If you’re new to the global shipping industry, you may not be aware of why and how it’s significantly dependent on freight forwarder services. However, selecting a good freight forwarding company, also known as a non-vessel operating common carrier, or NVOCC, in short, is the key to the success of your international shipping business.
Choosing an NVOCC that’s not best suited to your budget and requirements can lead to sub-par logistics management and reduce your odds of being present in as many global markets as possible.
In this blog, we’re going to briefly discuss a few critical factors that you’re expected to seriously consider when searching for the best freight forwarder in the vicinity.
3 Key Things to Remember When Trying to Find the Best Freight Forwarder Company
With tens and hundreds of freight forwarders having opened their shop across Canada, finding the right one has become quite a challenging task for many, so to speak. Fortunately, you simply need to focus on 3 variables for identifying the right freight forwarding service provider, namely, experience, network, and services. Now let’s understand each of them in brief.
- Wide and Diverse Experience
The experience of your potential freight forwarder determines how well it can manage standard shipping issues, including though not limited to the following.
- Port shutdowns
- Dockworker strikes
- Customs
- Cargo reroutes
- Warehousing
Admittedly, the more and varied experience a freight forwarding company possesses, the better it’s expected to address the aforementioned kinds of problems, ensuring that your shipments reach their destination as planned and without any hassle.
- Comprehensive Global Network
One of the key responsibilities of your selected freight forwarder is to oversee how your global shipments are managed at where it’s being sent as well as where it’s being received finally, i.e., at both origin and the destination. As global shipping necessarily calls for an impeccable logistics infrastructure, the right freight forwarding company for your business is the one that’s the best network of international shipping partners.
When hunting for an ideal forwarder, make sure that their global connections and international shipping network have a substantial presence in the destination country, where you intend to send the consignments. It’ll essentially help the operational process flow running seamlessly and delivering the fleet of shipments to your clientele in a secure and timely manner.
- An Entire Gamut of Services
When it comes to the business of global shipping, no 2 organizations have identical requirements. Hence, when hiring a freight forwarder, be double-sure that they offer all the services you require.
Your potential NVOCC should ideally be able to provide you with the following set of services.
- Monitoring domestic transportation
- Cargo space reservation
- Preparation of export and import documentation
- Inventory management
- Packing and storage
- Freight charge negotiation
- Customs clearance
- Insurance
- Freight consolidation
(Note: The above list is indicative only.)
Make a point to do your research properly and make yourself thoroughly familiar with all the services offered by the freight forwarder that you’re planning to engage. The potential NVOCC should not just be competent enough to serve your supply chain but also be in a position to help you complete the tedious paperwork involved in the process.
If you need a top freight forwarding provider near you, which you can trust without an iota of doubt, you can consider getting in touch with Welkin Transport.
