional comes by way of streamlined communications. Rather than dealing with multiple carriers depending on the freight you’re talking about, your business gets a single point of contact during the journey. If you have a question, you have someone you can call to get the answer. If you have a problem, you know exactly where to go to get the solution.

Note that in this scenario, communication is very much a two-way street. A freight broker helps keep business leaders informed about the status of their freight at all points, making sure they have complete visibility no matter what.

Partnering with a freight broker also helps make the logistics of the shipping process easier, as again you’re talking about a professional who has their own pre-existing network of contacts to draw from. Rather than going through the hassle of negotiating terms and conditions with a carrier, planning the most ideal routes to cut costs, tracking freight, and more, businesses can allow a freight broker to handle all this on their behalf.

Not only does this allow them to rest easy knowing that their freight is being taken care of, but it also frees up their valuable time to focus on core business processes – which is truly the biggest advantage of all.

When to Find a Freight Broker

One of the most important things to keep in mind about all this is that not all businesses automatically need a freight broker. Each organization is unique, and some may be currently shipping everything they need without an issue. In that situation, working with a freight broker might not make sense – at least not yet.

But if you find yourself increasingly worried about shipping costs and are unsure of how to manage and reduce them on your own, a freight broker can definitely help. They’re experts at optimizing your supply chain management in a way that cuts costs without sacrificing important elements like quality of service or security in the process.

Another major sign that the time is right to find a freight broker has to do with issues resulting from scalability. Especially in the early days of a small business, it’s entirely possible that you are able to manage everything without a problem. But as your organization continues to grow, your freight needs can evolve rapidly – to the point where you may be having a hard time keeping up.

You’re dealing with more than just a “minor inconvenience” at that point – it may literally be the thing that prevents you from scaling in the way that you need. In that scenario, a freight broker can step in and make sure that your supply chain is taken care of so that you can grow without being artificially limited in any way.

Finally, one of the most obvious signs that the time is right to work with a freight broker has to do with a situation where your freight may be getting to its destination, but not on your desired schedule.
Again, freight that isn’t delivered on time is more than a “small problem.” Immediately, it can cause the type of reputational damage to your business that you might have a difficult time recovering from. In a larger sense, it means that you’re dealing with unexpected delays and inefficient routes – problems that are costing you money and that will only get worse if you let them.

Freight brokers have the insight and expertise needed to mitigate risk from all these factors and more. Yes, sometimes unexpected delays do happen, but a freight broker can minimize them as much as humanly possible. They can also call upon their time-honored safety procedures to help minimize damage to your freight, making sure that all items get into the hands of waiting clients and customers without issue.

How to Choose a Freight Broker

By far, the number one thing to look for in a freight broker has to do with not just experience, but experience with the specific kind of business you’re running. Not all industries are created equally, and the shipping needs of someone in the food and beverage field might vary wildly from a company in healthcare. You need a freight broker that understands the finer points of your field so that they can come up with the right strategy for your long-term goals.

You’ll also want to pay close attention to the carrier partnerships that a freight broker brings with them. Again, it isn’t just about whether you trust the freight broker – you also need to trust the carrier partners that they have deemed reliable and safe. If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a freight broker is only as strong as its weakest carrier. You’ll at least want to know what you’re dealing with before you make any type of decision to that end.

Beyond that, a freight broker should be licensed, bonded, and insured. They need to be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, all so that you can rest easy knowing that even in the event of an issue, someone will be by your side every step of the way.
If you’d like to find out more information about what a freight broker is and how one might benefit your business, or if you have any additional questions that you’d like to discuss in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact Advanced Commercial Capital today.

An Asian male truck driver using his radio to communicate - using trucker lingo, trucker slang

A Complete Guide to Tucker Lingo and Radio Codes

The Origins of Trucker Slang

When you’re a truck driver communicating on the open road, you’re using radio frequencies that a lot of other people rely on at the same time. Because of that, the number one rule is to never use more airtime than you absolutely need. Out of this simple idea, an entire dictionary of trucker slang was born.

Trucker slang is a vocabulary developed by truckers on CB radios in the 1970s and 1980s. It saves time while still getting across important information about upcoming hazardous road conditions, a police presence, and other things that truckers need to be aware of while driving. Many phrases that are now common (like a person calling someone else’s spouse their “better half”) originated from what was essentially this new language that truckers slowly developed out of necessity.

10 Must-Know Trucker Terms for Beginners

While there are a seemingly endless number of examples of trucker slang out there, ten terms in particular are so common that it’s practically mandatory that you know them. Understanding what they mean (and critically, the context in which they’re used) is the key to having a successful, productive conversation while on the open road.

1. All Locked Up. This term is commonly used when one trucker warns those on the road behind him that an upcoming weight station is closed.

2. Alligator. Sometimes you’ll see this expression itself abbreviated as “gator.” It means that there are upcoming dangerous conditions on the road that truckers need to be mindful of. A piece of tire in the center of a highway could damage a truck’s hose or body, for example. Or, it could get kicked up and damage a nearby car. The term comes from the idea that you shouldn’t let it “bite you.”

3. Back It Down. This is something one trucker will say to another when they’re warning them to slow their speed. There may be a police officer coming up, or traffic may be getting hazardous for some reason.

4. Bear In the Bushes. This means that not only is there a police officer on the road up ahead, but he or she is also hiding just out of normal view. They’re probably trying to catch people who are speeding using the element of surprise.

5. “Do What?” When a trucker says something that doesn’t quite go out properly over the radio, another trucker might say “do what?” as a quick way to get them to repeat themselves.

6. Good Neighbor. If one trucker does something that you find helpful or that you approve of, you would show your appreciation by saying “thanks, good neighbor.”

7. Gumball Machine. This is yet another of the many examples of trucker slang relating to law enforcement. Here, one trucker is warning others that they see patrol car lights on the road ahead.

8. Home 20. A trucker would ask for your “Home 20” as a way to find out what your home location is.

9. In Your Back Pocket. A location is already “in your back pocket” if you have previously passed it on the road.

10. Roger. This is just another term for saying “yes,” “affirmative,” “okay,” or any other similar form of acknowledgment.

CB Radio Codes

Also commonly referred to as a “citizens band” radio, a CB radio is a type of tool that was commonly used by truckers to stay in communication with one another while on-the-road. Nowadays, wireless communication is practically ubiquitous – people have cell phones, messaging apps, industry-specific social networking tools, etc.

But for decades, when one trucker wanted to warn another about an impending road hazard, or to ask a question, or just to hold a conversation to stave off the boredom, they would use a CB radio in order to do it.
CB radio codes were developed as a type of shorthand to quickly convey an idea or a critical piece of information to others. Going beyond trucker slang like those examples outlined above, 10 codes are typically employed. This is a fast, efficient way to universally communicate ideas like:

1. 10-1. You would say this if you can’t hear another person you’re trying to communicate with.

2. 10-2. This means that you can hear other people clearly.

3. 10-3. This means that you want someone else to stop transmitting for whatever reason.

4. 10-4. This is a widely known expression that simply means “message received.”

5. 10-6. This means that you’re busy and that someone should hold on a moment before attempting to speak.

6. 10-9. You would use this 10 code when you want someone to repeat whatever it is that they just said.

7. 10-10. You would use this at the end of your transmission to let other people know that you’re done talking.

8. 10-17. You would preface a message with this, letting people know that whatever you’re about to say is urgent.

9. 10-20. You ask someone for their “20” if you are trying to find out what their exact location is.

10. 10-33. You would use this to let people know when there was emergency traffic at a station.

11. 10-45. You would say this if you wanted everyone within the broadcast range of your radio to report their status.

12. 10-100. This is the 10 code that means you’re taking a bathroom break.

Common Expressions

In addition to the CB 10 codes outlined above, there are a number of common expressions that you’re likely to hear on the radio. When talking about CB slang in particular, however, they take on a slightly different meaning than general trucker slang.

1. Ace. Someone would be referred to as “ace” if they are an important CB operator.

2. Ancient Mariner. A reference to classical literature, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, this is used to describe someone who is an AM or FM user.

3. Beam. This is another way to refer to a directional antenna.

4. Big Mama. This term describes a 9-foot whip antenna.

5. Double Key. This phrase describes when two stations are talking at the same time.

6. Fox Charlie Charlie. This is another way to describe the FCC.

7. Fox Hunt. When the FCC is actively searching for illegal operators, this is called a Fox Hunt.

8. Haircut Palace. Someone would warn another driver about a bridge or overpass with a low clearance by calling it a “Haircut Palace.”

9. Twin Huskies. This is a term used to describe someone using dual antennas.

If you’d like to find out more information about trucker lingo and the types of radio codes that are commonly used on the open road today, or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to go over with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Advanced Commercial Capital today.