Carrier: “Hi, it’s John from ABC Trucking… You have a van load posted on Truckstop.com from Dallas to Chicago?”
Broker: “Yes, do you have a truck available?
Carrier: “Yes, he’s empty now, what does it pay?”
Broker: “You called me, what do you need?

… And so starts the negotiation game. But who truly has the advantage in this scenario? The broker of course. The broker now knows that the carrier is calling for something that the broker has and the carrier wants. Game over. The carrier will be forced to give their rate first at which point the broker will initiate a counter offer and they will settle somewhere in between the two rates. But what if:

Broker: “Hey it’s Mike from ABC Brokerage… do you still have that truck in Dallas available to go to Chicago?”
Carrier: “Yes I do. What have you got and what does it pay?

Now, the carrier has forced the broker to throw out their first rate, which of course will be the basis for the negotiation. The broker is going to offer less than what they are getting paid, to make their margin but what if the number that they offer is far greater than what you would have opened with? You may have just left a bunch of money on the table all because you chose not to post your truck.

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