How the LFS freight agent program works
LFS places freight agents with brokerages in the LFS network. Each brokerage operates under its own authority, and LFS manages it and keeps it compliant. Here is how you get started, who does what on a load, and what to ask before you sign with any brokerage.
From application to first load
Apply
Send the agent application. Tell us where you trained, what freight you know and whether you already have shipper relationships.
Talk it through
We talk directly about how you work and how the LFS network works. Both sides should know what they are getting into.
Placement with a network brokerage
If it's a fit, we look at which brokerage in the LFS network suits the freight and lanes you know. You'll know the brokerage's name and MC number before you sign, so you can look it up yourself.
Sign the agent agreement
Duties, payment terms and expectations are written down and signed with the brokerage before any freight moves. Read it, ask questions, and have your own attorney look at it if you want.
Set up your shippers
Each new shipper is set up with the brokerage before the first load, so contracts and billing are in place from the start.
Book, track and close the load
You quote, book a vetted carrier and keep the shipper informed. The load closes when the paperwork is in and the carrier is paid.
Who does what on a load
Clear roles keep loads from falling through the cracks.
You, the agent:
- Find and keep shippers
- Quote the freight and confirm pickup and delivery details
- Book a carrier that has passed the brokerage's carrier vetting
- Track the load and keep the shipper and carrier informed
- Collect the delivery paperwork from the carrier
The network brokerage:
- Holds its own broker authority and $75,000 financial security
- Signs the shipper agreement, carrier agreement and rate confirmation
- Pays the carrier what the rate confirmation says
- Keeps the transaction record a broker is required to keep
LFS:
- Manages the brokerage and keeps its authority, financial security and filings current
- Sets the carrier vetting standard every carrier must pass
- Runs back-office support for billing and collections
The record-keeping point matters. Federal rules require a broker to keep a record of each transaction, including the shipper, the carrier, the bill of lading number, the broker's compensation and the date the carrier was paid, for three years. Each party to the transaction has the right to review that record. Good files are how a brokerage answers a question the same day it's asked.
Questions to ask before joining any freight agent program
Ask these of every brokerage you talk to, including the ones in our network. Get the answers in writing.
Whose authority and bond?
Confirm the brokerage's authority is active and its financial security is on file. You can look it up on FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance site.
How is commission calculated?
Ask exactly what it is based on, what comes out first, and when it is paid. A clear agreement beats a big number in an ad.
Who carries a shipper that doesn't pay?
Find out what happens to your pay when a shipper pays late or not at all.
Who keeps the shipper relationship?
Read the non-solicitation and non-compete terms. Know what happens to your accounts if you leave.
How are carriers vetted?
A brokerage that books any truck that answers the phone is one bad load away from a fraud claim. Ask for the carrier vetting standard.
How are carriers paid?
Carriers who are paid on time take your freight again. Slow pay costs you capacity, and capacity is what your shippers buy.
About commission
We don't publish commission terms on this website. They are set out in the written agent agreement with the brokerage and explained before you sign. No income or placement is promised. What an agent earns depends on the freight they book, the shippers they keep and the market.
Training before placement
Brokering freight is a skill. Agents who come through Freight University complete the PLSP certification, a three-month program with live sessions twice a week. They learn how to check a carrier, read a rate confirmation, keep a load file and follow the money from pickup to payment. PLSP graduates may be placed with a freight brokerage in the LFS network.
If you want a brokerage of your own instead, LFS builds freight brokerages. See freight brokerage setup.
Education behind every placement
Placement starts with Freight University. Agents learn freight by applying their education to real companies, and the brokerages in the LFS network are built with that same education behind them. How we work.
- Education first
- Real companies, real freight
- Brokerages built the right way
Questions and answers
Am I working for LFS?
You book freight with the network brokerage you're placed with, under that brokerage's authority. LFS manages the brokerage and keeps it compliant. Your agent agreement spells out who you contract with and how you are paid.
Can I bring carriers I already work with?
Yes, if they pass the brokerage's carrier vetting. Every carrier is checked the same way before the first load.
Is there a minimum number of loads?
Expectations are discussed directly and written into the agent agreement before you start.
Related
Freight agent placement with LFS
A freight agent books freight with their own shippers under a licensed brokerage's authority.
Apply for freight agent placement with LFS
If you know freight and want to book it under an established brokerage's authority, start here.
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