An independent freight agent runs a freight sales business under a licensed brokerage’s authority. This handbook explains what the role covers, how commission splits and payouts work, what you need to start, how to protect your book, and how to choose the brokerage partner that fits your business.

A bad-debt chargeback is how many freight agent programs recover losses when a customer never pays. Here’s how chargebacks are triggered and calculated, why the basis of the charge matters more than the timing, and which agreement terms to check before you join.

Every freight agent program promises strong support, and most describe it in headcount. The number that actually predicts your experience is how many agents each support person carries. Here is what support really covers, and how to evaluate it before you join.

The Montgomery ruling was covered as a brokerage story. Its effects are reaching agents through a shrinking pool of usable carriers, tighter insurance, and vetting standards being rewritten in real time. Here is what changed, why it matters at your desk, and what to ask.

Most recruiting conversations are built to say yes. The programs worth joining are the ones willing to say no. Here is what a freight agent conflict check actually is, why lane capacity matters to your book, and what it means when a brokerage never declines anyone.