A Freight Broker Agency from Home: A Myth or Reality?

A new year – new challenges. If you are looking for new ways to make money and build a successful business, freight forwarding seems to be an ideal solution for you. Nowadays the demand for logistics services is rather high. Thanks to the development of e-commerce and the growth of the retail industry, more and more companies need reliable and effective logistics partners.

Yet, not everyone desires to work for someone. No wonder, the possibility to start a freight broker agency at home attracts lots of people who want to try their luck. The questions are whether it’s a really worthy idea, what pluses and minuses it has, and how to achieve better results. If you want to know the answers, the following information will be rather useful for you. 

Who can start a freight broker agency?

It’s a great mistake to think that everyone is able to start a logistics business. The thing is it’s a rather complicated and intricate industry with lots of pitfalls and difficulties. If you have no idea about how shipping works, it’s better to look for other business plans. Yet, if you have some experience or appropriate education, you may try.  It’s of prime importance to know what types of freight delivery services exist, where to find carriers and trucks, how to track orders, etc.  

Moreover, logistics implies dealing with various types of paperwork. You are to follow legislation alterations and control if all paperwork is done in a proper way. Nowadays there are some online services that may assist you in this issue. Yet, they are not free.    

Main pluses

If you like trucks, are fond of making routes and find it cool to communicate with various people, then, you can’t but appreciate this job. Moreover, there is a wide range of advantages you can’t but appreciate. Thus, it’s up to you to decide what you should do, with whom to cooperate, and how many orders to take. Flexibility is one of the most significant pluses.   

Significant drawbacks

Whether you like it or not but being an owner of a logistics company means being ready to explore some crucial drawbacks. The most significant of them are the following:

• Working non-stop. If you think that you may have rest whenever you want, you are wrong. It’s up to you to control carriers, trucks, warehouses, etc. You are to be in touch 24/7.
• The necessity to deal with clients’ complaints. You can hardly find a freight forwarder who has never experienced delays. The same is true about cargo damages. It will be your responsibility to respond to complaints and find the most appropriate solutions. You should be ready to face hostility and rudeness (not always, of course).
• Huge competition. The number of available logistics firms is enormous. Many of them have regular clients, an extensive vehicle fleet, and copious positive reviews. It won’t be an easy task to compete with pros.

To sum it up, it should be highlighted that starting a logistics company at home is possible but it requires lots of investment, knowledge, time, and effort. If you are ready to work under pressure and face versatile challenges, then you may try.