Freight broker vs carrier vs freight forwarder: who does what?

What does the shipper do?

The shipper, or consignor, tenders the freight. It provides or confirms the facts the plan depends on: origin, destination, commodity, quantity, dimensions, weight, pickup timing, delivery requirements and special handling. A shipper does not need to be a transportation expert, but the plan can only be as accurate as that information. The consignee is the party receiving the freight at the other end.

What does a motor carrier do?

Federal law defines a motor carrier as a person providing motor-vehicle transportation for compensation. The carrier picks up, hauls and delivers, runs the equipment, handles the securement duties that fall to the carrier and driver, and reports status. A carrier can be a large fleet or an owner-operator.

What does a freight broker do?

Federal law defines a broker as someone other than a motor carrier who sells, negotiates or arranges transportation by motor carrier for compensation. In practice a broker finds suitable capacity, matches the load to equipment, prices the lane, passes on the shipment requirements, coordinates pickup and delivery, follows the move and solves problems along the way. Arranging the truck does not make a broker the motor carrier. The day-to-day process is on what a freight broker actually does.

What does a freight forwarder do?

A different role. The federal definition describes a forwarder that assembles and consolidates shipments, handles break-bulk and distribution, assumes responsibility for the transportation from receipt to destination, and uses an authorised carrier for part or all of it. That responsibility is what sets a forwarder apart from a broker that only arranges the move.

What does a customs broker do?

Customs brokers help importers and exporters meet customs-entry requirements and government filings in the country involved. On cross-border freight, the transportation broker and the customs broker are often two separate companies, which is why a shipment can be ready for the truck but not customs-ready, or the reverse. See the U.S.–Mexico and U.S.–Canada guides.

Who gives me the freight quote?

Whoever you are working with. A carrier quotes its own transportation; a broker quotes transportation it will arrange with carriers; a forwarder may quote a wider service it takes responsibility for. Either way, know who issued the quote, who is contracting with you, who will physically move the freight and which terms apply.

Who sends the truck?

The motor carrier operates the truck. If you booked through a broker, the broker arranges the carrier that sends it.

Who should I call when something changes?

Follow the communication path set up for the shipment. If you booked through a broker, the broker is normally your central contact and coordinates with the carrier. If you booked directly with a carrier, call the carrier. A customs issue may need the customs broker, importer or exporter to act even though someone else is handling the truck.

How can I verify the transportation company?

Look it up in FMCSA's public records and compare the legal name, USDOT number, authority and its type, address, operating status and the contact details being used for the shipment. See checking a carrier's MC and USDOT number and, for the fuller process, how brokers check carriers.

Where we fit

Freight Command Center is software built to streamline the freight workflow. Our freight brokerage services are provided through UCW Logistics, a licensed freight broker. Neither FCC nor UCW Logistics is the motor carrier that hauls your freight, and neither is a freight forwarder, customs broker or importer of record. When we arrange a shipment, an authorised motor carrier transports it.