What is a Freight Forwarder?

A freight forwarder is someone who is going to work for importers, exporters, or other companies in order to plan the best, safest, and most efficient way to transport goods and products. They use computer systems to design how the goods are going to be transported, keeping in mind what kind of goods are being shipped and how the customer wants them to be delivered. They can use shipping types like shipping lines, airlines, roads, and rail freight operators to get the products where they need to go. Sometimes, the freight forwarding company may even provide the transportation services themselves.

Freight Forwarding Companies

There are different sizes and types of freight forwarding companies in Australia, it just depends on the specific company. While one company may work on a national or international scale, another company may be more specialised, and therefore smaller. One company may work with a particular kind of products and another company might work with a broad spectrum. To put it simply, freight forwarding companies are extremely varied and no two companies in Australia are exactly the same.

Freight Forwarder’s Responsibilities in Australia

It does depend on how big the company is as well as the type they are, but typically, the responsibilities of a freight forwarder are something along the lines of: 

Analysing and designing how a shipment is going to go, i.e., the route and the method of transportation. They also think about if the product is perishable, or if the transportation method is going to be bad for the goods, as well as the cost, security, and how long it’ll take for the shipping process to be completed.

A freight forwarder is going to make sure the packing is appropriate for the temperature, weight, type of product, cost, terrain, and where the package is going to end up. 

They also work out costs for contracts, transportation, and handling. 

Once they receive the documentation, they will analyse it and prepare other documentation in order to make sure customs, insurance, packing specifications, and any other type of country’s compliance requirements are met. 

Having more than one mode of transportation, such as air, sea, and road. This way, they can offer the most cost-effective options as well as have more secure options for the goods that need it.  

As you can see, a freight forwarder has many duties they must be able to attend to in order to keep their customers happy and their products being shipped efficiently.