As we define the term, freight forwarding, it is one such term that is used for the transportation of goods at the international level for personal and business use. With the Freight forwarding companies, you can easily coordinate the shipping of goods from one place to another by using freight.
For some of the companies, the whole process of performing freight forwarding is quite intricate. This is quite common if you are not familiar with the process of whole freight shipping. But right through this blog, we will guide you all about the basics of a freight forwarding company and what this platform is all about.
What is a freight forwarder?
A freight forwarding company is accountable for the transportation of goods from one place to another one. They are often specializing in the arrangement of the whole process for their shippers from storage to the shipment of the products. Plus, they are also acting as the intermediary that is between the shipper and the transportation services.
Offer Hassle-free Service of Import and Export
By using the reliable service of freight forwarders, they offer you superior services where the import and export of the goods are carried out. But sometimes the import and export of the goods will make the whole process so much stress. By knowing about the elements of the supply chain, reliable freight forwarders can often assist on all levels. This can be from the packing and warehouse stages towards the customs procedure.
What type of services Freight forwarders can provide?
Professional freight forwarders in USA are responsible for providing the best services in the supply chain process. A few of the notable services are:
- Customs Clearance
- International export & import documentation
- Insurance
- Packing
- Storage
- Inventory management
How freight forwarders are beneficial for your business?
Using the freight forwarding company for the easy transportation of goods can be a lot beneficial for the business in various ways. Through the expertise and knowledge, these freight forwarders will even ensure that your all goods will hence arrive at the correct destination on time and even save you money during the whole process.
If you think that Freight forwarding companies are also responsible for shipping delays, then you are completely wrong with this concept! Delays can happen due to breakdown, bad weather, or unforeseen route changes. But sometimes delays can be a lot frustrating for the company to handle their consumers.
If you want to be the successful one in the business of freight forwarding, then it is important to maintain a healthy and good relationship with your customers. You should be giving them a guarantee that their products or the goods will reach the shipment destination on time and with safety.
Shipping restrictions on Certain Products
Freight forwarding companies even adhere to some strict regulations and will not be carrying with certain goods especially in the sea or air freight. A few of them are:
- Dangerous Goods (including flammable liquid and toxic items)
- Drugs (prescription and recreational)
- Alcohol
- Batteries
- Perishable items (except for those on special express delivery)
- Sharp objects
What are the six key stages of freight forwarding?
The freight forwarding process is generally categorized into 6 main stages discussed:
- Export haulage – the transfer of certain goods from their source to a specific freight forwarder warehouse.
- Export customs clearance – all the goods receive the clearance to hence leave their country of origin.
- Origin handling – the unloading, or inspection, and validation of the cargo are all against its booking documents.
- Import customs clearance – the customs documentation paperwork for your cargo will be all checked by the authorities.
- Destination handling – the handling of the cargo system once it reaches the destination office is including transfer to the import warehouse.
- Import haulage – the system of transferring the cargo from the import warehouse to the final destination.
Reliable and well-established freight forwarders are having a strong networking system where they build powerful relationships and contacts. This will generally help you to get the cargo shipping at the best possible rates. It even makes sure that the goods are reached at the destination promptly.
There are some of freight forwarders, who somehow focus on a specific type of cargo. But some companies do accept a variety of goods. Therefore, it is important to look for the freight forwarding company who is specializing into something which handles all the aspects of shipping. They should be having a vast experience in dealing with cargo similar to yours.
A bit of research of needed before you choose any of the logistics company to make sure that all your goods reaches at the final destination in a timely and cost-effective manner.