If you’ve ever wondered what freight is or what a freight forwarder does, then you’ve come to the right place.
At CLA UK we understand that unless you already work within the industry, it can appear to be quite a confusing and complicated process at first, which is why we’ve put together the 5 key things you need to know about freight to get you up to speed – read on to find out more!
1. What is freight?
Freight is a term that is used to describe the bulk transport of goods, usually by truck, ship, aircraft or train. If your business is looking to expand into the world of importing and exporting, then the freight and logistics industry is here to help!
2. What is a freight forwarder?
A freight forwarder is a company that will arrange for the importing and exporting of your goods on your behalf. They act as the middle man between the shipper and the transport services that will take the goods to where they need to go, such as cargo ships, air freight, trucks and even trains.
3. What does a freight forwarder actually do?
First of all it’s important to understand that a freight forwarder will not actually move your goods themselves, but will instead utilise their established relationships with carriers in order to agree the best possible price for you. In addition, they will ensure that speed, cost, and reliability are kept in mind so that the most economic route is chosen too.
4. What are the benefits of using a freight forwarder?
Needless to say that moving goods from one country to another is a big job, and there are lots of components to keep in mind to make sure that everything goes smoothly, such as documentation requirements, transport costs, duty and tax. Freight forwarders are here to handle the whole process for their client, making it as stress free for them as possible!
5. What else should I know?
It’s really important that all paperwork for transporting your goods is completed with the upmost care, which is something that an experienced freight forwarder will certainly be able to help with. This will reduce the risk of your goods not being released from customs or the bank refusing to release your funds if you can’t provide proof that goods have been despatched to your customer – two situations that we’re sure you’d prefer to avoid!
Hopefully you now have a much clearer idea of what freight is, and if you’re thinking of getting into the world of importing and exporting then CLA UK can help! We have 14 years experience in helping customers transport consignments and are committed to making the process of moving goods as hassle free as we can.
To find out more and get a quote, call 0116 2790930 or send an email to sales@cla-uk.com with your enquiry and one of our friendly team will respond within 24 hours. Alternatively, we can call you back within 30 minutes if you prefer – we look forward to hearing from you!