Brokers and truckers don’t always see eye to eye.
Whether it’s about broker transparency regulations or simply negotiating a fair rate, brokers and truckers often find themselves on opposing sides of an argument.
However, during the Broker Carrier Summit on Tuesday, April 28, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh delivered remarks that resonated with both sides.
As part of a session titled “Reaching Across the Aisle: A Candid Conversation with TIA and OOIDA,” Pugh said that the industry needs to end the race to the bottom and start rewarding the companies that are safe and reliable.
“What I think the problem is and what people need to remember is that for all these years, it hasn’t been about how good you are or how dedicated you are or how you went the extra mile,” Pugh said. “It’s been about who’s the cheapest. ‘We don’t care how good you are, but who can move this load from Point A to Point B for the cheapest amount of money?’ It just continues to get cheaper and cheaper, and we end up with bad people doing bad things. We end up with inexperienced people moving freight and having accidents … Freight getting damaged, cargo getting damaged and all these other things.”
“We need to remind shippers and brokers and everyone out there that it shouldn’t always be about the cheapest, it should be about who can do the best job.”
The commentary drew applause from the audience and the attention of panel moderator Dan Lindsey.
“You just got a room full of carriers and brokers to clap at the same comment,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey started the Broker Carrier Summit in 2023, with the hope that brokers and motor carriers could resolve many of their differences through better communication.
Pugh and Chris Burroughs, president of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, used much of their time focusing on common ground.
While there are topics where OOIDA and TIA remain miles apart, the two groups are able to unite on efforts to combat cargo theft and raising the barrier of entry for motor carriers and brokers.
“Freight fraud has really brought us, TIA and ATA together because we’re all getting hurt in this,” Pugh said. “Everybody here is getting hurt by it in some form or fashion.”
All three groups have shown support for the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Act, which would restore the FMCSA’s authority to impose civil penalties on bad actors.
“If you go on social media … you would think there’s just visceral hate between brokers and carriers,” Burroughs said. “But there’s a lot of good partnerships out there between brokers and carriers. Can we communicate better? Absolutely.”
The Broker Carrier Summit will continue in Overland Park on Wednesday, April 28. At the 9 a.m. session, FMCSA’s Ken Riddle will discuss the agency’s new registration system and updates to financial rules for brokers. LL
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