Freight forwarding companies are meticulous about the details of shipments.
Freight forwarders are hired to carry freight using various methods, such as ship or air. Freight forwarders are typically intermediary companies between a client and the shipping company. Freight forwarding companies accept many responsibilities when it comes to handling shipments of goods, including negotiating charges and preparing shipping documents.
Purpose
Freight forwarders are hired primarily for exporting goods. They receive goods to ship and must arrange a method of shipment and must coordinate all aspects of shipping to ensure that the goods arrive at the correct destinations. Freight forwarders must review all paperwork thoroughly for each shipment to ensure its accuracy prior to loading and shipping goods.
Benefits
One unique feature of a freight forwarding company is that it accepts all types of goods to ship, even if the shipments are very small. The freight forwarder combines several different loads of shipments in the same shipment vessel to save money by filling an entire carload or truckload being sent to a particular destination. This helps both the client and the freight forwarding company save money because shipping goods, especially far distances, is typically very expensive.
Responsibilities
A freight forwarder normally ships goods under its own bill of lading. This means that while the goods are in the freight forwarder's possession, they assume responsibility and ownership rights of the goods until they arrive at their destination. The forwarder must complete all necessary shipping and export documents, provide cargo insurance, and file insurance claims when necessary.
Details
Freight forwarders are hired to ship goods according to a client's request. Some clients may request fast delivery of the goods, which often constitutes sending them via air. Other clients may look for more cost effective methods, such as combining loads and sending them via ocean. Other methods of shipment used for domestic transportation are truck or train. Freight forwarders generally specialize in one certain type of shipments, including international shipments, export shipments or domestic shipments.
