Glossary


Terms & Glossaries of Shipping and Trading

Freight Forwarder

A freight forwarder is a person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution.

What is Freight Forwarder?

A freight forwarder is a person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution. Forwarders contract with a carrier or often multiple carriers to move the goods from one country to another.


Key takeaways:

A forwarder does not move the goods but acts as an expert in the logistics network. The carriers can use a variety of shipping modes, including ships, airplanes, trucks, and railroads, and often use multiple modes for a single shipment. For example, the freight forwarder may arrange to have cargo moved from a plant to an airport by truck, flown to the destination city and then moved from the airport to a customer's building by another truck.

International freight forwarders typically handle international shipments and have additional expertise in preparing and processing customs documentation and performing activities pertaining to international shipments.

Information typically reviewed by a freight forwarder includes the commercial invoice, shipper's export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, and/or transshipment.


Freight forwarder Value-added services:

Advice on optimizing transport costs: freight charges, special documentation costs, customs clearance expenses, customs duty

Cargo insurance: advantageous conditions at competitive premiums

Advice for proper packaging, labeling, loading and stowage of merchandise

Reports, custom performance reports and carbon footprint KPIs

Tailored solutions for each project

Supply chain optimization advice on the best means of transport and the best route for a shipment according to origin, nature of the merchandise, destination, seasonality, danger and urgency of the merchandise (air, sea, rail or road)

Customs advice, from the appropriate tariff item for your merchandise to the necessary documents for customs clearance, dedicated storage and logistics services.