Freight Forwarding, What is it?

In the logistics industry, there is a special group of freight experts that help facilitate the global movement of goods and a necessary component to the global supply chain. This group, as you might have guessed, is composed of freight forwarding companies that perform highly specialized services in the logistics space. So here’s a quick explanation of who they are, and what they do. 

As mentioned above, freight forwarders are highly specialized freight experts that work to coordinate and organize shipments all across the world. In the most common scenario, the shipper would contact a freight forwarding company about a shipment they want to send. The freight forwarder then utilizes their network to connect to a carrier that will ship the shipment to the shipper’s destination. 

Now you may ask, why don’t the shippers just contact the carrier themselves? The reason why is because freight forwarding companies often work in partnership with the carriers and are thus entitled to preferential rates, which leads to cheaper quotes for the shippers. Moreover, freight forwarding companies also provide additional services that greatly reduce the work a shipper needs to send their shipment. In essence, just know that freight forwarder, due to their expertise, greatly expedite the shipping process for both the carriers and shippers. 

Services Freight Forwarders Provide

The services a freight forwarding company provides vary greatly depending on the company. At the basic level, all freight forwarders are able to perform the base service of organizing and connecting shipments between shippers and carriers. This is a necessary service that all freight forwarding companies will provide. This service can be international or domestic and includes ocean freight transportation, air freight transportation, and inland/ rail transportation.  

However, some freight forwarding companies also provide common additional services like customs brokerage and warehousing. Customs brokerage services make sure that your documents are fully complied with when importing items into a country as different countries have different requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements and regulations will result in delays and fines for your shipments. For warehousing and storage services, the freight forwarder can help you store the shipment until you are ready to send it to or pick it up from terminals. These services are boons that help you avoid additional fees and delays that many shippers face when not utilizing a freight forwarder. 

Why You Need a Freight Forwarder 

So you understand who and what a freight forwarder is as well as what services they offer. How does this apply to you and your shipping needs then? As mentioned before, freight forwarders’ vast network ensures that they are able to provide you with the lowest quotes in an environment of rising freight rates. This means that you are saving on your shipping costs when utilizing a freight forwarding company.

Moreover, if a freight forwarder is able to provide additional services like customs brokerage and warehousing, this will help you save a lot of time and effort on your part as well as decrease the mistakes you make when shipping. These mistakes can cost you a lot of money if not done properly, so a freight forwarder is of great help when it comes to specialized domain knowledge like this. If saving money, time, and effort is not enough for you to utilize a freight forwarder, then what is? 

Now, if you are looking for a freight forwarding company with decades of experience, Grand Forwarding is the right choice for you and can offer you a free quote for your shipping needs. 

Feel free to contact us through our official website, we are confident in meeting all your shipping needs.