What is a Forwarding Agent for International Freight?

If you want to compete in a global markets with your business then the services of a quality forwarding agent to expedite the shipments of your international freight is a crucial part of the game. You will save your valuable time by chosing a right forwarding agent and will find a wide spectrum of carriers to get best rates,fastest speeds, and most secure transportation for your cargo. They will put together a freight quote based on your exact needs including the freight class of your international freight. The work they do for you could only be done within your company by hiring a qualified shipping director with broad knowledge in shipping international freight. That individual would likely end up working through a forwarding agent anyway due to the complexity involved in moving consignments into foreign countries.


Forwarding agents are also called as freight forwarders and sometimes transportation brokers,though the latter it may offer fewer services than a multi-dimensional agent. Those that ship by plane are called air freight forwarders and those that specialize in ocean freight may be known as non-vessel operating common carriers, or NVOCC. When you contact freight forwarders, regardless of the means of transport, to achieve the target,they will work with you to search the correct way to get your international freight. Usually Keeping cost factor at the peak of the priority list when pursuing a freight quote there may be situations where time is of the essence and in those instances they will find the fastest means of moving your international freight to its destination.


Cargo is shipped in standard-size containers, usually 20 foot or 40 foot. While larger loads may fill an entire container you will often find that you have a smaller load to ship. In these instances your forwarding agent will contract the services of Ltl carriers (less than load carriers) that specialize in finding room inside shipment containers that are partially filled. These ltl carriers also work with many transporters and are the best way to find space as quickly as possible. Freight quotes which involves Ltl carriers are among the simplest to process in this global industry.


Following are the details related to international freight shipping that a forwarding agent takes care of it extensively. It starts with the basics - searching the best available Ftl or Ltl carriers to get your cargo to the projected destination in a timely and secure manner. The logistics of moving cargo from a port in New York to one in Hong Kong almost boggles the mind, especially when you factor in the likely need for warehousing, getting the goods to or from the docks, and the lengthy checklist of documentation required to make the process free of glitches. All the details involved in the process will comprehended by a skilled forwarding agent and plug the factors into a freight calculator to in order to get you with an accurate freight quote.

If you are planning to use a freight forwarder for your shipment then you should know that many of them offer a simplified freight calculator on their websites that you can use to plug in information and receive a freight quote almost instantly. These freight calculators takes into account the most important elements of shipping your products including the freight class required. For instance, the best freight forwarders will also handle details related to paperwork (Commercial Invoice, Declaration of Origin, Shipper's Export Declaration) including forms required specifically by the destination country. They will also take care of obtaining the necessary insurance to protect your international freight while securing transportation from the port to the point of sale or distribution.

With the considerable logistics involved as well as the sheer quantity of international freight that moves every day it isn't surprising that over 2 million transportation jobs exist in Europe alone. When you sum up to the list transportation jobs in countries like U.S, Asia,South America and Africa ports, it multiplies that many times over.