The trucking industry shows no sign of slowing down, but the number of brokers who treat their agents with respect seems to decreasing. It’s a competitive market. Freight agents need to be smart about doing business with a broker. Our business model is different than most other logistics companies. Here’s what you shouldn’t be doing, because we do it better.
Within the transportation industry, freight broker is one of the fastest growing professions, in large part due to the earning potential available to agents. So what can you expect from the profession? Tracy, one of our very own independent agents, tells us firsthand her experience as an agent.
Discover what could be your future in the transportation industry by listening to her personal story.
The automated, driverless vehicle is something we keep hearing more and more about. They could potentially remove the human error factor in driving, it could save a lot of lives. But it’s expensive, and not everyone is going to want to give up control of their vehicles.
But you have to admit, there’s something fascinating about the idea. Take a ride in world’s first road-ready self-driving truck:
What do you think? Is this our generation’s “Flying Car”? Fun to think about, but never gonna happen?
A company in the UK called Mole Solutions thinks so. They’ve designed pods, that would travel underground to deliver goods currently hauled by trucks. They travel via a computer controlled smart track, using electromagnets.
The company claims they could ship goods for 20% the cost of road shipping.
But is it feasible? Laying that much pipeline would be a massive undertaking that would take years, if not decades to complete.
What do you think? Are underground pipelines just a pipe dream?
Here’s some footage of the test pods in action:
Nigel Marsh, thinks work-life balance is too important to be left in the hands of your employer.
He lays out his “ideal” day, working, taking time for himself, his wife, his kids, the dog, and friends. Nigel quickly realizes that ideal is just not possible.
He stresses the importance of not falling into the trap of “I’ll do it when I retire.” And reminds us that the little things matter.
He breaks down the problems with how we’re dealing with balancing career and having a full and fulfilling day.
This talk is from TEDxSydney.
Do you work 8 hours straight? Do you often work through your lunch? You may think that you’re a better worker for these habits, but, studies say you’re doing it wrong. They say the 8 hour workday is inefficient and outdated.
Entrepreneur says:
“The 8-hour workday was created during the industrial revolution as an effort to cut down on the number of hours of manual labor that workers were forced to endure on the factory floor. This breakthrough was a more humane approach to work two hundred years ago, yet it possesses little relevance for us today.”
No one is saying that the work day should be shorter per say, but our work, break, work schedule needs to change.
“Your brain wants an hour on, 15 minutes off.”
So take a break every hour, a real break. Get up and walk away from your work, get outside, lie down. Completely disconnect from your work, and when you return 15 minutes later, you’ll be primed and ready to focus!
In an moment of, what we can only call road rage inspired insanity, a motorist in Salt Lake City became enraged when a semi-truck changed lanes in front of their car. Instead of simply slowing down and giving the truck room, they decided to get “revenge” on the truck driver. The small red car passed the truck, changed lanes in front of it, and slammed on the breaks. The semi driver lost control, and rolled; blocking 4 lanes of traffic and causing 5 more accidents. Luckly, the only injuries were minor. The highway was closed for 7 hours while the cleanup was underway.
The accident happened on an interchange from I-15 to I-215. The trucker admits he was unfamiliar with the interchange and should have been going a little slower for the curve.
Police are searching for the driver, but so far, they have no leads. Utah Highway Patrol says that if they do find the driver, he will be facing reckless driving charges, in the least.
Driving a Semi isn’t easy, and they don’t have the same sight lines as someone in a car. Most drivers know that they need to give trucks room and understand that they have blind spots. Apparently this driver didn’t get the memo, or maybe he just didn’t care.
Let this be a lesson to all drivers: Give. Trucks. Space. That driver is doing a difficult job, and delivering goods you depend on every day! Cut them more slack, they’re often traveling routes they’re unfamiliar with. And always, always give them plenty of space.
Road Rage is never, ever, an appropriate response in any situation. But when it comes to trucks the damage is multiplied. This drivers desire to “Get back” at the truck driver could have killed people.
Tanker rollover diverts traffic off I-215 in Murray; injuries unknown https://t.co/bdexemAZdb pic.twitter.com/yEq9XpVnzO
— FOX 13 NOW (@fox13now) February 13, 2016
It seems like most of the buzz around President’s Day has little to do with Presidents. It’s all about big sales, or taking off for a 3-day weekend. But where did the holiday come from? What exactly or who exactly are we celebrating? A surprising amount of American’s don’t know much about the holiday.
We bet you didn’t know it was this complex!
Originally the Holiday was celebrated as Washington Day, in celebration of George Washington’s Birthday, and fell on the 22nd of February.
The idea of changing the holiday from Washington Day to President’s Day, was first introduced in 1951. A bill proposing the holiday celebrate not Washington specifically, but the office of President itself. But the bill was stalled, and in 1968, finally voted down.
In 1971, under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, it was moved the the third Monday of February. An early draft of the act would have renamed the holiday to “Presidents’ Day” to honor the birthdays of bothWashington and Lincoln, which would explain why the chosen date falls between the two, but this proposal failed in committee, and the bill was voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968, keeping the name as Washington’s Birthday.
Here’s where things get even more confusing…
“President’s Day” isn’t just a Federal holiday, it’s also an official State holiday. And just about every State has a different name for the holiday.
So what does your state celebrate? Find out:
Presidents’ Day is celebrated in:
President’s Day is celebrated in:
Presidents Day is celebrated in:
Did you notice the only difference in the first three categories is spelling?
George Washington Day is only celebrated in Virginia
Washington’s Birthday is celebrated in:
Lincoln’s and Washington’s Birthday is celebrated in Montana.
Washington–Lincoln Day is celebrated in Colorado and Ohio
Washington and Lincoln Day is celebrated in Utah
Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday is celebrated in Minnesota
Alabama celebrates George Washington/Thomas Jefferson Birthday
And in Arkansas they celebrate George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day
These states recognize multiple names:
In California “The third Monday in February” and Lincoln’s birthday are explicitly named as separate holidays.
So there you have it, we’re celebrating George Washington on a federal level, and depending on your state, you might throw some other president’s in the mix!
If 2015 wasn’t what you expected, then it’s time to look at your business and see where to do better. Even if you had a good year, you should still examine all of your policies and vendors to make sure you’re getting the most out of your investments. Make 2016 a banner year when you consider these five things that Freight-Tec offers to ensure your success, and see why we are considered the best freight broker.
If you’ve ever said to yourself that there has to be a better way of doing business, check out Freight-Tec and see how we do it. We work hard to make sure that our agents are successful, because your success is the only way to our success. Our goal is to ensure that each agent has the support he or she requires to get the job done well. We make sure the agents who bring us business get commission splits well above average, up to 70 percent going to the agent in some instances.
From back office support to insurance and bonding, we have better solutions for independent freight agents. If you’re tired of working with brokers who use your expertise for cheap labor, ask us about our agent program. With our payment options, reliable service, and non-compete contract, you are sure to recognize the benefits we offer to experienced agents who are hard working. NASTC recognizes us as a “Best Broker.” Inc. Magazine named our company as one of its Top 100 Brokers. We’re also approved by the U.S. Military. With credentials like that, you can be confident that we’ll treat you right. There’s a reason we are known as the best freight broker in the industry. Call us to learn more today (800) 296-0670.
Over the years, the government has placed restrictions on drivers to keep the roads safe. It’s easy to think that the only thing our legislators care about is the other person, but they also consider protecting drivers against unethical brokers. In the Motor Carrier Protection Act of 2010, Congress passed laws which related to the trucking industry.
The new rules that have been going into effect since the bill was passed are designed to protect truckers. The industry was rife with brokers who didn’t pay on time, or even filed bankruptcy before making payments to carriers. One major change of the Act was to increase the surety bond from $10,000 to $75,000. It also:
Carriers have more protection when taking a load. Freight Tec takes this law seriously and maintains a $100,000 bond and ensures that its carriers get paid for each load in a timely fashion. We carried this bond amount before it was required to demonstrate the creditworthiness of our company. You can depend on quick payment from us.
Even with the Motor Carrier Act, there are still brokers who try to take advantage of carriers. Inbound Logistics, providing industry information since 1981, still advises that carriers know the broker who they are using. Ask these questions before signing with a broker:
Whether you’re an owner-operator working with one of our agents or have a full fleet of trucks that provide shipping for our clients, you are going to get paid. We want to take care of you. Trust us, not because we say that you can, but because we back up our words with the licenses and bonds to ensure you won’t lose money, and because we’ve been doing treating carriers right for 25+ years.
