I'm starting to warm up to the idea of being a real-deal holyfield freight agent. I have a few remaining questions to ask.

• What are the main things to avoid when looking at these companies? Should the software/load boards be free to use or do certain companies make you pay extra for those? What type of situations should the back office take care of (payouts, claims should be included I presume? anything else?)
• Commissions - These are all 100% commission roles, correct? I see a posting with a salary range from $36-$500K, for example. I saw another where the range started at $40K. Do any of these companies give you a base to keep yourself afloat or are these just the minimum amounts you can make with the commisions?
• Piggybacking on that, how do the commissions work? I see this is posted at "between 30-65% depending upon preferences". Is that 30-65% of the difference on a lane (e.g. a customer gives me a load paying $800, I book it for $650 with a carrier. Do I get 30-65% of that $150, and what is the pro/con of going 30% or 65%)?
• 1099 Freight Agents - What does a "day in the life of" look like for you? What time do you roll out of bed and start working and what time are you typically done for the day? How much time is spend on cold calls vs booking freight vs quoting lanes for spot customers?
• When you started out, how long did it take before you were able to sufficiently build up your business and started seeing real earnings come in? Did you hire anyone else to help you out?
• What happens if you fall deathly ill or are otherwise incapacitated for a long period of time? Does your business essentially die?

Thanks in advance for all your help on this sub. I really appreciate this place, it's truly been both helpful and hilarious at the same time.