Freight 360

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...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 📞 Posting vs Calling Carriers: When do brokers post loads vs make call-outs? 🚩 Carrier Red Flags: What carrier clues reveal fraud or double-brokering risk? 🧾 Freight Agent Onboarding: How do owners manage docs, pay, and training? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Tri...

Ready to stop “owning your job” and start owning a brokerage that grows without you? This episode maps the move from solo broker to small business owner—how to know when you’re maxed out, who to hire first, and how to set up systems that make growth calm, not chaotic. We’ll cover reclaiming selling time with support roles, automations, and clear expectations; managing money with smart cash buffers...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 💸 Best cargo insurance options for per-load coverage. 📲 Top tools for creating rate cons and checking carrier compliance 🚨 Helping a carrier flagged for fraud on Highway — ELD mix-ups and review delays. Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DAT One - Br...

When freight moves but the carrier doesn’t get paid, who’s liable? Freight collections pros Cristina Belaval and Edgar Davison break down unpaid freight, bills of lading, and Section 7 non-recourse in plain English. They explain why shippers and consignees can still be on the hook, how to avoid double brokering and bad billing entries, and the practical steps that keep you from paying twice. If yo...

Ryan Joyce, former CIA spy, now applies CIA-level tradecraft to protect brokers, carriers, and shippers from modern freight scams. The key lesson: safety isn’t security. Perfect inspections won’t stop a stolen load, and fake digital vetting is easy to spoof. What works is physical truth. genlogs built a network of roadside sensors tracking millions of trucks daily—verifying who’s really on the roa...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🧭 Difference between shippers and receivers in various contexts? 💸 How to fight excessive shipper fees fairly? 🏢 Can carrier and broker share the same address? 🚨 How do brokers recover after cargo fraud or loss? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click Here DA...

Anger over low rates won’t move freight, so Nate and Ben sit down with carrier advocate Avante “CDL Shorty” Jackson to break down the real issues dividing brokers and carriers. They unpack market pressure, ELD manipulation, and fraud prevention while tackling the transparency debate and costs on both sides. Tune in for practical steps to rebuild trust, boost profit, and keep safety front and cente...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 💼 How many brokers carry their own insurance vs. just rely on their bond and the carrier’s insurance? 🗣️ Tips from experienced brokers on booking trucks and improving negotiation skills for newcomers. 🚛 Do brokers prefer working with owner-operators, small fleets, or larger carriers—and why? Support Our Sponsors:...

Freight enforcement headlines miss the real story: capacity shifts. DAT’s Dean Croke joins us to unpack how English-language crackdowns, CDL scrutiny, and chameleon carriers distort regional rates even as national averages stay flat. Shippers are squeezing savings while fleets run razor-thin, propped up by cheap diesel and slow repos—supports that could collapse fast. Flatbed stays strong thanks t...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 📍 What are some good live tracking platforms for simple on/off tracking? 🏬 Are there any good platforms for searching warehousing options? 🚛 How should I calculate the amount to pay a carrier for their deadhead miles? Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSkope - Get a Free Trial: Click He...

Two stolen truckloads of premium tequila just exposed how deep freight fraud runs—from double brokering and GPS spoofing to carrier identity theft—plus we are seeing real DOT and ICE enforcement on the road. As non-compliant fleets vanish, rates are rising even while volumes stay nearly the same, revealing how much “ghost capacity” never belonged in the market. We break down what’s happening, why...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: ❓ Are dispatchers — especially foreign dispatchers — damaging the industry? What could be the reasons, and how can dispatchers improve to play a positive role? 📱 Could brokers require carriers to use GPS tracking and provide quick video/photo verification at pickup? How realistic is a “Go / No Go” process to preve...

Cash flow isn’t just paperwork—it’s survival for a freight business. In this episode, attorney Cristina Belaval (Freight Collection Solutions) and consultant Janie Howerton share the habits, documents, and legal tools that actually get brokers and carriers paid. From weekly AR routines and clean invoicing to lien rights, setoffs, and collection strategies, they outline how to turn booked margin in...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🔒 Broker Liability – Who really carries the risk when loads are stolen through identity theft? 💻 Tech Stack – Best TMS and accounting software for new brokers. 👥 Agent Growth – Where to find reliable broker agents and how to structure fair, competitive pay. Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Her...

The trucking industry faces a major safety crisis—1 in 5 trucks shouldn’t be on the road, 97% of carriers lack safety ratings, and nearly a quarter of drivers stopped during inspections don’t even have a CDL. At the TIA Policy Forum in D.C., industry leaders pushed for long-delayed safety standards and legislation like the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. With freight volumes at h...

The FMCSA’s sudden shutdown of data feeds threw brokers, carriers, and safety officials into chaos, cutting off access to critical verification tools and exposing major vulnerabilities in the freight system. Criminals are already exploiting these gaps by hijacking FMCSA credentials, altering carrier info, and stealing loads—while the agency fails to track changes. At the same time, industry groups...

Nate Cross & Ben Kowalski answer your freight brokering questions and discuss: 🚛 Tips for new freight brokers 🎓 How to get training as a freight agent 🛑 Dealing with false reports on Carrier411 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...

Veteran trucker Gord Magill joins the podcast to dismantle the “driver shortage” myth. He exposes how cheap labor schemes, like Nebraska recruiting Kenyan drivers, fuel exploitation while rates stay low and safety violations rise. Gord on X:  https://x.com/GordMagill/ Gord's Substack:  https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/   Support Our Sponsors: Togo: Click Here OperFi: Click Here QuikSko...