How Brokers Choose Carriers: How to Win Better Freight

Amy Chavez

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February 21, 2026

Why Many Carriers Lose Loads Even When Rates Are “Fair”

Many owner-operators believe losing a load comes down to rate alone, but brokers often weigh risk just as heavily as price. Anthony explains that when carriers don’t understand their own operating costs, they unintentionally drag rates down for everyone — including themselves.

From a broker’s perspective, inconsistent pricing signals uncertainty, not competitiveness.

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Episode Highlights

Know Your Worth Before You Quote a Rate

Anthony’s biggest advice is simple but often ignored: evaluate your time, labor, and true operating costs.
When carriers price freight without accounting for downtime, tarping, detention risk, or time away from home, they undercut their own sustainability.

Carriers who consistently know their numbers stand out — even at higher rates.

What Brokers Actually Check Before Booking You

Brokers don’t just look at the rate confirmation. Anthony walks through the real vetting process, including:

DOT and maintenance history
Violation patterns (not just totals)
Authority details matching phone and insurance
Professional communication and reliability

A cheaper carrier with red flags often costs brokers more in the long run.

Why Professionalism Beats the Lowest Bid

Professionalism isn’t branding — it’s behavior.
Clear communication, clean paperwork, showing up with the right truck and authority, and honoring commitments all directly impact whether a broker calls you again.

Anthony explains why burning bridges for a slightly higher-paying load today can eliminate consistent freight tomorrow.

How Ethical Brokers Price Loads

Unlike brokers chasing maximum margin, Anthony caps brokerage profit at 20% and even discounts customers if carrier pricing comes in lower than expected.
This approach builds long-term trust — with both carriers and shippers — and keeps freight moving consistently.

Getting Paid Faster as a Small Carrier

Payment speed still depends on contracts, but Anthony strongly recommends carriers:

Submit clean PODs immediately
Vet brokers before hauling
Use factoring or credit lines strategically

👉 Bobtail Factoring helps carriers get paid fast with no hidden fees, transparent pricing, and hands-on support, so cash flow doesn’t dictate bad freight decisions.Why Cash Flow Still Matters for Small Carriers

Even profitable operations can struggle if payments are delayed. Fuel, insurance, and maintenance don’t wait on broker terms.

That’s why many small carriers use factoring as a cash-flow tool, not a last resort. Services like Bobtail’s factoring offer fast payments with no hidden fees or long-term contracts, helping carriers stay focused on operations instead of invoice follow-ups.

Learning Both Sides of the Freight Equation

Will also discusses why he began exploring freight brokerage — not to undercut carriers, but to better understand how rates are built and why pricing has shifted in recent years.

Seeing both sides of the transaction helped him make smarter decisions as a carrier and reinforced the importance of relationships over rate chasing.

A Different Definition of Success in Trucking

This episode reinforces a simple truth: trucking success doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some, it’s growth and fleet expansion. For others, it’s predictable income, home time, and control over costs.

Will’s approach shows that building a business around your lanes, your numbers, and your lifestyle can be just as profitable — and far more sustainable.

Keeping Cash Flow Stable While You Grow

All of this compliance comes at a cost , insurance deposits, safety systems, audits, downtime. That’s why strong cash flow matters more than ever for small carriers.

Many fleets use factoring not as a last resort, but as a tool to stay financially steady while they invest in growth. With Bobtail’s factoring services, carriers get fast access to their revenue with no hidden fees and real support — helping you cover fuel, insurance, and maintenance without stressing every load payment.

When your money moves faster, you can focus on running your business instead of chasing checks.

Learn Faster, Not Harder

If there’s one takeaway from this episode, it’s that successful carriers don’t wait until something breaks, they stay informed before problems hit.

That’s why we send out our weekly trucking newsletter, breaking down compliance changes, insurance trends, freight markets, and real stories from carriers in the field. It’s free, built for owner-operators and small fleets, and designed to keep you one step ahead instead of one step behind.

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FAQs

How much can a local dump truck operation make per week?

Local dump truck operators can net strong weekly profits when freight is consistent, with earnings depending on weather, construction demand, and cost control.

Is local dump truck hauling more profitable than long-haul trucking?

It can be, especially when lower fuel costs, reduced maintenance, and predictable miles offset lower per-mile rates.

What are the main costs of running a dump truck locally?

Fuel, insurance, maintenance, and downtime are the biggest expenses, with maintenance planning playing a key role in profitability.

How does weather impact dump truck revenue?

Construction slowdowns during bad weather can reduce weekly income, making cash reserves and flexible scheduling important.

What equipment works best for local dump truck operations?

Well-maintained day cabs and dump trailers suited for construction loads help maximize uptime and minimize operating costs.

Where can I stay updated on trucking market trends?

Subscribe to This Week in Trucking’s FREE newsletter for weekly insights on fuel prices, market updates, and interviews with successful carriers who share real strategies that work. Subscribe here.

Full Transcript

00:00:00:00 – 00:00:01:13
Unknown
I was told when I got into trucking

00:00:01:13 – 00:00:06:01
Unknown
that I would fail because nobody buys a truck in December and succeeds.

00:00:06:02 – 00:00:09:16
Unknown
From this week in trucking business. Profit for mile. And I’m Amy.

00:00:09:16 – 00:00:20:09
Unknown
Today we are joined by Will Carmine, owner of Stonecrest Trucking, to talk about how he’s running his trucking business today. But before we get into it, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.

00:00:20:11 – 00:00:35:15
Unknown
Your support helps us keep bringing weekly videos your way. Thank you all so much for joining us today. I’m glad to be here with you. Thank you so much for being here. Can we get started with you telling us how did you get into trucking and what led you to starting Stonecrest trucking?

00:00:35:15 – 00:00:37:09
Unknown
Back in

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Unknown

I was born and raised in Maryland, and

00:00:41:21 – 00:00:44:00
Unknown
I started driving back there locally.

00:00:44:03 – 00:00:52:16
Unknown
And I just, drove for various places back there. And in 2004, I moved to North Carolina and just kept growing as an employee.

00:00:52:16 – 00:00:54:23
Unknown
Towards the end of 2016.

00:00:55:04 – 00:01:04:09
Unknown
I had an opportunity to go out on my own with a company I broker here and locally in North Carolina. And in the in trail area around near Charlotte

00:01:04:09 – 00:01:07:16
Unknown
we hold a lot of material to a local concrete company

00:01:07:16 – 00:01:08:18
Unknown
and.

00:01:08:18 – 00:01:12:00
Unknown
they took me under their wing, and, and I’ve been with them

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Unknown
since, put a dump truck on route in 2016, in December.

00:01:16:07 – 00:01:17:06
Unknown
And,

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Unknown
been with them since then and

00:01:20:09 – 00:01:26:02
Unknown
moved up from a dump truck. Now I have a 2015 Peterbilt, three 8389 day cab.

00:01:26:02 – 00:01:33:08
Unknown
I’ve actually kind of, I’m still with them, but I’m kind of venturing off actually into brokering and stuff now on my own.

00:01:33:10 – 00:01:35:05
Unknown
So, I mean, they’ve

00:01:35:05 – 00:01:42:15
Unknown
they showed me a lot. They’ve taught me a lot. And, you know, I, I owe the world to them. The Reynolds family down in Israel

00:01:42:16 – 00:01:44:19
Unknown
And what kind of loads are you hauling right now?

00:01:44:19 – 00:01:48:07
Unknown
I do a lot of sand and gravel to a local concrete company.

00:01:48:07 – 00:01:58:18
Unknown
And I have four trucks that I dispatch load, four that are, flatbed and bulk loads on a, frameless trailer.

00:01:58:18 – 00:02:11:11
Unknown
So, I mean, they’ve I’ve learned a lot from them. And my time with them and, like I say, they’ve they’ve been the world to me. They taught me a lot of things and didn’t even realize it.

00:02:11:11 – 00:02:17:09
Unknown
And on the brokering side, how long have you been doing that? How did that, start for you?

00:02:17:09 – 00:02:21:23
Unknown
it’s something I’ve always kind of wanted to do. I started doing it around April,

00:02:21:23 – 00:02:31:06
Unknown
It was weird. It was something I wanted to do, and, I just started talking to people and talking to the Reynolds family. And I met people, and,

00:02:31:06 – 00:02:36:15
Unknown
I got on social media and and then a few groups on there, and,

00:02:36:16 – 00:02:43:11
Unknown
it just didn’t skyrocket. But it’s, it’s taking off, and, and things have been working out so far.

00:02:43:11 – 00:02:45:04
Unknown
Pretty good on that end though, too.

00:02:45:04 – 00:02:46:07
Unknown
if we could,

00:02:46:07 – 00:02:50:23
Unknown
focus now go into the numbers of how you’re running your operation right now.

00:02:50:23 – 00:02:56:01
Unknown
We mentioned before we started recording would be good if we went with weekly numbers. Yes, ma’am.

00:02:56:01 – 00:02:59:06
Unknown
Can you tell us how much you are grossing in a week?

00:02:59:06 – 00:03:01:03
Unknown
I roughly do.

00:03:01:03 – 00:03:07:04
Unknown
If the weather stays consistently good, like I can do five grand a week after expenses.

00:03:07:04 – 00:03:13:05
Unknown
And how many days are you working a week? Is it five? Six? I work five days a week driving for

00:03:13:05 – 00:03:14:20
Unknown
And how many miles are you doing?

00:03:14:20 – 00:03:21:05
Unknown
Depending on the location. I can do between 3 to 600 miles a day.

00:03:21:05 – 00:03:25:04
Unknown
Let’s say 500 to keep it in the mail. Okay.

00:03:25:04 – 00:03:30:13
Unknown
do you have a truck payment? No, my truck is paid for. Thankfully,

00:03:30:13 – 00:03:36:22
Unknown
I have a trailer pull trailer now with my Peterbilt and, at least a trailer from Reynolds. That’s,

00:03:36:22 – 00:03:47:15
Unknown
their broker fee is 10%, and then the lease payment is 12.5%. So, 22.5% payment to them for for all that.

00:03:47:15 – 00:03:52:19
Unknown
that’s 1100 for a trade agreement.

00:03:52:21 – 00:03:53:23
Unknown
Okay.

00:03:53:23 – 00:03:56:09
Unknown
And then how much is your truck insurance?

00:03:56:09 – 00:04:02:10
Unknown
truck insurance is actually fairly cheap. From what I’ve been told. It’s,

00:04:02:10 – 00:04:05:11
Unknown
$541 a month.

00:04:05:11 – 00:04:15:20
Unknown
Wow. Yes. I have a great insurance. My insurance agent is. She’s the best for sure.

00:04:15:20 – 00:04:18:11
Unknown
Wow, those are crazy numbers. Will.

00:04:18:11 – 00:04:37:16
Unknown
It’s funny. My insurance agent, she’s she’s in Maryland. I grew up with her, with the school, with her. And, she she went on her own doing, like, iftar and stuff like that. And, and she is just the absolute best. And I was I was blessed enough to be able to go to work with her.

00:04:37:16 – 00:04:40:07
Unknown
And she got me some really good rate.

00:04:40:07 – 00:04:43:00
Unknown
Awesome. Now moving into services,

00:04:43:00 – 00:04:44:18
Unknown
do you pay yourself a salary.

00:04:44:18 – 00:04:46:04
Unknown
No I just

00:04:46:04 – 00:04:49:23
Unknown
I think what I need to cover my expenses and

00:04:49:23 – 00:04:55:00
Unknown
I just tried to put the rest back into my truck to keep it in and top shelf condition that way.

00:04:55:02 – 00:04:56:19
Unknown
Break down, stay in a minimum,

00:04:56:19 – 00:05:00:00
Unknown
I can keep working when other guys

00:05:00:00 – 00:05:03:11
Unknown
or unfortunately in the shop or or work down.

00:05:03:11 – 00:05:06:17
Unknown
Do you have an average of how much? That could be a week.

00:05:06:17 – 00:05:10:12
Unknown
If if I had to figure a weekly.

00:05:10:14 – 00:05:21:10
Unknown
I would probably say about a day’s wages. So after after all the expenses with the Reynolds and stuff, I would probably say about 8 or 9 hours a week, I give to myself.

00:05:21:10 – 00:05:28:04
Unknown
Okay. Awesome. Let’s go to your fuel expenses. How many gallons are you burning weekly?

00:05:28:04 – 00:05:36:22
Unknown
I could burn anywhere from 90 to, roughly 110, 115 gallons of fuel a day.

00:05:36:22 – 00:05:37:23
Unknown
let’s say

00:05:37:23 – 00:05:39:23
Unknown
575 for a week.

00:05:39:23 – 00:05:42:17
Unknown
How much are you spending on fuel

00:05:42:17 – 00:05:44:16
Unknown
About $400 a day.

00:05:44:16 – 00:05:47:18
Unknown
So that’s 2000 a week.

00:05:47:18 – 00:05:53:15
Unknown
Now, talk to me about maintenance. How do you manage that? And how much do you put aside for maintenance?

00:05:53:15 – 00:05:56:18
Unknown
I manage it very meticulous.

00:05:57:05 – 00:05:59:23
Unknown
Change tires and brakes when

00:05:59:23 – 00:06:06:21
Unknown
the tires and brakes I take off or or or things that other companies would actually use and put back on.

00:06:06:21 – 00:06:10:13
Unknown
I do my work on oil changes every 20,000 miles.

00:06:10:13 – 00:06:11:09
Unknown
every.

00:06:11:09 – 00:06:18:18
Unknown
I’ll spend 12 hours a day on a Saturday. Just going over the truck, top to bottom, changing lights.

00:06:18:20 – 00:06:24:17
Unknown
I spend two hours in a trailer. Can people look at me like I’m crazy? So.

00:06:24:17 – 00:06:28:13
Unknown
So, it’s, I’m very meticulous with that.

00:06:28:13 – 00:06:39:12
Unknown
And it’s something more I can then I can handle, like, a clutch or something like that. I have one particular shop I go and and work with, and I know the people that own the shop.

00:06:39:12 – 00:06:43:22
Unknown
I know the mechanics there, and, they they’ve always done good work for me. So,

00:06:43:22 – 00:06:52:10
Unknown
what would you say? Maybe in a monthly basis, what would you put aside or maybe just have considered in case something like that happened?

00:06:52:10 – 00:06:54:00
Unknown
I’ll probably think about.

00:06:54:00 – 00:07:04:05
Unknown
A monthly figure, I’ll take two days wages or what I’ll make in two days and put aside for strictly maintenance tire brakes, whatever.

00:07:04:05 – 00:07:09:05
Unknown
maybe 200 a week just to throw in a number. Okay. I don’t work.

00:07:12:11 – 00:07:14:18
Unknown
Here we are.

00:07:14:18 – 00:07:18:13
Unknown
Does it make sense that your cost per mile is 169?

00:07:18:13 – 00:07:22:19
Unknown
Yeah, that would be about right with the rates. And, in today’s world. Yes.

00:07:22:19 – 00:07:36:23
Unknown
Yeah. Let’s get a little bit into that. Tell me how you feel. The market currently, how how trucking has been evolving for you in these past few years where we have been in a in a tough situation.

00:07:36:23 – 00:07:39:07
Unknown
Trucking has evolved for me,

00:07:39:07 – 00:07:42:20
Unknown
even in a tough situation. Has been good.

00:07:42:20 – 00:07:47:07
Unknown
I’ve paid attention a lot to the people I work for.

00:07:47:07 – 00:07:51:00
Unknown
I paid attention to a lot of discussions on social media

00:07:51:00 – 00:07:58:11
Unknown
And I talked to all drivers. We naturally, we we just talk to each other naturally. Just. It’s one of those things.

00:07:58:11 – 00:08:02:23
Unknown
and go to the broker side of what? And dispatch inside of what I do.

00:08:02:23 – 00:08:12:06
Unknown
There’s no reason rates should be that low compared to what brokers are making.

00:08:12:06 – 00:08:19:14
Unknown
I know some oil there. There’s, seasonal loads coming out of North Carolina right now that used to pay

00:08:19:14 – 00:08:28:05
Unknown
between 6 and $8 a mile that are now paying $2 a mile because they’re going through a certain broker here in North Carolina.

00:08:28:10 – 00:08:29:07
Unknown
And,

00:08:29:07 – 00:08:33:15
Unknown
there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be back in the $6 mile

00:08:33:15 – 00:08:34:15
Unknown
range.

00:08:34:15 – 00:08:36:12
Unknown
Other than he just wants to

00:08:36:12 – 00:08:38:01
Unknown
put that money in his pocket.

00:08:38:01 – 00:08:40:15
Unknown
And that’s kind of what led me to

00:08:40:15 – 00:08:42:23
Unknown
go into the broker and side of things to

00:08:42:23 – 00:08:43:21
Unknown
try to get

00:08:43:21 – 00:08:49:00
Unknown
some shippers to work with and to be fair to, to owner operators.

00:08:49:00 – 00:08:51:07
Unknown
Yeah. And I think it’s great that you have,

00:08:51:07 – 00:08:58:00
Unknown
a look of both sides of what it’s like to be getting a load and also what it is to be brokering a load.

00:08:58:00 – 00:09:00:02
Unknown
It’s it’s kind of funny. I’ve been told.

00:09:00:02 – 00:09:01:19
Unknown
I was told when I got into trucking

00:09:01:19 – 00:09:06:20
Unknown
that I would fail because nobody buys a truck in December and succeeds.

00:09:06:20 – 00:09:08:19
Unknown
And I was told by,

00:09:08:19 – 00:09:10:07
Unknown
a brokerage firm

00:09:10:07 – 00:09:22:06
Unknown
me being a trucker getting into brokering I would fail because, we don’t have had the patience. Well.

00:09:22:06 – 00:09:29:07
Unknown
Oh. Well, I mean, I’m so for, trading about wholesale, is not going to work.

00:09:29:07 – 00:09:31:13
Unknown
Yeah. Looking looking at this, like,

00:09:31:13 – 00:09:37:08
Unknown
I think I’ve kind of gotten a bit used to with recording the podcast kind of thing.

00:09:37:08 – 00:09:45:22
Unknown
We tell other carriers like it’s okay if you want to come and show your numbers even, even if they’re not great, because it’s kind of the reality for most people.

00:09:45:22 – 00:09:54:18
Unknown
And it’s okay, right? We come and show what’s what’s going on and how you’re running the business. But this looks pretty cool to me. Well,

00:09:54:18 – 00:10:00:23
Unknown
my one last question for you would be if you were to start right now, right here

00:10:00:23 – 00:10:07:00
Unknown
What would you do differently? What is something you might think? I should have tried this differently.

00:10:07:00 – 00:10:12:06
Unknown
the only thing I would do different from what I’ve done personally.

00:10:12:06 – 00:10:17:05
Unknown
I would have kept my doctor off that. I started that with, just that that was,

00:10:17:05 – 00:10:22:07
Unknown
that was what made the dream happen, and and I had to let it go to, Peterbilt. But,

00:10:22:07 – 00:10:25:06
Unknown
mean, sometimes I’ll let things get me to get better.

00:10:25:08 – 00:10:26:02
Unknown
So,

00:10:26:02 – 00:10:27:03
Unknown
but,

00:10:27:03 – 00:10:32:14
Unknown
working with the Reynolds family, working with, Erica Wilson, my my insurance agent,

00:10:32:14 – 00:10:46:01
Unknown
I’ve just been super blessed to have a, a great group of people around me. And if I had questions, I’d pick up the phone, and, I can get answers, and I just. I wouldn’t do anything different.

00:10:46:01 – 00:10:51:03
Unknown
Awesome. Thank you so, so much. Thank you all for joining us today. For anyone watching.

00:10:51:03 – 00:11:10:07
Unknown
don’t forget to subscribe to our free newsletter when you can get the hottest freight markets by equipment type every Monday straight to your inbox, as well as broker alerts so you can stay away from the shady players in the industry. And if you like this video and what we’ll shared, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update!

00:11:10:09 – 00:11:11:22
Unknown
Dry safe everyone.

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