Freight Forwarders: A Complete Guide For 2024

What is freight forwarding?
Freight forwarding is the service most importers and exporters use to arrange freight shipments. Forwarders are licensed experts who understand how the end-to-end shipping process works and can get it done on your behalf. Think of them as travel agents for freight – and like travel agents they come in many shapes and sizes.

Some are essentially trucking companies or trucking brokers and are not involved in international shipping. Some specialize as ocean or as air forwarders. Smaller forwarders typically limit their reach to a few popular countries where they have a working relationship with local logistics providers. At the other end of the scale, larger forwarders offer global shipping services.

Freight forwarding services

Here’s a shortlist of the services that freight forwarders provide so you can book your next shipment with confidence:

Prepare all the paperwork, make the bookings, and arrange payments required for each sector of the shipment that they are responsible for.
Act on your behalf with numerous other parties involved in the shipment, air cargo carriers, any other logistics providers involved in the shipment, and trucking companies.
Provide a customs brokerage service – that is they are both a clearing and forwarding agent and may act on your behalf with customs agents.
Troubleshooting if any issues arrive with the shipment.
When it comes to hiring a forwarder, here’s what you should expect:

When you first make a booking, they will explain what you need to know, for instance on key freight documents and on how the shipment will progress. They are the experts and should be able to help you with anything else that you’d like to know about freight.
Where required, discuss a range of freight shipping options and give advice.
As the shipment progresses, you should be kept informed, especially if at any point the shipment faces a risk of delay.