Get Freight Broker Training in Alabama

Alabama’s six interstate highways, 1,300 miles of navigable waterways, 93 airports, 3,700 miles of railroad track and the busy seaport of Mobile, connect the state with the rest of the world. It’s a logistics infrastructure that makes the Alabama’s transport industry fundamental to the U.S.’s fastest growing region. Freight brokers marry up cargo loads with trucking companies, or carriers, to get them to their destination. 29 million tons of cargo is shipped annually through the Port of Mobile and freight brokers are central to this massive logistical operation. If you want to form part of this dynamic business, get started with freight broker training. You could soon be working as a freight broker or freight broker agent or even running your own freight brokerage.

What do freight brokers do?

The goods we find in our stores has often been imported from another state or another country. The logistics and transportation industry is responsible for moving goods that arrive at ports, such as the Port of Mobile, from the docks to local distribution centers or warehouses, that can then move the goods to local stores. Some of these goods are dry, and some are fresh and must be moved in refrigerated trucks know as reefers. Some freight loads are full truckloads (FTL) and some are less-than-truckload (LTL). Owner Operators offer their trucks to move these goods, but need help connecting with shippers. So how do owner operators find loads? They often do so with the help of a freight broker.

As an important part of the transportation industry and freight logistics, a freight broker agent arranges transportation deals between carriers and shippers. They will match up the type of load to be carried with the appropriate type of truck, moving on the appropriate route. To operate a brokerage, they must have a license and insurance.

How long does it take to become a freight broker in Alabama?

The time required in becoming a freight broker in Alabama will depend on your previous experience of the transportation industry. If you have prior experience, understand the legal aspects of broking freight contracts, have existing contacts with shippers, know how to use load boards to find empty trucks that can meet the shipper’s needs, applying for an FMCSA license takes four to six weeks.

If you have no previous experience, we recommend enrolling yourself in a freight broker or freight broker agent training program, whether you to become a freight broker or freight agent.

The best freight broker training courses in Alabama or online, will last about six months.

There are no specific state requirements to act as a freight broker in Alabama, but there is a federal requirement to have a license issued by FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). Freight brokering requires having high school diploma and apply to FMCSA for their MC Authority. The license application costs $300. Once assigned a MC number, one is required to put up a $75,000 surety bond and take out the appropriate insurance.

There are no such requirements to become a freight agent.

What will I learn on during freight broker training?

Freight broker agent training programs tend to focus on three aspects: legal and technical, administrative, and sales and marketing.

The legal and technical aspect will concentrate on the law that surrounds freight broking deals, responsibility and liability, how to draw up the appropriate contracts, and the position of each of the parties (shipper, carrier and broker) in the deal.

The administrative course will focus on the day to day business operations of freight brokering. Students will learn about daily bookkeeping, good accounting practice, delivery management and claims handling for damaged goods or short deliveries.

The sales and marketing course element is fundamental, as many freight broker agents are independent businesses and require their own customer base. To build a list of shippers, freight brokers and agents need phone and email marketing skills. To find carriers, freight brokers and agents need to know how to use the most popular online load boards.

The best freight broker schools in Alabama

On this page, you can search by zip code for freight broker schools with programs near you in Alabama, and receive information without obligation. Many of these are run by your local community and technical colleges.

You should consider the programs at Calhoun Community College, which offers a six-month online program, and Shelton State Community College, which offers an online broker course in conjunction with Brooke Transportation Training Solutions. Any of these programs will set you on the right course to becoming a freight broker.

To find one of these programs near you, enter your zip code in the box below.

How much do freight brokers make?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for cargo and freight agents in Alabama was $51,330 per year, with new, entry-level freight brokers – those without experience or training – earning $29,950, and the highest earners receiving pay of around $73,590 per year.

Those with the ambition and drive to set up their own freight brokerage can expect to be able to earn significantly more. The only limitation their own initiative and capacity for hard work.

Where to work

Most freight brokers are to be found in and around the large cities of Birmingham and Montgomery, the larger urban concentrations of Dothan, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville, and, of course, the Port of Mobile. All the national freight broker companies have representation in Alabama, and represent a great way to start a freight broking career, providing both experience and in-house training. Broker jobs can be found on all popular job boards.

You can also find freight broker training in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi.