How to choose a reliable freight forwarder? Check out everything you need to know to make sure you will find a good logistics partner.

We know that transportation is a crucial area for any company. With that in mind, we want you to choose the ideal partner to work for you, with the goal to deliver your cargo with safety and on time.

However, the logistics industry and freight forwarders are growing day by day, especially because of the globalization. With the market growth, how to be sure you are dealing with a reliable freight forwarder?

The biggest point of attention is that, with market growth, new professionals are appearing on a daily basis to work in the area. But, in the midst of this increasing number of new agents, there are those that have none or little experience, who decided to venture in the profession with not much knowledge or structure.

And the freight forwarding business is a complex area, that requires a lot of understanding of the market and knowledge. Because of that, studies show that most of these young professionals are out of the market after five years for failure or lack of experience.

But with so many options, how to choose a reliable freight forwarder? How to be sure of doing a good partnership? As freight forwarders experts, we know exactly how to make this choice, so we prepared a guide to make sure you will find a good logistics partner.

How to find a reliable freight forwarder

Research, research, research

With all that in mind, we can say that choosing a reliable freight forwarding company for your business requires a lot of research. Basically, it is the agent’s responsibility to ensure that your goods reach their final destination safely, with quality and on time.

So, the first step should be getting the most number of information you can about the company. Knowing how long it operates in the cargo market can give you an idea of their expertise in the area. Also, check if the company offers the modals you’ll need.

On Twig Logistics Network platform, you can find out all you need to know about our members: presentation, pictures, services provided, and years of experience.

Take a look at its financial strength

Good advice is to always check if the freight forwarder company is financially stable. You may be asking why, because you are the paying party in the process. Let’s say you made your payment to your partner, but then you find out your cargo has not been released because your forwarder couldn’t pay the carrier.

Something like that can cause you trouble, like the delay of your cargo release, accumulate charges, problems with your final client, and others.

Another important point you should check is the history of the global freight forwarder. With that in hand, you can know if they have already had payment problems with another freight forwarder, or issues with other companies.

Evaluate the level of commitment and transparency

A reliable freight forwarder is the one that will always make an effort to satisfy all the client’s needs. Also, they will always show that they are committed to doing a good job. Besides, it’s really important that your partnership is based on mutual respect and transparency.

Get references from other clients

The best way to know if you’re choosing a reliable freight forwarder is by listening to what other clients have to say about them. Seek their opinions, search for reviews about the company on the internet, check their history and credibility.

This step is important for any type of service or product, not only in the logistics market. For that, Twig Logistics Network is a great tool, because a big part of its network is made up by members that were indicated by other members.

Verify team quality

A good freight forwarder company should have good and experienced professionals that know the market, and, especially, technology and logistics. That’s why you should always try to know the people that work in the company: if they have specialists, what kind of training they have, expertises.

A qualified team is almost always a good indicator that you are making a partnership with a reliable freight forwarder.

A few extra tips to find a reliable freight forwarder

Participate in a Logistics Network

If you participate in Twig Logistics Network, for instance, you don’t have to worry about any of the points above. Our international freight forwarder network team makes all the research necessary to make sure the new members are actually good and reliable freight forwarders. As we have a quality control methodology, we only accept the best freight forwarders, so you don’t have to be afraid to have a bad experience with any of our freight forwarder network members.

Attend a Logistics Network Meeting

In order to meet as many freight forwarders as you can, you must attend logistics network meetings. At these events, you will not only meet freight forwarders during 1on1 meetings, but you will also participate in social events with them. This brings you closer and makes you really know that person more than the company. This kind of relationship makes you know for sure if you want to exchange business with that professional.

The Twig Logistics Network’s annual conference – Twig Talk – is a good opportunity to meet good agents. The event gathers attendees from all over the world and includes the perfect structure to make business as well as have fun! We are preparing the next edition of Twig Talk, but you can check more details of previous Twig’s conferences here.

Apart from choosing the right partners for your business, there are other things you can do to increase your profit. To know more about what you can do, download the free eBook “Practical Guide to Boost your Sales” and find out some useful strategies. With them, you can have incredible sales performance in the logistics market.

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