Freight Broker / Carrier Procurement SpecialistPosition Summary
The primary responsibility of this position is to secure dependable trucks at competitive rates and ensure that scheduled loads are picked up and delivered safely, consistently, and on time. The successful candidate must have strong carrier relationships, excellent negotiation and communication skills, and the persistence to resolve last-minute capacity issues without disrupting operations.
Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesCarrier Sourcing and Capacity Development
- Identify, recruit, qualify, and onboard reliable motor carriers.
- Develop a strong core group of dedicated carriers capable of providing consistent daily and weekly truck capacity.
- Secure additional backup carriers to cover volume increases, breakdowns, driver shortages, and last-minute cancellations.
- Source carriers through existing industry relationships, load boards, carrier databases, referrals, direct outreach, and regional trucking networks.
- Maintain regular communication with carrier owners, dispatchers, and drivers to strengthen long-term relationships.
- Continuously expand the carrier network to reduce reliance on any single carrier.
Rate Negotiation and Cost Control
- Negotiate competitive transportation rates while maintaining sufficient carrier capacity and service quality.
- Monitor prevailing market rates, fuel prices, seasonal capacity constraints, and other factors affecting the lane.
- Recommend contract, dedicated-lane, volume, or round-trip pricing arrangements when advantageous.
- Identify backhaul opportunities that may reduce the company’s overall transportation cost.
- Obtain management approval for rates that exceed established guidelines.
- Maintain accurate records of quoted, accepted, and historical carrier rates.
Daily Load Coverage and Dispatch Coordination
- Provide carriers with accurate pickup, delivery, equipment, operating-hour, and site-access instructions.
- Confirm each truck and driver before dispatch and maintain a daily load-coverage schedule.
- Monitor pickups and deliveries throughout the day.
- Communicate delays, breakdowns, cancellations, rejected loads, and other service issues immediately.
- Secure replacement trucks quickly when scheduled carriers cancel or fail to perform.
- Provide management with regular status reports showing dispatched, in-transit, delivered, delayed, and uncovered loads.
Carrier Compliance and Risk Management
- Verify that every carrier is properly authorized, insured, and qualified before dispatch.
- Review carrier operating authority, safety history, insurance coverage, W-9 documentation, and required agreements.
- Confirm compliance with applicable FMCSA, Nevada, and California transportation requirements.
- Monitor carrier insurance expirations, authority status, safety concerns, and documentation deficiencies.
- Do not dispatch any carrier that has not completed the company’s approval and onboarding process.
- Maintain organized and audit-ready electronic carrier files.
Documentation and Payment Administration
- Issue and maintain rate confirmations, load tenders, carrier agreements, and dispatch records.
- Track bills of lading, weight tickets, delivery receipts, proof of delivery, and other load documentation.
- Reconcile scheduled loads against completed deliveries.
- Investigate missing paperwork, mileage discrepancies, detention requests, accessorial charges, and carrier payment issues.
- Coordinate with accounting to ensure accurate and timely carrier payments.
- Maintain accurate records for prepaid carrier balances when applicable.
- Review prepaid amounts, completed loads, unused balances, and outstanding documentation each week.
- Help prevent duplicate payments, unauthorized charges, fraudulent carriers, and payment disputes.
Carrier Performance Management
- Track carrier performance by on-time pickup, on-time delivery, cancellations, communication, safety, documentation accuracy, and claims history.
- Conduct regular carrier performance reviews and recommend corrective actions when necessary.
- Build professional, mutually beneficial relationships that encourage carriers to prioritize the company’s freight.
Required Qualifications
- At least three years of freight brokerage, carrier procurement, dispatch, or transportation operations experience.
- Demonstrated ability to source and secure trucks for recurring or high-volume freight lanes.
- Existing relationships with carriers operating in Nevada, California, or the Southwest are strongly preferred.
- Experience negotiating truckload rates and developing dedicated carrier capacity.
- Knowledge of carrier authority, insurance, FMCSA compliance, rate confirmations, bills of lading, proof-of-delivery documentation, and freight claims.
- Strong understanding of load boards, carrier databases, transportation-management systems, GPS tracking, and spreadsheet-based load tracking.
- Excellent telephone, negotiation, organization, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to remain calm and effective when carriers cancel, trucks break down, or delivery schedules change.
- Ability to work independently, take ownership of the lane, and communicate effectively with management.
- Availability to address urgent early-morning, evening, or weekend transportation issues when required.
Preferred Qualification
- Spanish-language skills are helpful but not required.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance will be evaluated using the following measures:
- Percentage of scheduled loads successfully covered.
- Number of missed, cancelled, or recovered loads.
- Average transportation cost per load and per ton.
- Number of active, qualified core and backup carriers.
- Carrier acceptance and retention rates.
- Frequency of last-minute capacity shortages.
- Documentation accuracy and timeliness.
The ideal candidate is persistent, persuasive, organized, and highly accountable. This person is comfortable making a large volume of carrier calls, negotiating firmly, following up repeatedly, and responding quickly when a scheduled truck becomes unavailable.
The successful candidate will understand that securing a truck is only the beginning of the assignment. The load must be monitored from dispatch through verified delivery, with accurate documentation and immediate communication whenever a problem occurs.
Compensation
Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, with the potential for performance-based incentive compensation tied to load coverage, service reliability, and carrier development,
Equal Employment Opportunity
Company is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, operational requirements, and business needs without regard to any status protected by applicable law.
Pay: $70,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
