Freight is a lane business, so open with a lane. A shipper who hears "I run Kansas City to Dallas every week" knows within five seconds whether you are relevant. A shipper who hears "we offer reliable capacity and competitive rates" has heard it from the last six brokers and has already stopped listening.

This script is for the call itself. It starts at the dock office, where the first person you reach is usually not the buyer. It asks about lanes and volume in the first 20 seconds, uses two questions that qualify a shipper, and ends with an offer to quote one lane. It then covers a voicemail, the email that follows, and the log that turns every call into lane knowledge.

Who to ask for at a shipper

Kenji runs Midland Lane Logistics, a two-person brokerage moving dry-van freight out of the Midwest. His targets are manufacturers and distributors that ship their own product: a transportation manager, a logistics manager, a shipping or traffic manager, or at a small plant, the plant manager or purchasing manager. Titles vary because small shippers rarely have a logistics department. The person who answers "who books our outbound loads?" is the person you want.

The dock-office gatekeeper

The number you have often rings at the shipping desk, and the person who picks up is busy with a truck at the door. Be fast and ask for routing, not for the buyer.

Hi, Kenji with Midland Lane Logistics. Not a pickup, a quick question. Who books your outbound loads, is that you or someone in the office?

If they say "that's Rick in logistics," ask for his extension and the best time. If they say "I do," you have the buyer. If they say "we have a transportation company for that," ask which lanes it covers, since small plants often use one carrier for some lanes and hunt for the rest. Never sound like a pitch. Sound like a person who has a truck to place, because you do.

The 20-second lane opener

Hi Rick, Kenji at Midland Lane Logistics. I'm a licensed broker, MC [your number], and I move dry van mostly Kansas City to Dallas and Kansas City to Memphis. Do you ship anything on those lanes?

Say your MC number early. Shippers get asked for it anyway, and a broker who offers it first sounds like someone with nothing to hide. This one sentence tells Rick who you are, what you move and where. If the answer is no, ask a second lane question before you let go: "Where do most of your loads go?" That answer is gold, even if today's call goes nowhere.

Two questions that qualify a shipper

If Rick says yes, don't pitch. Ask these two, in this order.

About how many loads a week go out on that lane, and how many are on a contracted rate versus whatever you can find that day?

When your regular carrier falls through on a load, what happens, and who gets the call?

The first question sizes the opportunity and shows how much of the freight is already locked up. The second finds the pain. A shipper who can describe the scramble when a carrier no-shows is a shipper who wants a backup. Set your own minimum before you start dialing. Kenji's is two loads a week on a lane he already runs. Below that, he logs the lane and moves on. Above it, he moves to the offer.

The one-lane quote offer

Here's what I'd suggest. Give me one lane and I'll send you a rate within the hour. If it makes sense, try one load. If not, you've lost nothing, and you'll have a second number to compare with what you pay now. What's the lane, and what's the commodity and weight?

Ask for the commodity, weight, pickup city, delivery city and a rough ship date. That is what you need to quote, and writing it down on the call means you can send the rate before lunch. The speed matters because shippers book loads on short notice. Keep the promise: if you say an hour, send it in an hour.

Three replies you will hear

"We have carriers for that." "Good, then you have a rate to compare. Are those carriers covering every load on the lane, or do you ever spot-buy when one is short?" Most shippers spot-buy sometimes. That is where you fit.

"Send me an email." "Sure. So it's the right lane, which one should I put in the subject?" The subject line of the email names the lane, and you have a reason to follow up.

"Who are you with?" "Midland Lane Logistics, I'm the owner. MC [your number], bonded and insured, and I can send the certificate of insurance right now." Have both ready as PDFs before you dial.

Voicemail and the email that follows

Voicemail, 15 seconds: "Rick, Kenji at Midland Lane Logistics, 555-0174. I run dry van Kansas City to Dallas and Memphis and I'd like to quote one of your lanes. I'll email you the details." Then send this within the hour:

Subject: Kansas City to Dallas dry van, a quote on one load

Rick, I left you a message. I broker dry van on Kansas City to Dallas and Memphis. If you send me one load's commodity, weight and pickup date, I'll return a rate within an hour, no obligation. MC [your number]. Kenji Morales, Midland Lane Logistics, 902 Freight St, Kansas City. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.

Include a physical address and a way to opt out; that is what CAN-SPAM requires. Related reading on timing and wording: how to get past the gatekeeper when cold calling, voicemail script for following up with a lead, and how to follow up on a quote for after the rate goes out.

Log the lanes, not just the calls

Keep one row per shipper with these columns: company, contact, lane or lanes, loads a week, commodity, current carrier situation, next call date. After 40 calls, sort by lane. If six shippers mention Kansas City to Atlanta, that is a lane worth building carrier relationships on before you chase more shippers. The calls teach you where the freight is. How to get clients for a courier business covers a similar buyer, and the driver's side of the call is in cold call script for a truck dispatcher service. For a general version, see cold call script for B2B.

Finding shippers by name and following up after each call are the repeatable parts. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. See the AI workers. Answering your existing number is included; a dedicated line is $5 a month. Check the telemarketing rules that apply to you, including the Do Not Call Registry, before you start calling; this article is general information.