What is a Freight Forwarder?
A freight forwarding company is a company that takes on the responsibility of the importing and exporting of your cargo. They focus on facilitating the movement of cargo from origin to destination on behalf of the client.
Freight Forwarders offer invaluable knowledge such as advice on export, freight, port and documentation costs. They plan the most efficient route for your cargo, contract insurance on your behalf and handle customs agents to make sure that the goods and documents conform to the appropriate regulations in order to ensure no delays slow the process down.
The Role of a Freight Forwarder
Freight forwarders offer a wide range of services to make the whole process more convenient for the person wanting the goods transported. These services cover most processes from the preparation of transport documents through to freight collection services.
Freight forwarders don’t transport shipments thenselves. Instead, they act as an intermediary between the client and available transportation services. They utilise connections with everyone involved in the transportation process to ensure that it goes smoothly.
This brings us to why you need a freight forwarder.
5 Benefits of Having a Freight Forwarder
1. Convenient Transport of Cargo
Simply put, once you hand the reins over to the freight forwarder, you can pretty much sit back and relax while your cargo gets transported to its desired location.
With a team well versed in logistics as well as an array of well-established relationships with numerous carriers, they are fully equipped to ensure that your goods are taken care of. They also sort out the paperwork for the transport, customs clearance, arranging carriers for your cargo as well as the storage space it will be occupying.
2. Comprehension and Competence
When it comes to transportation, it’s always comforting to know that there is someone on the other end of the phone who has your back.
A professional freight forwarder will offer you a selection of services to ensure a cost-efficient transit of goods. These services could include transport by sea, air, road, rail or a combination of each to align with the timely deadlines your business requires.
They also offer knowledge of some of the more complicated technicalities such as the preparation and presentation of the documents required for the importing and exporting procedure. They reserve the cargo space necessary aboard the transport vehicle and procure all the third-party services that will be required in the packing, storing and transporting as well as handling the customs clearance of the shipment.
Without the assistance of a freight forwarder, you would be required to arrange these procedures on your own. This can be incredibly daunting, and if you’re not familiar with the required steps it could be a very lengthy procedure.
In some cases, things do not necessarily go according to plan. Here’s where a good freight forwarder’s services shine – they’ll be your back up plan when delays or other issues arise. Instead of struggling to resolve these complications by yourself, your freight forwarder will be able to deal with it very easily since they’re experienced in this field.
3. Reduced Cost
Freight forwarders can offer support by making use of relationships with various carriers. This enables them to negotiate competitive prices that will balance affordability with efficiency. They can also leverage large bulks of goods against the costs of transporting the goods seperately.
Over time, the freight forwarder will become more familiar with the needs of your business and will be able to secure value for money.
4. Optimised Route
The freight forwarder will make use of an array of variables to determine the best route for your shipments. The products will be determined by their weight and volume.
Depending on what the cargo is comprised of, a suitable vehicle will be assigned based on the weight capacity, loading times and vehicle speed.
5. Inventory Management
A highly skilled team of inventory management professionals ensure that your cargo remains free from harmful elements and are safely stored until they’re needed.
Freight forwarders will typically document an inventory control process according to your exact requirements. This can be adjusted as the need arises, and with the use of e-commerce, internet and satellite technology, reports can be offered in real-time to track your inventory.
Dedicated Freight is comprised of a highly skilled and experienced team of freight forwarders. Give us a call for your importing and exporting needs and we’ll give you peace of mind.
