Confessions of a Thief (Broker)

by Jeff
(Iowa)

Failed broker here. Let me start by apologizing to each one of you drivers my brokerage stole from, treated like shit, inconvenienced and lied to. It wasn't me, it was him.

The largest brokerage within Network FOB is run by a guy named Brad Eldeen known as Brad Eldeen Logistics. I worked for him for 6 months in the worst workplace environment I'd ever encountered. It was predicated by theft and abusing truck drivers. That's Brad's model and he's good at it.

I'm an ex broker mainly because I struggled to steal effectively and treated drivers as human beings instead of the scum (he said) you are. I absolutely hated that job. It was immoral and legalized theft.

Your typical freight broker will go to great lengths to justify their existence, even as they lie to themselves. "You need me" they'll say. "I exist for a reason." It's all a lie. Freight brokers are leaches in modern society. I've seen it all from their side, received all the training...which legitimately includes methods to effectively manipulate carriers.

Brokers hate you the carrier. You represent something they can only partially control and they're robbing you of thousands at the same time.

I was well in the loop of brokering. I got a look at balance sheets at year end. Brad was netting anywhere near $600,000-$650,00 a year just in commissions from his loads. That's just him personally. Others he brought into the scam were pulling in the high nineties. Ridiculous amounts of money for being a middle man.

Brad came off as very charming over the phone, but the second he hung up, he was disparaging all truck drivers as stupid inbreds, barely worthy of carrying "his freight". His entire attitude towards carriers was disgusting, usually a mix of racism and his (unwarranted) sense of superiority over you pathetic truck drivers....who he always said were untrustworthy as a whole, but leaned on exclusively to get rich himself.

He looks down his nose at the very labor force that pays for his mansion and sends his kids to private school. Brad is a quintessential example of the 1% stealing from poor people, then kicking them while they're down to make sure they know their place. It was pure greed and I was involved in it. Sickening.

Sure, go look at Brad Eldeen Logistics from your end. Expensive freight, always pays on time, bonded and insured. Looks good right?

What you're doing when you take freight from a guy like Brad is undercutting the market and making less money available for your fellow drivers. As long as leaches continue earning thousands of dollars from your work, they'll keep doing so.

Say no to these assholes. Inevitably a broker will chime in here saying they do things the right way and they're "honest". Bullshit. You're a leech. You make money by stealing from truck drivers. Any twist you put on that is a pathetic attempt at self validation. You know you're unnecessary.

There will always be a market for guys like Brad Eldeen and Network FOB. He has a charming sales skill on the phone that goes over well with shippers. That charm, however, is actually a personality disorder, that allows him to con and manipulate people that aren't fellow sociopaths. It's not real. He hates your guts, but doesn't mind getting rich off your hard work. Total douchebag.

The one variable in his diabolical get rich scheme is supply. Small changes in the availability of carriers drastically effect Brad's ability to steal. Without you the hardworking carrier, Brad ceases to exist. Make it that way.

I'm no angel here. I have stolen from you. I've made money from truck drivers in a disingenuous way. For that I'm deeply ashamed. Please accept my apologies.

Know that at one point I did stand up for you and my human decency cost me a job. It was worth it.