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What Does a Freight Broker Do? A Day in the Life with Justin Marcus
What does a freight broker do after a truck picks up a load? How do brokers find shippers and handle last-minute changes? On the Box Truck Hustle Podcast, Justin Marcus of Axel Logistics walks through a typical day in freight brokerage and shares what brokers, carriers, and box truck owner-operators can do to communicate better.
How Justin Marcus got into freight brokerage
Justin studied business management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where a class project on employee satisfaction introduced him to Axel Logistics.
“It got on my radar. I was like, this seems like a really cool company to work for, like great people.”
He liked that employees could advance based on the business they brought in. By the time of the interview, Justin had been with Axel Logistics for more than three years.
What a freight broker does day to day
Justin starts by checking on every load he has in transit. He calls or texts drivers for updates, then balances those check-ins with sales calls to potential shippers.
“First and foremost, I’m gonna check on every single load that I have in transit. I’m gonna get those drivers on the phone, touch base with them, shoot them a text.”
Even a confirmed load can change quickly. A driver can be ready at 8 a.m. and run into a problem 15 minutes later. At the same time, building a book of business takes steady outreach and follow-up.
“It’s a pure numbers game. You just have to plant a lot of seeds, talk to a lot of different people…”
How freight brokers and carriers can communicate better
A quick call or text when a pickup or delivery is at risk gives both sides time to work through the problem. For a carrier, that can mean letting the broker know as soon as the truck is running behind. For a broker, it can mean listening to what the driver is dealing with and getting the updated timeline to the shipper.
Justin brings that same approach to freight rate negotiations. Understanding what’s driving the other person’s position can make it easier to have a productive conversation.
“You catch more flies with honey. Just first trying to understand truly where they’re coming from…”
Whether you’re exploring a career in freight brokerage or running a box truck business, tune in to hear how Justin tracks loads, builds his customer base, and works with carriers when plans change.
Find the Justin Marcus episode on the Box Truck Hustle YouTube channel.
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