There are many freight companies in the market and you need to consider how effective their services are when you are looking to partner with such a company. The quality of service and experience that the freight forwarder provides is essential when it comes to the selection criteria of a freight forwarder.

There can always be something that goes wrong but you need to select a freight broker that has protocols in place to respond to these issues. They should have the right insurance cover so that the value of your products is secured when you work with the freight forwarder. There are also freight forwarders that give insurance as an additional service. So you need to check whether it is included in the initial cost or not. Check the accreditations of the company to get an idea of their professionalism. It is not required for a freight forwarder to have many accreditations but it is another way of assuring their clients that the freight company provides a reliable and professional service. You also need to check how long they have been working in the industry as this will give you an idea of their experience. There should be formal certification to the company and with sufficient experience they will be able to handle issues whenever they occur.

Ask the freight forwarder about the load services they offer. Some of the common services offered by sea freight are less than container load, full container load and roll-on roll-off. Sometimes the quantity of product that you need delivered will not be sufficient to fill the whole container provided. In this case, you need to check whether there is an option to share this space so that you can reduce the cost of the process and reduce time taken for the entire shipping process. Wheeled cargo is recommended for roll-on roll-off load services. You also need to check whether the freight forwarder provides shipping by air and roads in addition to over the sea. It is also best if you can track the cargo so you need to ask whether they provide these facilities.

Different suppliers specialise in different products so you need to ask the freight forwarder whether they are familiar with the type of products that you want transported. This will ensure that the right conditions are maintained when delivering your products and there will be relevant experience to deal with any issues. Generally, a freight forwarder will have their own teams with specialised knowledge to deal with different sectors whether it is retail, e-commerce, food and drink etc. This will give you a point of contact that is reliable and they will be able to make certain recommendations regarding the freight conditions to better preserve the quality of your product. It is important that you consider the network of the freight forwarder when you make a decision as this is what will allow them to provide you with an exemplary service. You need to check their international reach and how it will help you when you are expanding to other markets.

 

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