Freight Brokerage Desk
Freight brokers and small brokerage teams
Quote, cover and track loads, vet carriers, and watch margin per load and per customer.
Use this templateFreight Brokerage Desk
Start the morning on the Dashboard: loads picking up today that still need a carrier, carriers with insurance about to lapse, and invoices past due. A load moves Quoted, Tendered, Covered, In transit, Delivered on the Loads board. Mark delivered stamps the day; Create invoice starts the bill from the load.
Start here: how this workspace runs
Dashboard
Vetting a new carrier
Covering and tracking a load
Loads
Every load from quote to delivery: customer, carrier, equipment, rate, carrier pay and margin.
| Load | Status | Customer | Carrier | Equipment | Broker rep | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Delivered | Trinity Paper Converters | Red Mesa Transport | Tamsin Cole | Oct 12, 12:00 PM | |
| Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Delivered | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 13, 10:30 AM | |
| Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Delivered | Ironline Metals Supply | Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Tamsin Cole | Oct 15, 1:00 PM | |
| Joliet to Columbus, retail pallets | Delivered | Northfield Home Goods DC | Prairie Line Logistics | Lourdes Pineda | Oct 16, 6:00 PM | |
| Laredo to Houston, auto parts | Delivered | Gulfbend Industrial | Red Mesa Transport | Desmond Ebi | Oct 17, 11:00 AM | |
| Salinas to Phoenix, strawberries | In transit | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 20, 9:00 AM | |
| Chattanooga to Charlotte, flooring | Covered | Ironline Metals Supply | Two Rivers Heavy Haul | Tamsin Cole | Oct 21, 3:00 PM | |
| Memphis to Indianapolis, appliances | Tendered | Trinity Paper Converters | — | Lourdes Pineda | Oct 22, 1:00 PM |
Customers
The shippers you move freight for, their terms, credit limit, and what they have paid and owe.
| Customer | Status | Payment terms | Credit limit (USD) | Main lanes | Accounts payable email | Quote a load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Paper Converters | $60,000 | Dallas out to TN, OK and AR | ap@trinitypaper.net | — | ||
| Valle Verde Produce Co-op | $90,000 | Central Valley to the Mountain West | payables@valleverdeproduce.net | — | ||
| Ironline Metals Supply | $50,000 | Birmingham and Chattanooga to the Southeast | ap@ironlinemetals.net | — | ||
| Northfield Home Goods DC | $75,000 | Joliet and Columbus to the Midwest | carrierpay@northfieldhome.net | — | ||
| Gulfbend Industrial | $25,000 | Laredo and Houston, Texas loops | ap@gulfbendindustrial.net | — | ||
| Sierra Crest Bottling | $20,000 | Reno to Northern California | ap@sierracrestbottling.net | — |
Carriers
Every trucking company you tender to, with authority, insurance, safety rating and loads hauled.
| Carrier | Setup | MC number | USDOT number | Main equipment | Safety rating | Preferred lanes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Mesa Transport | Approved | MC-884213 | 3301457 | Texas to the Mid-South | ||
| Coldline Express | Approved | MC-902774 | 3417720 | California to Colorado and Arizona | ||
| Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Approved | MC-771058 | 2984411 | Alabama and Georgia | ||
| Prairie Line Logistics | Insurance expiring | MC-1120934 | 3655102 | Illinois, Ohio, Indiana | ||
| Two Rivers Heavy Haul | Approved | MC-650917 | 2511809 | Tennessee to the Carolinas | ||
| Quickfleet Partners | Pending setup | MC-1198420 | 3802217 | Dallas and Houston | ||
| Longview Haulers | Do not use | MC-1003378 | 3519924 | Texas loops |
Customer invoices
What each delivered load was billed, with detention and extras, and whether the customer has paid.
| Invoice | Status | Load | Customer | Detention and extras (USD) | Due | Paid on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice for load 30418 | Paid | Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Trinity Paper Converters | $0 | Oct 20, 2026 | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Invoice for load 30422 | Sent | Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | $150 | Oct 30, 2026 | — |
| Invoice for load 30425 | Overdue | Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Ironline Metals Supply | $75 | Oct 19, 2026 | — |
| Invoice for load 30427 | Draft | Joliet to Columbus, retail pallets | Northfield Home Goods DC | $0 | Nov 16, 2026 | — |
| Invoice for load 30431 | Short-paid | Laredo to Houston, auto parts | Gulfbend Industrial | $125 | Oct 21, 2026 | — |
A brokerage lives on two relationships, the shipper who pays you and the carrier you pay, and the margin in between. This workspace keeps both sides of every load on one row.
The four tables
Loads: one row per shipment. It moves Quoted (rate sent), Tendered (customer said yes), Covered (carrier booked and rate confirmation signed), In transit, Delivered. Margin is the customer rate less carrier pay; Rate per mile helps you compare lanes.
Customers: shippers, their payment terms and credit limit, with revenue and margin from delivered loads and what they still owe.
Carriers: every trucking company you work with: MC and USDOT numbers, insurance expiry, cargo cover, safety rating. Only Approved carriers get loads.
Customer invoices: one per delivered load. The linehaul comes from the load; detention, lumper and other extras are added on the invoice.
A normal day
7:00: open Loads, This week view. Anything picking up today and still Tendered is the first job.
Carrier sales works the Loads to cover list: past carriers on the lane first, then the load board.
Before a load is Covered: carrier is Approved, insurance runs past delivery, rate confirmation is signed.
Check calls at pickup, midway and delivery; notes go in the load's page.
Delivered: press Mark delivered when the proof of delivery arrives, then Create invoice the same day.
Friday: billing works Money to collect and pays carriers whose proof of delivery is in.
Who owns what
A margin you can trust
Quotes and cancelled loads show no margin, so the totals are only freight that moved. Short-paid invoices stay open until the difference is collected or written off by the owner.
| Load | Status | Customer | Carrier | Equipment | Broker rep | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Delivered | Trinity Paper Converters | Red Mesa Transport | Tamsin Cole | Oct 12, 12:00 PM | |
| Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Delivered | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 13, 10:30 AM | |
| Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Delivered | Ironline Metals Supply | Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Tamsin Cole | Oct 15, 1:00 PM |
| Load | Status | Customer | Carrier | Equipment | Broker rep | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Delivered | Trinity Paper Converters | Red Mesa Transport | Tamsin Cole | Oct 12, 12:00 PM | |
| Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Delivered | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 13, 10:30 AM | |
| Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Delivered | Ironline Metals Supply | Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Tamsin Cole | Oct 15, 1:00 PM |
| Load | Status | Customer | Carrier | Equipment | Broker rep | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Delivered | Trinity Paper Converters | Red Mesa Transport | Tamsin Cole | Oct 12, 12:00 PM | |
| Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Delivered | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 13, 10:30 AM | |
| Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Delivered | Ironline Metals Supply | Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Tamsin Cole | Oct 15, 1:00 PM |
| Carrier | Setup | MC number | USDOT number | Main equipment | Safety rating | Preferred lanes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Mesa Transport | Approved | MC-884213 | 3301457 | Texas to the Mid-South | ||
| Coldline Express | Approved | MC-902774 | 3417720 | California to Colorado and Arizona | ||
| Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Approved | MC-771058 | 2984411 | Alabama and Georgia |
| Invoice | Status | Load | Customer | Detention and extras (USD) | Due | Paid on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice for load 30418 | Paid | Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Trinity Paper Converters | $0 | Oct 20, 2026 | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Invoice for load 30422 | Sent | Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | $150 | Oct 30, 2026 | — |
| Invoice for load 30425 | Overdue | Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Ironline Metals Supply | $75 | Oct 19, 2026 | — |
| Customer | Status | Payment terms | Credit limit (USD) | Main lanes | Accounts payable email | Quote a load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Paper Converters | $60,000 | Dallas out to TN, OK and AR | ap@trinitypaper.net | — | ||
| Valle Verde Produce Co-op | $90,000 | Central Valley to the Mountain West | payables@valleverdeproduce.net | — | ||
| Ironline Metals Supply | $50,000 | Birmingham and Chattanooga to the Southeast | ap@ironlinemetals.net | — |
Loads to cover
| Load | Status | Customer | Carrier | Equipment | Broker rep | Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Delivered | Trinity Paper Converters | Red Mesa Transport | Tamsin Cole | Oct 12, 12:00 PM | |
| Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Delivered | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | Coldline Express | Desmond Ebi | Oct 13, 10:30 AM | |
| Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Delivered | Ironline Metals Supply | Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Tamsin Cole | Oct 15, 1:00 PM |
Carriers to re-check
| Carrier | Setup | MC number | USDOT number | Main equipment | Safety rating | Preferred lanes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Mesa Transport | Approved | MC-884213 | 3301457 | Texas to the Mid-South | ||
| Coldline Express | Approved | MC-902774 | 3417720 | California to Colorado and Arizona | ||
| Steelhook Flatbed LLC | Approved | MC-771058 | 2984411 | Alabama and Georgia |
Money to collect
| Invoice | Status | Load | Customer | Detention and extras (USD) | Due | Paid on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice for load 30418 | Paid | Dallas to Memphis, paper rolls | Trinity Paper Converters | $0 | Oct 20, 2026 | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Invoice for load 30422 | Sent | Fresno to Denver, bagged salad | Valle Verde Produce Co-op | $150 | Oct 30, 2026 | — |
| Invoice for load 30425 | Overdue | Birmingham to Atlanta, steel coil | Ironline Metals Supply | $75 | Oct 19, 2026 | — |
How to read the numbers
Most broker losses come from the wrong carrier: lapsed insurance, a brand-new authority, or someone pretending to be a real fleet. This page is the setup routine every carrier passes before the first load, and the re-checks that keep the list clean.
Before the first load
Add the carrier with Pending setup. Enter MC and USDOT numbers exactly.
Look up the authority record yourself. Active for at least 90 days, and the phone and email match what the carrier gave you.
Ask for the certificate of insurance from the insurance agent, not from the carrier. Auto liability and cargo, with our company as certificate holder.
Read the safety rating and recent roadside inspections. Conditional means the owner decides.
Collect the W-9, payment details and the signed broker-carrier agreement.
Press Approve carrier. It stamps Approved on.
Red flags
Keeping the list clean
Insurance expiring within 30 days: move to Insurance expiring and request a renewed certificate.
A carrier that drops a load, fakes a check call or re-brokers your freight moves to Do not use, with the reason in its page. Do not delete it; the record protects the next broker.
Once a quarter, sort Carriers by Loads delivered. The top ten get first call on their lanes.
Checklist before tendering
Carrier is Approved
Insurance runs past the delivery date
Equipment matches the load
Rate confirmation signed and returned
Driver name and cell number confirmed by a call to the carrier's listed dispatch phone, not a number from an email
A load is a promise to two people at once. This page is the routine from the shipper's yes to the signed proof of delivery, so the customer never has to ask where their freight is.
When the customer tenders
Move the load from Quoted to Tendered and press Assign to me.
Fill the load sheet: appointment times, commodity, weight, special handling, reference numbers.
Price the carrier side before you call. Target margin on dry van is 15 to 20 percent; reefer and flatbed often less.
Covering it
Call carriers who hauled this lane before. Their Loads delivered count and notes are on the carrier row.
Agree the rate, send the rate confirmation, and tick Rate confirmation signed only when it comes back.
Move the load to Covered and set the carrier.
Check calls
Press Mark picked up at the first call and Mark delivered when the proof of delivery arrives.
When things go wrong
Truck breaks down: tell the customer before they ask, with a new arrival time.
Detention: write in and out times in the load page; it goes on the invoice as Detention and extras.
Load cancelled by the shipper after cover: agree a truck-order-not-used fee with both sides in writing.
Worked example
Salinas to Phoenix strawberries: tendered at 3,150, covered with a reefer carrier at 2,700 for a 450 margin, about 14 percent. Pickup at 4 am; the reefer temperature is confirmed on the bill of lading at the first check call. The receiver signs clean the next afternoon, the broker presses Mark delivered, and billing sends the invoice before close.
What's inside
5 tables · 16 views · 1 form · 5 row actions · 1 agent5 pages
- Freight Brokerage Desk
- Start here: how this workspace runs
- Dashboard
- Vetting a new carrier
- Covering and tracking a load
4 tables
- Loads7 views · 13 sample rows
- Customers2 views · 6 sample rows
- Carriers2 views · 7 sample rows
- Customer invoices5 views · 5 sample rows
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