Freight Forwarder Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of a Freight Forwarder includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Investigating and planning the most appropriate route for a shipment, taking account of the perishable or hazardous nature of the goods, cost, transit time and security;
- Acting as a consultant in customs matters;
- Maintaining current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations and other factors that could affect the movement of freight.
- Offering consolidation services by air, sea and road, ensuring cost-effective and secure solutions to small shippers who have insufficient cargo to require their own dedicated units;
- Liaising with third parties to move goods (by road, rail, air or sea) in accordance with customer requirements;
- Arranging appropriate packing, taking account of climate, terrain, weight, nature of goods and cost, and the delivery and warehousing of goods at their final destination;
- Negotiating contracts, transportation and handling costs;
- Obtaining, checking and preparing documentation to meet customs and insurance requirements, packing specifications, and compliance with overseas countries’ regulations and fiscal regimes;
- Acting as broker in customs negotiations worldwide to guide the freight efficiently through complex procedures;
- Arranging payment of freight and other charges or collection of payment on behalf of the client;
- Utilising e-commerce, internet technology and satellite systems to enable real-time tracking of goods;
- Dealing with special arrangements for transporting delicate cargoes, such as livestock, food and medical supplies;
- Arranging courier and specialist hand-carry services;
- Arranging insurance and assisting the client in the event of a claim;
- Working closely with customers, colleagues and third parties to ensure smooth operations to deadlines;
- Maintaining communication and control through all phases of the journey, including the production of management reports and statistical and unit cost analysis;
- Arranging air transport for urgent and high-value freight and managing the risk door to door;
- Arranging charters for large volume, out-of-gauge or project movements by air and sea;
- Offering tailored IT solutions and electronic data interchange (EDI) connections;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Freight Forwarder duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Freight Forwarder roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.