Freight Forwarding:

Freight forwarders act as intermediaries between the company that makes the shipment and the final destination for the goods. Although they do not carry out the shipments themselves, they offer different transport modes, such as sea/ocean freight, rail freight, road transport, and air freight.

Freight forwarders use their trusted contacts with carriers and partners from air transport specialists and trucking companies to transoceanic lines to negotiate the best possible price. This may be using established commercial routes with regular frequent departures, or by charter, valuing different offers and choosing the better route that optimizes speed, costs and reliability, considering all the variables necessary for the analysis of each case.

Normally a freight forwarder handles a large volume of shipments, even from one international destination to another, so they are a key part of triangular operations. At least three companies are involved in triangular operations (manufacturer, intermediary, and final customer), each located in different countries, although there is a single delivery of goods and a single transport. This operation is complex from the point of view of the documentation and, above all, tributary to VAT settlement.

Most freight forwarders are Authorized Economic Operators, which enables them to take advantage of simplified customs clearance, especially deferred payment of import duties and charges that might otherwise need to be paid before goods are released.

Functions: