What is a forwarder agent?
Forwarder agents plan and coordinate the movement of goods across international borders on behalf of shippers. Other tasks involved include, but are not limited to: warehouse planning, providing cargo insurance and customs clearance. The forwarder agent includes strategic logistics planning and execution for international cargo movement on behalf of shippers. Specifically, the forwarder agent will perform tasks such as freight negotiation, container tracking, customs documentation, and freight consolidation.
What does the forwarder agent need to do?
1. Shipment Tracking
The forwarder agent uses a transportation management system to maintain transparent visibility at every stage of the cargo voyage.
2. Customs Clearance
This important part of transhipment requires a special permit, a customs brokerage permit. Licensed brokers are the only ones qualified to manage and submit the extensive documentation required to complete the import/export process.
3. Warehousing
Some forwarder agents may have their own warehouses that can be used to store shipper’s merchandise (or parts of it), but in most cases the services your forwarder agent will provide is owned and operated by a conveniently located affiliate storage in the warehouse.
4. Negotiating
Haggling with carriers for cost-effective shipping is not an easy task. The art of this deal entails appealing to the interests of the carrier by balancing the pros and cons of your cargo type, time flexibility, credit status, space/tonnage requirements, etc.
5. Cargo Space Scheduling
Savvy cargo space coordination and scheduling is a more specific part of the forwarder agent’s skill set. If you hire a forwarder agent to manage the logistics, they will have the opportunity to show their strength here. A thoughtful planner is needed to determine whether it is profitable to consolidate cargo, ensure timely sailing, and weigh the viability of inter modal options. Cargo dispatch is the logistics of “logistics”.
6. Consolidated Freight
The forwarder agent may have multiple clients, all of whom need to transport goods that do not require the use of an entire container. LCL (less container load) is a service provided by a service agent in which multiple smaller shipments are booked on the same container. In this case, shipping costs are shared among all participating customers based on the space requirements of the cargo.
7. Provide Cargo Insurance
Forwarder agent can provide you with cargo insurance policy, also known as cargo insurance. Cargo insurance means indemnifying the recipient of the loss in the event that the goods are damaged or stolen in transit.
Conclusion
Overall, The major roles of a clearing and forwarder agent include shipment tracking, customs clearance, warehousing, negotiating with carriers, cargo space scheduling, consolidated freight services, and providing cargo insurance. Visit easyvessel blog for more details related to importer, exporter and freight forwarders.
Faq’s
The major role of a clearing and forwarding agent is to handle customs clearance procedures and logistics operations on behalf of importers and exporters, ensuring smooth and efficient movement of goods across international borders while complying with customs regulations and requirements.
Clearing Agents and Freight Forwarders play distinct roles in international trade. A Freight Forwarder focuses on arranging the transportation of goods across borders, handling logistics, and ensuring smooth movement from one country to another.
A forwarding agent, also known as a freight forwarder or shipping agent, is a professional or company that acts as an intermediary between shippers (exporters or importers) and carriers (such as shipping lines, airlines, or trucking companies) in the transportation of goods. The primary role of a forwarding agent is to arrange and coordinate the logistics and transportation of goods on behalf of their clients.
Reference:
Freight forwarder By Wikipedia [1].
