Freight forwarding is the transport of freight goods by a freight forwarder to a destination country from its origin country. Freight forwarding only requires one step forward and one step back, also known as “no-touch” shipping.
There are three types of services in the industry: airfreight forwarding, ocean freight forwarding, and overland (truck) transportation. Airfreight forwarding offers fast transit times while ocean freight is more economical in cost but slower with transit times taking weeks or months depending on the distance traveled. Overland transportation provides quick delivery times but at higher costs than air or ocean freight.
A freight forwarding company is one that assists its customers in moving cargo and freight by land, sea, or air to a destination country. In essence, the company has to act as a middleman between shippers and the carrier which is responsible for moving the cargo. An overland forwarding company specializes in these types of shipments while others specialize in air or sea freight.
A freight agent’s job mostly entails assisting its customers with their shipment needs – from finding the right carrier that can take care of your shipment to getting it from point A to point B. It also provides quality control on all aspects of the shipment process by ensuring that it meets conventions and regulations and by monitoring rates on behalf of clients.
Benefits of overland freight forwarding
The benefits of overland freight forwarding are plentiful. If a company chooses this type of shipping, it usually means that the company values the importance of speed and cost efficiency. Some of the benefits of overland freight forwarding are as under:
Flexibility: overland freight forwarding can serve specific needs that air and ocean freight forwarders are not well suited for.
Cost-effectiveness: overland freight is often the cheaper option for shipping in some instances, but it’s also usually quicker than air or ocean.
Stability: In parts of the world where oceans are not a viable transport option, overland is the only way to get goods from one place to another; this makes it a very stable transport option in some areas where other transport options would be riskier and more unstable.
Disadvantages of overland freight forwarding
There are also some disadvantages that are associated with overland freight forwarding as well. Some of the major ones are as follows:
Time-consuming: if the overland journeys include long distances, then this form of freight forwarding can be highly time-consuming.
Traffic delays and breakdowns: delays and breakdowns in traffic can lead to delays in the delivery of the freight as well. Additionally, different countries tend to have different traffic rules, and this also creates issues.
Risk of damage: there is always a high risk that the goods may be damaged over long-distance overland freight forwarding.
Conclusion!
All in all, overland freight forwarding has its own pros as well as cons. Companies should always focus on their customers’ requirements and demands before finalizing which type of freight forwarding they should opt for.