Freight forwarders play a very important role in managing your supply chain and you may already be using a freight broker or you may be on the fence about using one. In this article, we will introduce you to the importance of freight brokers and give you five recommended freight forwarding companies.

Freight forwarders entrust the goods entrusted by the client, through the designated transport route, from one place to another, freight forwarders are agents for transport companies (sea, land, and air) to receive and transport goods, solicit goods, and thus play an important role in the completion of the trade between the owner and the customer to connect the company.

You should focus your limited time on what you do best, so why not let professionals handle cargo transportation for you? A freight broker will help you handle cargo transportation in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Shipping is what freight brokers do best, so use their knowledge to your advantage. Freight brokers also have the resources and technology necessary to provide you with visibility and reporting capabilities in the supply chain.

A freight broker can handle the uncertainty and change in your business. If you experience seasonal, dry spells or explosive growth, a broker has the ability to work with you regardless of your transportation patterns. It’s their job to make sure you have capacity when you need it, so you don’t have to worry about any irregularities in your shipping volume.

Freight brokers have a large network of carriers, which is beneficial to shippers. The number and quality of connections that freight brokers have will definitely give you buying power and lower your shipping costs. More connections also mean more capacity. At times, trucks are very hard to come by, so having someone with numerous connections in your transportation pool is a great and valuable asset.

This is really one of the most important reasons to use a freight broker. If they are a trustworthy broker, their goal is to work with you as a partner. The definition of a partnership is one in which both parties benefit from the partnership. A freight broker works for and on your behalf, so your success is important to them. As your business grows, you will have more business/product to pass on to your broker to ship, which is a win-win situation for both parties.

The main types of freight forwarders are Consulting freight forwarders, Low-cost freight forwarding, Online freight forwarders, and Global freight forwarders.

Based on the main responsibilities of these four types of freight forwarders, find the best freight forwarder for your company.

When working with many global freight forwarders, this means that the freight forwarder has a very good team around the world. This immediately builds trust in the eyes of the freight forwarders who need it. If you find such a partner, you will have reliable international freight management.

Some freight forwarders are more specialized, while others offer everything, including the need for a freight forwarder. It is important for you to find out if they offer the type of transportation where your cargo moves most often. Some offer mainly the management of sea cargo, while others include air, road, etc.

In addition, you need to research other information about the freight forwarder. For example, whether they have international insurance, whether they handle the transportation of dangerous goods, non-perishable goods, etc. Describe the main criteria and check whether the chosen freight forwarder meets them.

The second thing you should do is analyze the whole experience of that freight forwarder. Find out which companies he has worked with, what he has achieved in the past, what his mission and values are, etc.

Find out the size of the company and whether you can rely on the services of that freight forwarder at any given time. There are some companies that are too busy and can cause interruptions in the shipment of goods.

Since you probably have a lot of relationships with logistics companies, you may want to ask them if they have gone through the process of finding a freight forwarder. Person-to-person recommendations are a fairly reliable way to find quality freight forwarding services. However, this is a very responsible activity and your freight forwarder must have the necessary experience and knowledge to properly handle any situation that arises.

Find out where and when logistics events are near you and are sure to visit them. Usually, these logistics companies involved in such projects are large specialists in the field and are ready to contact all interested parties. This is a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with different freight forwarders and to ask them all the questions you are interested in. Here you will find your future agent for managing international cargo.

In this article, I have described why and how to find a freight forwarder, now I’m sure you know the importance of freight forwarding, Honest Fulphilment offers excellent 2PL and 3PL services, contact us now!

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