If you’re considering a career as a trucker, you may want to rethink those plans.
But what if you like the trucking industry? A career as a freight broker may be the better option.
What Is a Freight Broker?
A freight broker is a middle man between a trucker and a customer in need of shipping services. As a broker, you connect drivers with companies or individuals that need their goods shipped to a specific location.
Brokers are not shippers or carriers. They work with shippers to find a carrier willing to haul the goods at an acceptable rate.
A freight broker’s services benefit both the driver and the customer. They ensure individuals and companies find reliable carriers. They also help carriers earn more money by ensuring their trucks are full.
Brokers do not work on salary, but rather earn a commission for their services.
Aside from arranging shipments, brokers are also involved in the logistics end of things. They track shipments and keep records of deliveries and pickups. They must also be familiar with shipping procedure and regulations to ensure shipments are made in accordance with laws.
Freight Broker Career Outlook Every economy in the world is dependent on the shipping industry. Even if automation took away every single trucking job, there would still be a need to arrange shipments. In other words, we’d still need freight brokers.
The career outlook for freight brokers is bright.
The most important question on everyone’s mind: how much do freight brokers make?
Calculating the average freight broker annual income can be tricky simply because brokers rely on the commission to earn a living. For this reason, salaries can range from near-nothing to $185,000 or more.
Here’s what the top three salary sites have to say:
- PayScale: Median salary of $41,571. On the low-end, brokers earn $30,177. On the high end, they earn around $73,500. Brokers in big cities, such as Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, and Portland, earn higher salaries.
- Glassdoor: National average salary is $37,592. Minimum salary is around $31,000, while high-end salary is around $49,000.
- Indeed: Transportation brokers earn on average $92,000 per year. Indeed’s listings are conflicting. Another Transportation Broker entry lists $54,000 as the average salary. Broker agents earn, on average, $76,000 per year, while freight broker agents earn $256,000 per year.
While the averages vary, we do know that brokers make at least as much as most company drivers. And because you’re working for yourself, you can earn as little or as much as you want.
I would take the above averages with a grain of salt. I know many freight brokers who earn six figures working from their home offices. If you take your brokerage business seriously and know which shipments to go after, you’ll have little trouble earning this type of salary. Source:https://www.truckdriverssalary.com/
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