Freight forwarders are organizations that handle the whole supply chain’s shipping and logistical arrangements. Transporting goods across national borders may be a complicated procedure when there are so many different parties and processes involved. That’s why a freight forwarder is needed in these kinds of processes.
Experts in worldwide commerce, transport and logistics, freight forwarders are well-versed in the complexities of the sector. As a shipper’s representative, they will handle everything from export documents to international sea shipping rates to customs clearing processes to import duties and taxes to port handling fees, ground transportation and maritime coverage.
When items are exported internationally, several steps must be completed in order for them to reach their final destination. Freight forwarders can therefore access a wide range of logistics service providers across the supply chain.
In this way, they are able to link services across a variety of forms of transportation. Trucking firms, port authorities, global shipping services, customs agents, and marine insurance agencies all around the globe will already be familiar with them.
If your business is dealing with shipping internationally or customs clearance, then choosing a freight forwarder is the right choice for you. However, choosing the right freight forwarder is not a simple thing to do. Here are some of the most important considerations when choosing the right freight forwarders for your company.
Do You Really Need a Freight Forwarder?
Before you can decide which provider to choose, it is a good idea to do a research into your own company and decide whether or not you really need to use a freight forwarder service. Doing this will ensure you before you throw your money to work with a provider.
Once you decide that your company really needs one, then it is time to do another research which is analyzing your needs for the logistics provider. You can do a research on how many volumes that you will be exporting or importing, how do you want it to be shipped or handled, and whether or not you need a warehousing service.
The result of this analysis will determine what kind of provider you need. Every provider has their own capacity for fulfilling your needs. You should check on their resources such as transportation vehicles, warehousing, shipping capacity, and the manpower to see whether they are able to adhere to your needs.
How Experienced and Credible Are They?
The second thing when you have the list of the providers is to check their credentials and experience. The purpose of checking their credentials is to see whether or not they are lawfully legal to operate and to help you with your international freight services. You don’t want to deal with a company with no credibility aren’t you?
Besides credibility, checking their experience is also one of the things that you should do before deciding to work together with the provider. Checking experience is important to see whether they can handle and fulfill your needs. With the right experience, not only are they able to help your international freight needs, but they also can minimize any possibility of trouble that could come along the way.
How Are Their Reviews?
Checking on their past experience with the existing or past customers can help you to see how well they are operating. A good freight forwarder should have a lot of good reviews and they are referred by many to handle stuff such as international freight.
In contrast, a company with less good reviews should give you a red flag and dive deeper to understand those reviews before deciding to work with them. Or you can just skip them from your list.