Every day around the world, things are being shipped from one place to another. Trucks, planes, trains and shops are full of things that people want, but in order for the people to get them, they have to be shipped. It may not seem that difficult. A person or business just needs to have their things picked up and deliver them to another destination. If it really was that simple, there would not be a need for a freight forwarding firm. Fortunately, there are these types of businesses that make sure things get from one place to another. It is time for people to become familiar with how these firms work.
What freight forwarders are not?
There was a time that if you needed something shipped from one place to another, you called a shipping company. The shipping company would dispatch a truck to pick up the items and they would be responsible for delivering it. It was simple and there were few people involved. Thanks to the number of ways to ship things and the need to ship things domestically and internationally, the job is not so simple.
A freight forwarder is not the shipping company of old. They do not have a fleet of trucks, boats, planes and trains to put things onto. They will not send out the driver and the movers to pick everything up. The freight companies do their work a different way.
What do they do?
A freight forwarder instead acts a middle man. They will be the company that is contacted when something needs to be shipped. They will be the company that works out the logistics of getting the products from one place to another. They will determine the best method of shipment that meets the needs of time and expense of the customer. They will figure out what paperwork is needed for the shipment and will deal with any international or domestic shipping rules that are needed.
The freight forwarding company will track the shipment and will make sure that it is going to arrive within the time frame that is expected. They will be able to adjust the shipment when needed. They will make sure any insurance is in place and they will make sure that the shipment will arrive safely. They will also be the ones that will collect the money for the shipment and deliver the money that is owed to the parties that did all of the shipping. They will keep the extra money that is left over once everyone is paid for their work. That is their final goal and why they are in business.