Michael DeMarco 1st degree connection1stOwner and 3PL specializing in FTL | LTL | First and final Mile | Drayage | Project Cargo. With old fashioned customer service we help shippers and logistics companies keep their supply chains moving.

We have shippers telling us they send their quotes out to a min of 10 brokers but up to 20 pending what the need is. I personally find that crazy and a waste of their time. You need 3 good ones that is about it. We specialize in drayage, project cargo and other things that regular brokers don’t know how to handle. So with that said, find yourself a good LTL broker, a good FTL broker and a good project cargo or Intl freight handling broker and you are all set. We also do LTL and FTL really well but our niche is dray and project freight. Going out to 10-20 brokers is wasting your time and all of the brokers time just trying to find the cheapest cost. Cheap usually means bad service or slow service.

Shawn Varner – Financial AdvisorAuthorFinancial Advisor Guiding Logistics and Supply Chain Professionals Coast to Coast to the Retirement They Deserve | Former Freight Broker for 10+ yrs

Agree, a very fine line!

Mitch Kostoulakos, LCB Ad Hoc Logistics LLC, Licensed Customs Broker, International Logistics Consultant

Good post Mike. Rate shop at your peril. There is always going to be a lower rate out there but don’t expect great service. Having said that, it is a good business practice to get a couple of quotes for large, complicated, or first time moves.