there has been a lot of press this year about freight brokers, especially a couple that have gone bust owing thousands of pounds to transport companies and then starting up again in the same premises under a new name but with the same work.
i once did this type of thing myself (freight brokering) and attempted to give back to the transport companies more of the rate but almost every company i got work from wanted me to take it on for what i considered to be well below a good rate, a rate that not only would nobody in their right mind want to do the work but that they could not actually make a profit from it either (even as a backload).
i have to admit it was very easy (too easy) to get started and it made me realise that there are no controls whatsoever on this type of business set up.
it’s with this in mind that i felt that there should be, that any company or person that wants to broker freight should have to operate trucks too, that way they would have to have an o licence, they would need to show financial standing and hold onto good repute to be able to continue trading.
no sooner had i set up my own business than the rha were banging at my door to become a member (which i did), without any check on me or my business, my financial status or ability to continue in the industry, my repute or my ability to rip off there other members if i wanted to.
this made me realise that these so called representatives for the transport industry are only interested in lining their own pockets, they pay lip service to the industry only, otherwise they would have sought some sort of legislation against freight brokers, some sort of register and black list but no, they do nothing at all to protect their members from shysters.
what does everyone else think?
should the likes of the rha and fta be petitioning the government for this type of legislation to help protect it’s members?
Yep, these brokers should have to have CPC’s, O licences and have to apply to the Traffic Commissioner ? before they are able to start any business.
Otherwise its a mockery of the system.
Legislate against what exactly, stupidity? No one is forced to work for anyone. Before commiting yourself to carry out work for a company, it is quite normal to insist on seeing the trading accounts of said bussiness, to ascertain the credit worthiness of the company. Decissions can then be made, and it’s always a gamble.
However, I believe that your assumptions about the bodies who claim to represent the interests of the haulage inustry are correct, Although I feel that being a member of the RHA is benifitial to a certain extent, I am appauled at the lack of support that was thrown behind the fuel protests of 2000, and the complete silence which can be “heard” from them now over the proposed increase in duty due this month. They do actually have a very good idea in the Essential users rebate scheme, but are failing to put any weight behind it.
For my 400 odd pound Iall I seem to get is the ability to use the RHA conditions of caraige, which I would imagine a lot of people use without actually being members, and hundreds of flyers per year inviting me to spend even more money on training courses and seminars.
we have one of the these so called brokers operating in our area,basicaly he’ll price for any job on the understanding it can go anytime over a two day period,he then attempts to sell the work on as backloads which he needs to do to make any money because he’s gone in so low to start with! problem is if i the quote for the same job i’m told i’m to expensive even though i can guarantee a delivery at a required time and he on many accations will let people down because he can’t find anyone to do the job, people will still go back to him because he’s so cheap! and yes he’s gone bust at least a couple of times and started again next day!
besides some of the dubious firms with proper ads in the return loads and “owner driver opportunities” section, there’s a case in point in trucking magazine’s free ads (says it all?) about stopping at home and organising produce loads from spain to the UK “tools for the job - telephone, fax, computer” no mention of experience, cash reserves, goods in transit insurance (in case the obviously high calibre subbies you’d have to use, ahem forgot to get their own and a load went ■■■■) or even a clue what you’re doing! 
Even some of the magazines who carry these articles should make some sort of check on companies advertising products like this.
There are adverts appearing in Commercial Motor that use to appear in Headlight 30 years ago. Maybe there are some decent ones but most are advertising loads at below backload rates.
The only system that seems to work is the old minitel system in France where hauliers can bid for work advertised at a rate that suits both parties.
I have just noticed that there is an agency offering work in my village, it is a little one room office with a pc and telephone. Offering work from all over the world for self employed couriers and transport operators
malc, you mention commercial motor and i had to laugh the other week, someone had wrote to the legal page about an advert in a transport magazine that wanted unused o licences that were still valid, the question asked was to the legality of allowing another operator to use that o licence, the legal guff said it was definately not legal to allow an o licence to be used by another transport operator, further up the magazine there was the exact same advert for unused o licences.