There’s a freight lesson I wish more shippers learned before they had to learn it the expensive way.

A quote is only as good as the planning behind it.

That matters on any shipment, but especially when you get into flatbed, heavy haul and the ugly freight we love. A broker can put a number on a load pretty quickly. Knowing what it actually takes to move that load is a different story.

Maybe the dimensions call for different equipment than originally quoted, or someone didn’t account for permits, escorts or what it actually takes to get a truck into the delivery site. Those details change the move, and they can change the price.

That’s why I’ve always said complicated freight is not the place for a broker to cut their teeth. There are too many details that need to be figured out before the truck shows up.

Our team spends a lot of time on those details because experience teaches you where to look. We’re thinking through the equipment, the route, the permits, the jobsite and what we’ll do if something changes along the way.

That’s the difference between putting a price on freight and actually knowing how you’re going to move it.

When we say we love ugly freight, this is what we mean. Give us the loads with weird dimensions, complicated destinations, tight timelines and a few extra moving pieces. That’s where experience earns its keep.

So when you’re comparing freight quotes, compare more than the number. Find out how much thought went into it.

Got a complicated one on your desk? Send it my way. I’m happy to take a look.

Liz Wayne