Brokers and carriers got together for a special, invitation-only dinner at the annual conference of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) in Nashville in November. Several hundred carriers attended this year's conference that held educational sessions covering contemporary subjects such as per diem pay, driver recruitment and the new training requirements as well as a software demonstration.

Brokers planning to attend were invited in advance to an exclusive broker/carrier dinner with attendance limited to 25 brokers and 25 carriers. The dinner was a venue for discussion on several topics including the creation of a model contract for carriers and brokers, fuel surcharges and accessorial charges.

The dinner brought up a major carrier complaint that stemmed from encounters with brokers who do not pay fuel surcharges. One broker pointed out that to prevent any misunderstanding, such issues should be arranged prior to the handling of any load by the carrier.

This heated discussion ended with a recommendation that carriers utilize the list of NASTC's Best Brokers to avoid such problems.

NASTC Marketing Director Bill Morris reported that “We are in process of completely revising our web site for the Members Only section, which will list our Best Brokers in 2005.”

Details - www.nastc.com