Serve the Shipper
The freight forwarder undertakes any procedure in the transportation of different goods on behalf of the consignor:
1. With the fastest and most economical transportation method, arrange the appropriate packaging of the goods and choose the transportation route of the goods.
2. Suggest warehousing and distribution to customers.
3. Select a reliable and efficient carrier and be responsible for concluding a contract of carriage.
4. Arrange the weighing and measurement of goods.
5, for cargo insurance.
6, the assembly of goods.
7. Warehousing the goods before shipment or distribution at the destination.
8. Arrange the transportation of the goods to the port, go through customs and related documents, and deliver the goods to the carrier.
9. On behalf of the shipper/importer, pay the freight, customs duties and taxes.
10. Handle any foreign exchange transactions related to the transportation of goods.
11. Obtain various signed bills of lading from the carrier and deliver them to the shipper.
12. Supervise the process of cargo transportation and let the shipper know the whereabouts of the cargo by contacting the carrier and the freight forwarder's foreign agent.
Serve Customs
When a freight forwarder acts as a customs agent for customs formalities regarding import and export of goods, it represents not only his clients but also the customs authorities. In fact, in many countries, he has obtained the permission of these authorities to go through customs formalities and is responsible for the customs. He is responsible for declaring the exact amount, quantity and name of the goods in the documents issued in advance, so that the government does not have any problems in these aspects. suffer loss.
Serve the Carrier
The freight forwarder makes a timely booking with the carrier, negotiates fair and reasonable fees for both the consignor and the carrier, arranges delivery at an appropriate time, and resolves issues such as freight accounts with the carrier in the name of the consignor.
Serve the Airline
A freight forwarder acts as an agent for an airline in the air transport industry. It is designated as the agent of IATA in the rules made by the International Air Transport Association for the purpose of air cargo. In this relationship, it uses the airline's cargo means to serve the cargo owner, and the airline pays a commission. At the same time, as a freight forwarder, it continues to serve the consignor or consignee by providing a service method suitable for air freight.
Serving Liner Companies
The relationship between freight forwarders and liner companies varies with the business. In recent years, the LCL service provided by freight forwarders, that is, the consolidation service of LCL cargo, has established a relationship between them and liner companies and other carriers (such as railways). However, some countries refuse to pay commissions to freight forwarders, so they fight for commissions worldwide.
Provide LCL Service
With the growth of container transportation in international trade, the service of consolidation and consolidation has been introduced. In providing this service, the freight forwarder plays the role of the client. The basic meaning of consolidation and LCL is: to collect small pieces of goods from several consignors from one place of shipment to several consignees of another destination, and use them as a freight forwarder for a whole piece of goods to be sent to the destination. And through it the single-ticket goods are delivered to the consignee.
The freight forwarder issues a bill of lading, that is, a separate bill of lading or other similar receipts are handed over to the consignor of each shipment; the agent at the port of destination of the freight forwarder delivers the original bill of lading to the consignee. The consignee and consignor of LCL do not directly contact the carrier. For the carrier, the freight forwarder is the consignor, and the agent of the freight forwarder at the port of destination is the consignee. Therefore, the carrier issues a full bill of lading or a waybill to the forwarder. If the consignor or consignee has special requirements, the freight forwarder can also engage in pickup and delivery services at the origin and destination, providing door-to-door services.
Multimodal Transport Service
In the role of freight forwarding, a more far-reaching effect of containerization is his involvement in multimodal transport, which is that he acts as the main carrier and undertakes to organize door-to-door cargo transportation through multiple modes of transportation under a single contract . It can negotiate and contract separately with other carriers or other service providers as a party.
However, these distribution contracts do not affect the execution of the multimodal transport contract, that is to say, do not affect the consignor's obligations and his liability for damage and loss during the multimodal transport process.
When a freight forwarder acts as a multi-time intermodal operator, it usually needs to provide a comprehensive "package" service including all transportation and distribution processes, and assume a higher level of responsibility to its customers.
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