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How to find shippers as a freight broker

How to find shippers as a freight broker starts with the lanes you already run well, then the shippers who move that kind of freight, then a note drafted from your lane history. A shipper database helps only when the names sit on lanes you can actually serve. The send stays supervised until you switch outreach to autopilot.

The lanes in your TMS are the map. A shipper who tenders freight like the freight you already move is a better first call than a name with no lane behind it. FreightScout drafts the outreach from that history. You approve it. Shipper retention scoring, which is live, tells you which accounts are slipping before you go looking for a replacement.

The steps

1. List the lanes you run well. Equipment, cities, and the margin those lanes actually produced. The history is in the TMS you keep.
2. Find shippers who move that freight. Use the book you have, the shipper map, and the accounts already in reach. A shipper database that is not tied to those lanes is a phone book.
3. Draft the note from the lane. The outreach names the freight you have hauled, not a generic introduction. Shipper outreach runs supervised by default.
4. A person approves the send until you switch that action to autopilot. Every action is logged and reversible.
5. Keep the ones you win. Shipper retention scoring watches tender volume, cadence, and margin, and a save can be drafted before an RFP goes out.

Prospecting is the prospecting page. The scorecard is the scorecard. The outreach product is shipper outreach.

What stays with your people

Build, Cover, Track, and Bill are all live and supervised by default, including invoicing and collections. Your people still own the account, the exception, and any call you would not hand off. Booking the carrier and shipper outreach run supervised by default. A broker can switch either one to autopilot whenever they want, per team and per action. Every action is logged and reversible.

What it does not do

FreightScout is not a TMS and it is not a load board. It is not a broker and it is not a carrier. FreightScout does not replace your load board or your accounting system. It does not invent a rate or a detention amount. A number over your max pay goes to a person.

Related

See prospecting, the scorecard, shipper outreach, the shipper map, and shipper retention.

Questions people actually ask

How to find shippers as a freight broker?

Start with the lanes you already run well, find shippers who move that freight, and send a note drafted from your lane history. The send is supervised by default. A shipper database helps only when the names sit on lanes you can serve.

Does FreightScout send the email on its own?

Shipper outreach runs supervised by default. A broker can switch it to autopilot whenever they want, per team and per action. Every action is logged and reversible.

How do I keep a shipper I already have?

Shipper retention scoring is live. It watches the account and a save can be drafted before the RFP. Finding a new shipper does not replace keeping the one who already tenders.