What is freight forwarding?

Freight forwarding, also known as freight shipping, is the process of transporting goods, commodities, or cargo from one destination to another using different modes of transportation such as land, sea, and air. Businesses that want to expand their market often engage in International trading,but this is not possible without the services offered by freight forwarding companies, as they help facilitate the easy movement of freight from one place to another.

Role of freight forwarding companies

As previously mentioned, freight forwarding companies play an important role in the shipment of goods from one place to another. They facilitate the entire shipping process. Freight forwarding companies are very familiar with the rules and regulations of domestic and International trade, and employ agents who handle most of the paperwork and documentation related to the goods.They ensure that the shipment arrives at the final destination without any delay and the goods are properly shipped without any damage.

International shipping and domestic shipping

Freight forwarding companies offer both International shipping services and domestic shipping services. An example of international freight forwarding would be the transportation of freight from the US to Canada and vice versa. An example of domestic freight forwarding would be the transportation of freight that takes place within Canada or the United States itself. Freight services in Canada and the United States are both safe and cost-effective.

Modes Of Transportation

Road transportation

By truck – Road transportation is the most preferred mode of transportation by companies and businesses as there are fewer restrictions. Trucks can be used to transport small shipments between different states of a country and are easier to track and cost less than air and ship transportation. The most significant benefit of transportation through trucks is that it offers door-to-door services to the customer, but.on the other hand it is also extremely susceptible to delays.

By train – Trains are used to transport heavy cargo in bulk quantities over long distances. They follow a fixed schedule and are the most reliable form of transportation as they are less susceptible to delays. Also, they are more environmentally friendly because they require less fuel to operate.

Sea transportation – Ships can carry heavy loads and large containers in bulk quantities. Ship transportation costs less than air transportation as the fuel and maintenance costs of ships are lower than planes, but it takes longer to arrive. Speedy delivery is not possible via ships.

Air transportation – Air transportation is the best method for freight transportation if the freight has to be delivered urgently. This mode of transportation is also ideal if the freight has to cover long distances including overseas. Overnight delivery is possible through planes. They have a fixed schedule, but are quite expensive.;However, the quality of the product remains intact due to very little interference.

Benefits of freight forwarding

There are several benefits of freight forwarding. Some of the benefits of freight forwarding are as follows: –

Trade is an integral part of a company as it’s responsible for determining the success rate of a company. Freight forwarding allows companies to expand their business as well as their market.

The agents employed by the freight forwarding companies make sure that the cargo of a company are safely shipped and delivered to the customer. They ensure that the shipment arrives without any delay.

If required, the agents employed by the freight forwarding company handle all the paperwork and documentation required for customs clearance.