What makes a freight broker agent successful?
Each person is likely to answer differently, but according to Anita Baker, who draws on her 38 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry, it comes down to four characteristics:
- Solid knowledge of the trucking industry.
- A good degree of professionalism.
- An eagerness to succeed.
- The desire to thrive and have fun.
Baker has exercised these qualities throughout her time as a freight broker, but most recently, she found her expertise and passion flourishing at TAB.
TAB is the brokerage division of Artur Express, an asset-based nationwide transportation company that provides local, regional, over-the-road, team and reefer solutions.
Baker has worked “around the block” in the industry, but she has been a freight broker agent since 2003, joining TAB in 2019. She brought her own customers with her and has strengthened her business through TAB’s numerous benefits and resources: revenue splits as much as 80%, load coverage assistance, company-paid subscriptions, ratings tools, a cutting-edge TMS and much more.
“Being a truck broker agent is very rewarding as you are in charge of helping your customers move their cargo across the country helping to get supplies, food and necessary items to families across the U.S. … TAB has allowed me to be me and do what I love to do at my own pace. The sky is definitely the limit here if you want it, and the company will help you achieve your goals,” Baker said.
Like Baker, Kevin Jroski found his groove at TAB, where his passion for volume, pace and a good cultural fit intersected. He made the leap to join TAB as a senior logistics specialist in September.
Jroski brings years of brokering experience to the role but identified a past position at a company specializing in heavy hauling, export packing, rigging and millwrighting as a particularly pivotal learning experience in his career journey.
“That role was where I truly learned the ins and outs of the logistics industry, hands-on in the yard as well as the fine art and science of brokerage,” Jroski said.
He brought over the flexibility he gained from this position into his current role at TAB, where he handles a range of duties from customer and business development to carrier onboarding and development, freight brokering, final closeouts and assisting accounting as needed.
Seeing the whole scope of business from start to finish is something special to him and lets him observe the process from a broader lens.
“Clients entrust us to handle their valuable cargo, and our duty is to make it efficient and cost-effective in a very competitive industry,” Jroski noted.
Through TAB, Jroski has found success in doing just this. Artur Express equips agents to offer the best treatment to customers and carriers, such as fast carrier setup and payment, cargo and liability insurance, accounting administrative support for customer billing, carrier payables, claims management and more.
TAB’s asset-based status is also advantageous to agents. They earn up to 3% revenue on a load if it moved on an Artur Asset, and the company offers many opportunities for this with its 800 tractors and 4,000 trailers.
“While I am versed in brokering, any kind of routine or specialized freight shipment domestically, cross-border and internationally, it shows customers — and carriers alike — that you know what it’s like to have ‘skin in the game’ when you work for such an organization as Artur Express,” Jroski said.
A seamless transition to TAB
Both Baker’s and Jroski’s journeys with TAB began with weeklong introductions to the company at the Artur Express headquarters in St. Louis. Since they both work remotely out of state — Baker lives in North Carolina and Jroski in Pennsylvania — these in-person orientations gave them a chance to meet co-workers and learn the systems and processes they would be using in their new positions.
“Everyone was so welcoming at TAB, and you could tell they loved being there. This is a top-notch company, with a top-notch facility and an atmosphere that is second to none,” Baker said.
Baker has worked with her clients for many years. At TAB, she continues to foster these relationships while overseeing her own new customer and carrier development, allowing her to grow her business with the support of the TAB and Artur Express teams.
“Every step of the way from the first day I walked into the Artur Express building to this day, I have had support,” Baker said. “They have helped me with any questions, helped me with any issues I may have had from computer issues to onboarding a new carrier, you name it. If you have any questions or issues you can be assured you will get the help you need from the staff.”
Jroski describes his own transition to TAB as seamless, like Baker emphasizing the support of his new team.
“The attentiveness and responsiveness are unparalleled to anything that I have seen in the industry. Questions, no matter how large or small, are answered in a timely and helpful manner. My customers also have acknowledged how easy it is to work with me directly and the entire team in general,” Jroski said.
With the backing of the TAB and Artur Express staff, resources and plentiful benefits to aid in their success, Baker and Jroski have found their niches and endless growth in front of them.
