The Main Content and Business Types of Global Freight Forwarder

Global freight forwarders are professional service providers that help clients handle matters related to the transportation of goods. Acting as intermediaries for clients' cargo shipments, they do not directly perform the transportation operations but instead, serve as a bridge connecting shippers and transport companies.

Global freight forwarder refers to activities that involve handling the transportation, loading, unloading, warehousing, and related formalities such as port entry and pilotage for the consignor, consignee, vessel owners, charterers, or vessel operators, all in the name of the principal.

Contents of Global Freight Forwarder

• Based on your specific needs, global freight forwarders will customize the most suitable logistics solution for you, ensuring efficient and economical delivery of your goods to the destination.

  
  

• Global freight forwarders maintain close cooperation with airlines, shipping companies, and railway departments to choose the most appropriate mode of transport and arrange specific transportation plans.

  
  

• They assist you in completing import and export customs clearance and inspection formalities, ensuring smooth customs passage for your goods. They provide transportation insurance for your goods to reduce risks and offer temporary storage and final delivery services as needed.

  
  

• The existence of global freight forwarders greatly simplifies complex logistics processes, allowing both shippers and consignees to enjoy a more convenient service experience.

  
  

• Global freight forwarders can timely adjust and offer customized logistics solutions based on market demand and changes, ensuring your supply chain remains smooth and unobstructed.

Types of Global Freight Forwarder Services

Air Freight Forwarder

This refers to freight forwarding services that provide air cargo transportation and related services, such as import and export airfreight and domestic airfreight. The greatest advantages of airfreight include timeliness, safety, and broad spatial coverage. However, airfreight rates, capacity, and susceptibility to weather conditions are significant considerations.

Ocean Freight Forwarder

This involves freight forwarding services for waterborne cargo transportation and related services, such as import and export sea freight, less-than-container load (LCL) services, dedicated sea freight lines, domestic sea freight, and bulk carriers. The key advantages of waterway transportation are its low cost, minimal pollution, and economic safety. Waterway transport is particularly suitable for bulk cargo transportation, utilizing natural resources like rivers and seas, which does not waste resources and promotes environmental protection. 

However, it is significantly limited and affected by natural conditions, with routes restricted by the geographical and geological distribution of oceans and rivers, as well as hydrological and meteorological conditions, preventing the arbitrary extension of waterway routes over vast lands.

Land Freight Forwarder

This refers to freight forwarding services for road, rail, and pipeline transport and their related services, such as import and export rail transport, international land transport, and pipeline transport. In land transport, road transport is characterized by high flexibility, short construction periods, low investment, and adaptability to specific conditions with low requirements for receiving station facilities, though it is unsuitable for long-distance transport. Rail transport is marked by large transport capacity, low transport costs, minimal impact from natural conditions, and guaranteed timeliness.