Why is there so much variation in freight rates from these freight brokers???

Getting quotes from several different brokers and rates are all over the place.

For example: pallet weight of 300 pounds.

Carrier: Central Transport

Rate:

$146.75 C.H.Robinson

$179.00 U-Ship

$227.00 Freight Pros

$503.40 Freight center


Carrier: Saia

Rate:

$223.63 Freight center

$239.07 C.H. Robinson

$261.00 Freight Pros

Carrier: Fedex economy

Rate:

$226.80 C.H. Robinson

$251.21 Freight center

$286.00 Freight Pros

$359.00 U-Ship

What the fuck?? Why the variations? Which one might be the real cost?

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Freight class is the big thing, basically freight companies want to ship modestly dense undamagable, low priced goods. If it is expensive heavy or fragile it costs more

gustafson said:

Freight class is the big thing, basically freight companies want to ship modestly dense undamagable, low priced goods. If it is expensive heavy or fragile it costs more

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Well, the quotes are all as class 50 "fits on standard 48x48 pallet" density more than 50 pounds per cubic foot. This is the "lowest cost" class. Freight Pros keeps trying to change class to 92.5(computers, monitors, refrigerators) and charge 20% more. No fuckin' way.

A friend of mine ships a lot of tool steel he said if it fits a standard pallet he can ship anywhere in the USA for 90 dollars. If that helps you out
Don


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D Nelson said:

A friend of mine ships a lot of tool steel he said if it fits a standard pallet he can ship anywhere in the USA for 90 dollars. If that helps you out
Don


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Click to expand...

Only if I can get the name of the freight company.

The prices vary so much because in using a freight broker you are adding a middle man salesman who probably used to work at office depot or something before getting a job in freight. At least that is indicative of my experiences. They just see what their cost is and make up whatever markup they feel like that day.

What is the worry over the "real price"? If these are all giving you prices for the same service through the same carrier then just go with the cheapest. The most expensive one will be just as likely to smash your pallet and lose it, but will pocket an extra $300 to do so.

I have no idea why the variation, but I have always done better than listed by calling the second lowest company, and asking them to beat the lowest. You'll end up with an inside sales guy, and they're pretty ruthless about trying to beat the other guy(s).

Last week, a sales guy for a broker I hadn't dealt with stopped by the shop. I got him to quote a shipment I'd done the day prior, and he was cheaper off the cuff than any of the other guys were after I'd put them against each other. Just shipped with him the first time today.

I'm PMing you his phone number, so a bot doesn't snatch it off the open forum and spam it.


I have had a couple freight company sales guys (actual freight line, not brokers) stop by. Saia basically said they wouldn't be competitive with the broker with my annual usage (1 skid a month). SouthEastern claimed they would probably be slightly cheaper than booking them through a broker, but then the account he set up quoted me double the broker, and I never have been able to reach him on the phone, so I gave up there.

Unless you're large, I'm not sure an account with a freight carrier will help much. An account with a regional carrier (SouthEastern and AAA Cooper for my area) tends to beat the nationwide carriers like Old Dominion for stuff that stays in the SouthEast, but then you're stuffed when it comes time to ship things across the country.

Call Nick, see what he can do.