What does a freight broker do for a shipper?
Freight brokerage services arrange transportation; they do not provide it. Hand a load to a broker and it quotes the shipment, books a motor carrier with the authority and equipment to move it, settles the rate and pickup with that carrier, and stays on the shipment until it is delivered. The carrier’s driver and truck do the hauling. Federal rules define a broker as a person who, for compensation, arranges or offers to arrange the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier (49 CFR 371.2).
For Alvy Logistics customers, those freight broker services come from Accurate Freight Systems LLC, the licensed property broker in our group (USDOT 2237130, MC-572734). It joined the group by acquisition and brought the Valencia warehouse with it. Brokerage is offered in its own name, as 49 CFR 371.7 requires, not in the name of Alvy Logistics.
Broker and carrier: which company is responsible for your load?
| Motor carrier | Freight broker | |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA authority | Motor carrier of property | Broker of property |
| Hauls the freight | Yes, with its own or contracted drivers and trucks | No |
| What it sells | Transportation it performs | Arranging transportation by a carrier |
| In this group | ALVY BROS DELIVERS INC (Alvy Logistics), MC-1341979 | Accurate Freight Systems LLC, MC-572734 |
Both are registered with FMCSA and both are legitimate. What matters to a shipper is knowing which one you are hiring for a given load, because that decides who you contract with and who actually moves the freight. The carrier vs broker vs 3PL guide goes further, including where a 3PL and a logistics broker fit.
Alvy Logistics bought Accurate Freight Systems outright in October 2025, and both companies now work from the same Valencia building, so a brokered lane and a local courier or box truck leg can be quoted together.
How does a brokered load work?
- You send the shipment. Lane, ready date and deadline, pallet or piece count, weight, dimensions, what the freight is, and any liftgate, appointment or inside-delivery needs.
- You get a written quote with the price and accessorials listed, before anything is booked. The broker for the load is Accurate Freight Systems LLC.
- The broker books an authorized motor carrier with the right equipment for the lane.
- The carrier picks up and hauls the load under its own operating authority.
- You deal with the broker, not the carrier. Questions and changes on the shipment run through Accurate Freight Systems LLC until delivery.
Brokerage covers LTL shipments and full truckload lanes that leave Southern California.
Can a freight broker own trucks?
A company can hold both kinds of authority, but not under one registration. Federal law says a broker may not provide transportation as a motor carrier unless it has registered separately as one (49 U.S.C. 13904(d)). Our group keeps the two roles in separate companies. Accurate Freight Systems LLC is the broker. ALVY BROS DELIVERS INC, trading as Alvy Logistics, is the motor carrier, and it does not own trucks either: it hauls with a network of vetted independent-contractor drivers.
So not every shipment needs a broker. Inside Southern California, Alvy Logistics hauls freight itself by 20 to 26 ft box truck, from $200 for the first 20 miles. Some shipments use both companies: Alvy Logistics collects pallets around Los Angeles, they are held at the Valencia warehouse to be consolidated or cross-docked, and the broker arranges the outbound lane. You can ask which company is responsible for each part.
How much does a freight broker charge per load?
Brokers usually quote one all-in price per load that covers the carrier’s rate and the broker’s margin, plus accessorials such as a liftgate or a delivery appointment. Accurate Freight Systems LLC prices each shipment on its lane, weight, equipment and timing, with every charge on the written quote. Federal rules also require a broker to keep a record of each shipment, including the carrier used and the compensation it received, and every party to the shipment has the right to review it (49 CFR 371.3). Send the lane details for a written quote before anything is booked.
How do you choose among freight brokerage companies?
Check any broker before you tender a load. It takes a few minutes:
- Look it up on FMCSA SAFER by USDOT or MC number. The entity type should read BROKER, and the operating authority status should read “AUTHORIZED FOR Broker of Property”.
- Check the financial security. Every broker must keep $75,000 of financial security, a surety bond or a trust fund, on file with FMCSA (49 CFR 387.307). The licensing and insurance record linked from the SAFER snapshot shows what is on file. Accurate Freight Systems LLC has the federally required $75,000 broker security on file.
- Match the name. Ask which company is handling the shipment, and check that name against the registered name on SAFER.
- Ask who is hauling. Ask for the carrier on your load and check its authority too.
- Get it in writing. Price, accessorials and pickup details on a written quote before the truck is booked.
Our two numbers to try: USDOT 2237130 for the broker and USDOT 3443448 for the carrier.
Freight brokers near Los Angeles
If you searched for freight brokers near me from the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Fernando Valley or north Los Angeles County, Accurate Freight Systems LLC is registered with FMCSA at the same Valencia address as Alvy Logistics, on the I-5 about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles. When you ask for a brokered freight quote, mention the details that trip up long-distance quotes, such as a storefront pickup with no dock or an appointment-only receiver. Request a written quote or call (661) 344-8766, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Pacific.
