Freight 360

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 📦 Contracted lanes worth it in today’s freight market? 📈 Cheap freight ending — raise rates and reset expectations 🏢 Using spouse’s authority vs getting your own MC? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to g...

Freight is tightening for real reasons as enforcement and compliance crackdowns pull trucks out of circulation and spot rates start outrunning contract freight. We talk about balancing strong carrier vetting with practical flexibility, and why automation still needs human judgment when capacity gets tight. We also break down how to reset shipper pricing using real market data and a simple “What, S...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🪪 Why brokers request driver CDL 📊 Essential TMS reports to run 🚛 In-transit breakdown: who pays loss Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to get 10% off your first year! DAT Outgo Factoring for Carriers: Cl...

We weigh whether 2026 is the right time to start or double down on a freight brokerage, then map the forces moving the market: rising spot rates, falling volumes, and compliance crackdowns that are shrinking capacity. We dig into fraud tactics, why over‑automation backfires, and how small daily habits turn volatility into opportunity. • rising spot rates against lower shipment volumes • compliance...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🚛 Should a solo broker hire an agent? 🆕 When would you use new carriers? 💳 How to build brokerage credit fast? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to get 10% off your first year! DAT Outgo Factoring for Car...

Cold calls get attention, but follow-up is where deals are won. We break down a simple, repeatable system to turn first touches into trusted shipper relationships using sharp recaps, smart timing, and notes that make every call build on the last. We cover how to log key personal and operational details in your CRM, set the next step before hanging up, use market signals to add timely value, and co...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🚚 Can shippers use load boards? 📝 Any autos vs scheduled autos COI? 📦 Claim filed 2 weeks post-delivery? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to get 10% off your first year! DAT Outgo Factoring for Carriers:...

In this episode of the Freight 360 podcast, hosts Nate Cross and Ben Kowalski discuss the current state of the freight market with Dean Croke from DAT. They explore recent trends, regulatory changes affecting the industry, and safety concerns on the road. The conversation highlights the impact of enforcement on carrier attrition and the upcoming produce season, emphasizing the need for improved dr...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: ❄️ Why post undeliverable loads during lingering winter storms? 🚚 Are vans or reefers rejected due to age? 📞 What activity and call expectations exist at large brokerages? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here...

Your rate isn’t your edge—your communication is: we teach a pressure-free prospecting system that starts with real shipper problems, builds trust early, and works when storms, tight capacity, and chaos hit. You’ll learn how to call with relevance (not price), tune delivery and silence, handle “not onboarding,” pivot by season/equipment, and use tools like DAT and Blue Book to turn market reality i...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 💸 Tax tips for brokers? 🧠 Where do you get sample rate cons? 🧾 What TMS auto-creates rate cons/forms? 📂 What broker forms do you keep? 🚛 How do you vet carriers? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to get...

A brutal ice storm is set to ice over the South, squeezing capacity, delaying service, and pushing rates from Texas to the Carolinas—so we start by breaking down what that really means for freight. Then we get into a numbers-first playbook for building a brokerage sales team that performs under pressure: W-2 vs agent economics, onboarding timelines, call and CRM metrics that matter, clear GP miles...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🛡️ Beginner broker insurance policies & recommended providers 📄 Power of attorney in carrier packets—standard or red flag? ⚡ How faster responses win more freight Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to g...

What if covering freight felt like hitting an easy button—without losing control? We sat down with DAT’s Bill Driegert and AscendTMS CEO Tim Higham to break down how DAT’s Convoy platform, now built directly into Ascend, turns “post and pray” into true digital execution. The result is real automation with real guardrails—lower cost per booking, faster coverage, and a cleaner path to scale without...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 💰 What’s the average monthly cost to be a freight broker? 🧩 What affordable options compare to Genlogs for small brokerages? 🚚 How do lease drivers, owner-operators, and insurance all work together? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Broker...

Want a real reset for 2026? We break down what’s actually moving the freight market right now and give you a practical blueprint you can run tomorrow—disciplined CRM habits, focused prospecting, timely follow-ups, and boring-but-powerful organization that turns chaos into steady revenue. If you’re ready to trade busywork for momentum, hit play and start the habit changes that compound. Support Our...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🚨 Fraud Alert: Fake carrier showed legit tracking, took a $2K fuel advance, never picked up the load 🚚 ELD Question: How do ELD-exempt carriers get set up on Highway? 🧠 Broker Tools: What’s the best CRM for a freight broker? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: C...

We break down a real Idaho-to-Florida scam where clean onboarding, fake documents, and convincing GPS pings led to a $2,000 fuel advance disappearing without a pickup. With tender rejections climbing past 10%, tighter capacity is nudging rates up—and making organized fraud more profitable—so we walk through the policy signals, tracking pitfalls, and vetting gaps brokers need to understand. The tak...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 📦 Is There Still Opportunity for New Brokers? — Is there still enough freight for new brokers to make real money? 🚨 Broker–Carrier Communication — Why are carriers getting flagged for normal follow-ups while brokers penalize basic communication preferences? 💰 Comp Plan Reality Check — $800/week base + tiered comm...

Ever feel like you’re moving more freight but keeping less money? This breaks down a real year-end audit showing where margin leaks happen—from accounts and lanes to tech stack waste—and how to tweak them. It’s a practical playbook for tracking the right metrics, cutting silent costs, and making next year smarter, not just busier. Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🚚 Which industries have the highest demand and best success rates for freight brokers? 🔍 When using DAT, how do you deal with carriers showing fraud signals or safety issues? 🧱 For someone who just opened their freight brokerage, what helps new owners succeed early? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi:...

Prospecting shouldn’t feel like starting from zero every time. This episode shows you how to turn your CRM into a real-time command center—tracking every activity, contact, quote, and next step so you always pick up the conversation with clarity. With clean structure, smart custom fields, and email integration, you can instantly filter prospects, batch outreach, and follow up with context. We cove...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🛑 Getting off a broker’s DNU vs new MC 🔍 Steps to verify a carrier before tendering freight 💰 Broker demanding $350 extra insurance—scam or legit? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Brokers & Carriers: Click Here to get 10% off your fir...

This episode covers a practical system for turning new hires into confident brokers using culture, coaching, and clarity instead of heroics. We break down behavior-based culture, reps + shadowing, recorded call reviews, clean hiring screens, and comp plans that reward sustainable operations. We also share the core modules we use and how to plug in the Freight Broker Basics course. Support Our Spon...

Want a freight sales edge that actually works? We break down how repeatable habits, niche focus, and real conversations turn new brokers into confident closers—no fluff, just a proven playbook built on consistent activity, early call reps, and mentorship that sharpens judgment. In a world of automation, the human moat still wins: real tone, real trust, real momentum. If this hits, subscribe and sh...