Why You Need Freight Forwarding Solutions

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Contrary to popular belief, freight forwarders do not actually transport your goods themselves. Instead, they arrange everything it takes to ship your products like documents, cargo booking, negotiations, insurance, and similar stuff necessary for transporting your items. In simple words, they act as middlemen between you and the carrier responsible for delivering your products.

While you may think that you can just bypass freight forwarding firms and talk with the shipping company yourself, there are actually many reasons you might not want to forgo working with a reliable freight forwarder. The benefits span more than just convenience and cost, and you can learn about them in the following sections.

What is freight forwarding?

By definition, freight forwarding refers to the process of arranging the transport of goods or products from one place to another, typically at an international level. One thing to take note of here is that freight forwarding is a service that shippers (you) can avail of. You are, essentially, letting a professional do the hassle work on your behalf in delivering your products.

6 benefits of working with a freight forwarder

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Defining what freight forwarding is doesn’t really justify why you need it. Instead, understanding how it can help make your business stable and achieve growth would be much more solid. Here are some of the advantages that you can take when working with a reliable freight forwarding firm.

1.   Convenient goods transportation

As mentioned before, the job of a freight forwarder is to handle everything needed to ensure that your goods can get transported to your target location. That being the case, you can save yourself from the arduous process of gathering documentation, clearances, land transportation, and many other hassle tasks.

In fact, some excellent freight forwarders like ZGGShip can provide you with literally every service you need when shipping. These services may include packaging, pickup, customs clearance, warehousing, and other related stuff. Having others do the work for you would be a huge weight off your shoulders.

2.   Letting the professionals do their work

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If you think you are qualified enough to do the entire shipping process yourself, you might have to think again. Freight forwarding requires a vast knowledge of foreign policies concerning freight and shipments, which differ depending on the country. One must also be able to think quickly on their foot as problems like weather issues and human errors are likely to occur.

On the other hand, freight forwarders also possess good connections and the talent for building inter-relations. The strength of the assets they can gather in terms of shipping may also depend on their connections. Thinking back to the topic, you can just trust your freight forwarding partner to do what they’re good at.

3. Lower freight rates

As discussed above, freight forwarders often rely on their connections in the industry. With these and their assets, they can offer you lower freight rates (which means reduced shipping expenses for you) as they negotiate with their counterparts for more economical deals. Plus, they are knowledgeable enough to plan out the shipping route that promises the best efficiency in terms of cost.

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4.   Customs clearance

Your shipment must undergo customs clearance so that it can be delivered to your client. The freight forwarder that you’ll be working with must be able to prepare all necessary documentation to have your shipment cleared. On the other hand, freight forwarders accredited with some special statuses like AEO certification can help make this process faster.

5.   Customized freight transportation plans

The thing about freight forwarding solutions is that every transaction differs. There’s no one-size-fits-all shipment plan that would apply to shippers. Instead, you can tell your freight forwarder all your shipping needs and let them construct and devise a plan that would fit your requirements.

Some common information that you would want to make your freight forwarder aware of include:

• What kind of goods you need to ship
• Where you want to transport your products
• How you want them to deliver it
• Your expected delivery time
• The amount or volume of your cargo
• Add-ons

6.   Additional services

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The services rendered by every company vary and may highly depend on your agreement. It is best to talk with a representative of your freight forwarding partner to get to know their offers in detail. Finding a flexible firm that will try to provide for your needs as much as possible would be your best bet.

Generally, a reliable freight forwarding firm should be able to render you these services:

• Shipment documentation
• Tracking your freight
• Warehousing
• Packaging
• Booking
• Customs clearance
• Freight rate negotiation
• Freight insurance

When looking for a freight forwarder

There are numerous freight forwarding firms that you can find in the industry, and comparing them one by one would honestly be somewhat impossible, not to mention taxing. What you can do instead is try to find a freight forwarder that meets the standards and would work well with your business.

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Check their reputability, license, and credentials

A method to know which ones are excellent is to ask for referrals. Most of the time, the popular firms offer quality services worthy of their fame. Of course, reputation aside, one aspect that you should consider is their credentials. Know if they are licensed to do their work. You can also take a look at their certifications and accreditations.

Know about their experience

Learn about how long they’ve been in the industry and what kinds of products they have transported already. Freight forwarders with extensive experience often have mature networks and strong assets. Also, finding one that has handled products like what you need to transport would be great.

Consider their terms and conditions

A freight forwarder’s terms and conditions when it comes to pricing is also another serious consideration you have to make. You would want to find one that can offer you cost-effective and affordable freight rates, but you don’t want to suffer from surcharges and unseen expenses. A reliable freight forwarder would explain to you their pricing policies clearly firsthand. Of course, keep in mind to prioritize service quality over price.

Conclusion

Using freight forwarding solutions provided by trusted firms is the way to go to ensure that your business can thrive. With a freight forwarder, you can essentially focus more on growing your business as they will be the ones to handle the hassle of transporting your products. Moreover, note that good freight forwarders can provide you with fewer errors, reduced costs, and convenience.