A Guide to Freight Brokerages
When selecting a freight brokerage partner, look beyond just rates and capacity. The right partner combines deep industry experience, proven reliability, and the flexibility to grow with your business. They should simplify your logistics, not complicate them. Most importantly, they should demonstrate through their actions—not just their words—that they're truly invested in your success."
Director of Brokerage Operations and Sales
Badger Logistics
The most reliable indicator of a broker's quality isn't their size or rates but how they handle exceptions and serve their smallest customers—these reveal their true operational capabilities and service commitment.
A broker's limitations are as important as their capabilities: Look for partners who confidently articulate what they don't do, as this indicates operational maturity and service reliability. Brokers claiming to excel at everything typically deliver mediocrity.
The best brokers combine technology with human expertise, using advanced systems to enhance, not replace, experienced professionals' judgment. Their technology enhances efficiency while maintaining the personal touch needed for complex logistics.
Focus on active carrier relationships rather than total network size—a smaller network of engaged, reliable carriers consistently outperforms a larger network of inactive ones. Ask about carrier activity rates and retention metrics.
Hybrid brokers who offer both asset-based and brokerage solutions often provide unique advantages, understanding carrier operations better and offering more flexibility during capacity crunches. Look for providers who can seamlessly toggle between dedicated and flexible capacity.
Fall River Express delivers comprehensive freight brokerage services backed by Badger Express's asset-based operations, giving you the best of both worlds. Learn more about our integrated brokerage services and get a competitive rate quote to join hundreds of shippers experiencing truly reliable freight management.
Most companies choose freight brokers backward. They focus only on rates and hope the rest works out.
But here's what experienced shippers know: Your freight broker becomes the linchpin of your supply chain. Choose wrong, and you'll waste countless hours fixing delays, juggling carriers, and explaining missed deliveries to angry customers.
Choose right, and logistics becomes invisible—it just works.
The difference comes down to asking the right questions before you sign. Not surface-level questions about rates and lane coverage, but penetrating questions that reveal whether a broker can truly deliver on their promises.
I spent months studying how the best shippers evaluate and select their brokers. This guide distills their process into 22 essential questions. Each reveals a critical insight about a broker's true capabilities.
Let's explore them.
Here's the counterintuitive truth about brokerage: The broader a broker's claimed strengths, the weaker they likely are.
Strong brokers have edges—specific areas where they excel. Our brokerage arm, Fall River Express, for example, doesn't just claim general expertise. We leverage our asset-based experience through Badger Express to maintain higher standards across their brokerage network. This results in a 99.9% claim-free rate—nearly unheard of in the industry.
When evaluating responses to this question, look for brokers who can demonstrate both depth and specificity in their strengths. Weak brokers claim to be good at everything. They're usually mediocre at all of it.
The takeaway: Look for brokers who are confident enough to name their sweet spot.
Most shippers focus only on finding a broker with the lowest rates or the biggest carrier network. But in my 20+ years in logistics, I've learned that the real differentiator is how a broker handles the exceptions—the off-hours problems, the weather delays, the seasonal spikes. It's not about having 15,000 carriers in your network. It's about having the right carrier, with the right equipment, who's been properly vetted, ready to go when that time-critical load needs to move. Anyone can handle the easy shipments. Choose your broker based on how they handle the hard ones."
Director of Brokerage Operations and Sales
Badger Logistics
Test their smallest customer service, not their biggest wins. How a broker treats their smallest accounts reveals more about their true service levels than their largest success stories. Ask about their smallest active customer and how they maintain service standards across account sizes. The best brokers deliver consistent quality regardless of shipping volume.
Evaluate their exception handling, not their normal operations. The real test of a brokerage isn't how they perform when everything goes right—it's how they manage when things go wrong. Ask for specific examples of recent service failures and their resolution process. Elite brokers have clear escalation procedures and empower their teams to solve problems quickly.
Look for defined limitations, not broad capabilities. The strongest brokers are confident enough to tell you what they don't do well. A broker who claims to excel at everything likely excels at nothing. Seek partners who are clear about their sweet spots and limitations—it indicates operational maturity and service reliability.
Prioritize active carrier relationships over network size. A broker's total carrier count matters less than their active carrier relationships. Focus on the percentage of carriers who've moved freight in the last 30 days and their core carrier retention rates. A smaller, engaged carrier network consistently outperforms a larger, inactive one.
Available for local, regional, and long-distance shipments
Local services within Wisconsin and neighboring states
Regional options throughout the Midwest, typically within 700 miles
Over-the-road services available for longer distances, ideal for cost savings
Intra-Wisconsin shipments and deliveries to just over neighboring states’ borders (e.g., Illinois, Minnesota) including Milwaukee, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Green Bay, and Wausau. Typically within a 200-250 mile radius. Same-day or next-day delivery options.
Coverage throughout the Midwest at distances up to 700 miles from origin. Typically one-day transit time serving the states of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and North and South Dakota.
Long-haul shipment coverage extends across the continental United States and parts of Canada. Typical transit times of 2-3 days for long-distance hauls. Ideal for shipments over 700 miles and where partial shipping offers significant cost advantages.
Our FTL brokerage services cater to large-volume and specialized freight needs. We provide 53-foot dry vans for general goods, temperature-controlled reefers for sensitive cargo like food and pharmaceuticals, flatbeds for oversized loads, and intermodal options for cost-effective long-haul shipments.
Partial shipments are a cost-effective solution for smaller loads, whether they require dry van services for frequent shipments or flatbeds for irregularly shaped cargo. These options ensure flexibility and secure transportation without the need for a full trailer.