A freight forwarder is an agent that organizes the transportation of goods on behalf of shippers. These professionals provide a wide range of services, including the preparation of shipping documents, tracking inland transportation, and warehousing. Freight forwarders also handle freight consolidation, filing cargo insurance, and negotiating freight charges. These professionals use their own bill of lading to transport the cargo from their pickup to drop-off points.
Freight forwarders do not haul the shipment themselves. Instead, they act as middlemen between shippers and hauling companies. The load can be transported via road, rail, air, or cargo ships. Excellent freight forwarding services save shippers from trouble and headaches they would have faced handling everything themselves. This makes them valuable to virtually all companies dealing with local or international transportation. They are even more important when in-house resources lack in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs of efficient cargo shipping.
