Use Stimulus Money for Freight Broker Training

The transportation Industry, and particularly the Freight Brokerage Industry is growing at an incredible pace, especially given the current economic conditions in the U.S. Some have even labeled becoming a Freight Broker one of the most promising small business venture opportunities in the country.

With its low cost of entry and unlimited earning potential, the freight market is red-hot. The only problem is that not just anyone can wake up one morning and decide to be a broker. Being successful in this industry requires training and an education on the subject. But training can be expensive. Luckily there are several options recently made available to significantly cut your out-of-pocket expenses, and even potentially pay for all of your education.

Recently legislation has been passed making huge amounts of money available to Americans in the form of Financial Aid and assistance, stimulus money, and grants. Much of this money is made available to stimulate the economy and invest in our workforce by helping individuals gain education and training needed to qualify for good-paying, stable, and reputable jobs.

· The Workforce Investment Act, for example, provides funding to put individuals through occupational skills and entrepreneurial training. The funding is free and distributed by state agencies.

· VOC Rehab is a similar program available to people in need of assistance either learning skills necessary to fulfill job requirements or rehabilitation after injuries sustained while in the military and similar situations. VOC Rehab is also administered by state agencies, therefore policies and regulations vary.

· VA Educational Benefits provided under the GI Bill provide funds to assist Military Veterans in gaining proper training and vocational assistance. This program is administered by the department of Veterans Affairs.

Assistance from all of these programs can be utilized to gain training, education and experience in the freight brokerage industry. Freight Brokering has been recognized as one of the best opportunities to start up one’s own business at very low cost. Many brokers make a 6-figure income during their first year of operation.

Do your research to find the best freight brokerage school and counsel with your adviser at your state employment agency or with the above-mentioned assistance programs directly. Many will have recommendations on excellent schools that they have worked with in the past. The freight brokerage business is a fast-growing industry and provides many opportunities for dedicated and hard-working individuals, while requiring little education or specialized training on the subject.

Get freight broker training today.

Why Use Load Boards?

When you attend freight broker training courses Load Boards are always part of the discussion. Here is a little more info on load boards for you to digest.

Load boards are usually websites dedicated to posting information regarding freight that needs to be moved from one place to another. These boards are used by three distinct groups, shippers, carriers, and intermediaries. Shippers are the companies or individuals who have goods or products which they need to have moved from one point to another. Most often the shippers who use load boards are companies not capable or who do not have the resources of moving the freight on their own, or who have specific clients they usually ship with, but for some reason or another have extra or cannot get a particular load moved, so they seek to find others willing to move it for them. These are basically extra or exception loads.

Carriers are the Truck Drivers (Owner Operators or Trucking Companies) who watch the boards to find loads to move. Many times when a driver carries a load from one side of the country to another, he’ll find himself with a long, expensive drive home ahead of him if he isn’t able to find a load to carry back with him. The cost of operating a truck can add up over several thousand miles with fuel prices as high as they are. So faced with finding a load or deadheading back home, most drivers will watch load boards to find loads which will take them back in the direction they need to go. This will minimize the time they spend driving empty and make them some money or at least cover their costs while they are at it.

Intermediaries such as freight brokers also often watch load board. Since brokers make a living by matchmaking between shippers and carriers, load boards are a perfect place for them to hang out and hopefully intercept an occasional load. Most established property brokers have lists of clients that they have done business with in the past to draw most of their business from. Some even spend very little to no time developing new leads. Load boards are an excellent venue to find new customers, develop relationships, and grow a brokerage. Much like online dating or classified ads, mostly one night stands or single transactions will result, though the occasional long-term relationship can result if things work out and both parties are happy with their experience.

Some Load boards are free, while others charge a subscription. Others provide some services for free, while charging for other premium services. There are other sites that will compile listings from multiple load boards, which can provide almost unlimited numbers of opportunities. The best way to get familiar with load boards is to log on and try them out. They are generally quite intuitive and can be very useful for almost anyone in the transportation industry.

We hope this information was useful to you. It may have even covered a piece of the industry that may not have been discussed if you attended a different freight broker training course.