Load matching services offer access to dynamic information on particlar lanes, a key tool for negotiating with brokers.

Relationships that pay off today and long term

Brokers play a Jekyll and Hyde role in today’s trucking market. Many owner-operators at times depend on brokers, yet brokers appear to hold the upper hand when negotiating loads and rates.

Karen Albert and her husband Henry (Overdrive’s 2007 Trucker of the Year) understand the challenges of working with brokers and have focused on building solid relationship with shippers for their independent business. Nevertheless, over the past year and a half, Mrs. Albert estimates she’s “worked with brokers more than the entire first 13 years we’ve been in business.”

“There are days I’m glad [brokers are] there,” she says. “For instance, when I take a shipment for a customer that’s not on one of our normal lanes. But then you’ve got these other brokers who are taking advantage of you, and it’s frustrating.”

Any owner-operator can learn what the Alberts have learned – how to negotiate with brokers in a positive, productive manner. Too many owner-operators approach the process in the opposite way, says Kevin Rutherford, ATBS Trucking Business & Beyond host. “They say, ‘The brokers are just not going to negotiate. Every time I ask if I can get a better price, they say here’s the price, take it or leave it.’ ”

But price haggling does not have to be the name of the game in broker negotiation. Rutherford distinguishes two types of negotiation. “One-time negotiation is really all about information and power,” he says. “Long-term is about building relationships and problem-solving.” The latter approach offers the most opportunity for less frantic negotiations and fair rates.

Here are some tips for negotiating with brokers.