A Good Question

I received this frequently asked question via my blog comments section.

Hi Jeff,

I have been impressed with your training program and other information about you that I have been researching online.

I am considering a career as a Freight Broker and want to know if your courses address Ship Brokers. It appears your focus is on Trucking. Can you tell me if your course covers ship and airfreight as well as managing trucks?

Thanks,

Robin Sewell
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Robin,

Thank you so much for the compliment. I will answer your question.

A freight broker, also known as a property broker, handles domestic transportation. A freight forwarder handles international air and ocean. Freight Brokers do not have the authority to broker international ocean and air shipments. This is a very common question we get. Both our live courses and our on-line course teach students in detail about how to be a freight broker. Our Live and on-line course is compact and specific in training students to become freight brokers, not freight forwarders. So we do not address international shipping.

Here’s some info from the “frequently asked questions” section of our website that may be of help.

1. What is a Property Broker?

A Property Broker is the term established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the United States Department of Transportation, to describe licensed individuals, or companies, who help make a shipper and an authorized carrier successful in the transporting of freight.

2. What are the requirements of an FMCSA Property Broker?
Each company or entity is required to obtain a "surety bond" with an approved bank or insurance company, and maintain "process service" agents in all 48 contiguous states.

3. What is a surety bond?
Each company or entity must prove they are capable of paying the various truck lines, airlines, railroads, or any other entity being used by the broker.

An individual's credit, and/or financial strength, is investigated with extreme thoroughness. Only then is a "bond" issued.

Accordingly, if for some reason the broker fails to pay the transportation company, the bonding company must pay. As you can imagine, the bonding company is very careful about who they insure.



Jeff Roach - President
Brooke Transportation Training Solutions
jroach@transportationtraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com