What is a broker?
One that acts as an agent for others, as in negotiating contracts, purchases, or sales in return for a fee or commission.
So, what do Pilot Car Brokers do?
They are the intermediary between the trucking company and the pilot car driver, providing work for the pilot car driver.
However, what makes a Pilot Car Broker different from a regular Broker is that no contract is involved, and no liability from the Pilot Car Broker is required, meaning he is not responsible for what happens during the trip.
For example, a freight broker must have a bond as insurance to cover any error or omission on the part of the freight broker.
None of these things apply to a Pilot Car Broker. A Pilot Car Broker is simply a job finder for the pilot car driver.
Let’s look at the Pilot Car Broker more closely:
A pilot car broker’s reputation depends on the quality of work of the pilot car driver.
A pilot car driver who does a lousy job will reduce the reputation of a broker.
A pilot car broker’s reputation also depends on finding a pilot car driver on time.
If the Broker doesn’t find a pilot car in time, the trucking company will find another Pilot Car Broker.
If the Pilot Car Broker is good at these three things:
- quality pilot car drivers
- available at the right time
- at an acceptable rate for the trucking company.
He or she will have returning customers.
For a Pilot Car Broker, a returning customer is a trucking company who calls him repeatedly to get Pilot Car Drivers. It might dawn on you slowly that you, as a Pilot Car Driver, are not the customer here, but the customer is the trucking company or trucker.
So what is a Pilot Car Driver to the Pilot Car Broker?
The Pilot Car Driver is the contractor getting the job done — and you are doing this without having a contract! Obviously, this is crazy!
If you have been in this business, you will notice that Pilot Car Brokers seldom call you to get you onto a job. Well, yes, some of them do, but the majority do not. They put their request on a load board such as LoadCovered.com or PilotCarLoads.com and wait for the calls of the Pilot Car Drivers to come in, and then they pick the one who does it for the best rate.
Even trucking companies do this. They have your name on an email list, and they fire an email out to get the calls to come in.
Here is the giant exception. If you have worked up the food chain to a reputation, you will get brokers to call you. This is especially true when the trucking company requests your name from the Broker.
Then you will get calls! That is the sweet spot.
It most often happens to High Pole Car Drivers and Steersmen. Both have a particular skill, and the trucking company wants to have someone they trust.
So now we come to the million-dollar question! Have I ever been ripped off by a broker? Meaning the Broker got me to do a job but never paid me? No. I have been doing this for four years now, and this has never happened. Two of them were late, but they eventually paid with a little push from me.
However, there was one trucking company that did not pay me, and I lost $2500. And that is all. Now, I am going to let you in on a secret. How can you avoid those late payers or non-payers?
There is a Facebook Group called HIGH WIDE HEAVY. Make yourself part of this group and click on the GUIDES tab, and you will find a host of subjects that are all very important to you. Go to Guide #3 (low pay or slow pay companies), and there you will find the pilot car brokers and carriers you should not work for. This list is highly accurate. If you don’t do business with those on this list, you will be fine.
The pilot car business is well-paying; there is no question about this. But you must learn to navigate the business side to avoid trouble. Now, here are a few tips from me, and I call them rudimentary actions to ensure you are not getting in trouble. As I said earlier, you are a contractor without a contract! And that in itself is a scary proposition. Therefore, the following is very important:
1. During the phone call with a broker or carrier, make sure you establish the following:
The rate for the following items:
– MILE
– OVERNIGHT/HOTEL
– DAILY RATE if less than 250 miles are driven
– NO-GO RATE (when the load is not moving on any given day). And you have to make sure it is understood that when there is a no-go, the hotel has to be paid as well.
– PAYMENT DETAILS: how will you be paid (ACH, check in the mail, Zelle, PayPal, etc.), and when will the money arrive? And more on that last part later as it is essential.
2. Next, you ask the Broker or carrier to send you a confirmation sheet with the above data and the trucker’s phone number.
3. If you get an email or text that will only give you the trucker’s phone number but not the confirmation of what was discussed in the phone call, you send a message or email to the Broker or carrier and put all the data of the conversation in writing and require him to acknowledge this immediately.
If you do not get an acknowledgment from the Broker, call him and let him know you will only continue if you get an acknowledgment of the agreement.
Additionally:
Get a photo of your car parking beside the truck and its load. It proves that you have attended the load in any civil court action that might ensue.
Also, get a photo of the truck itself showing the DOT (Department of Transportation) number of the truck and the truck number. Again, this is evidence.
DO NOT ACCEPT ANY PAYMENT AGREEMENT THAT IS MORE THAN 30 DAYS OUT in the future.
Refrain from accepting someone saying “I’ll pay you when the carrier pays”. The payment must be made after 30 days at the latest (called 30 day net). If the Broker does not have the cash to cover a late-paying carrier, you will not do business with him.
The carrier is the Broker’s customer, as mentioned at the very beginning of this article. If he doesn’t get the money from his customers, it is his business, not yours.
If a broker says, “I’ll pay you when the trucker pays,” run! Do not work for this person.
If you use the above points, you will avoid those that could cause problems for you.
Good luck and keep on trucking.
