FIND THE BEST FREIGHT FORWARDER – VITAL WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS EDIT

Vital Worldwide Logistics aims to be the best possible logistics and transportation solutions company.
Every customer’s needs will vary and all businesses have different goals and ambitions.
A freight forwarder that can properly assess your company needs is critical. This will ensure your customers get their shipments on a timely basis.

Vital Worldwide aims to be flexible and creative in creating the proper shipping solutions.  We aim to be specific to our customer’s requirements. We take time to fully understand every aspect of our customer’s shipping and logistics expectations. In this article, we cover some of the things you should consider when selecting a proper freight forwarding partner.

NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL:

Several factors can affect what your company will require when it comes to finding a proper shipping solution.
Everything from the commodity, size, destination, frequency, among many other factors will greatly affect your shipments. Costs, planning, and other considerations are greatly influenced by such factors. A good freight forwarder will ask all the required questions to thoroughly assess the best possible shipping solutions.

It is very common for newer customers to ask very general questions such as: “How much will it cost to ship a car from NY to China?” We are very careful to dig deeper into the specifics of such an inquiry to give a proper response. A general answer can lead to a failure to meet expectations. In this particular question, we would need to know many factors.  Is the car used or new? What is the value of the car? How much protection does the car need when shipping?

DETAILS MATTER:

At Vital Worldwide Logistics, we have shipped high-end cars such as a 2 million dollar Bugatti Veyron to a museum.  We have also shipped used and damaged cars fitting four into a single container. As one can imagine each type of shipment requires a completely different degree of planning, loading requirements, insurance, and many other factors.

What does this mean to your team? Be sure to provide as many details as possible when reaching out to your freight forwarder. The more details the better. Be sure to include specifics such as size, weight, piece count, value, and timeline expectations. If goods are potentially hazardous make sure to provide this information.  Such factors can drastically affect the way the goods are handled as well as the cost. Aways disclose your time restraints, pricing goals, and special handling requirements.  Let your forwarder know so they can provide the best and most accurate solutions.

Are you a new importer or exporter?
If you are new to shipping it makes sense to work with a forwarder such as VWL which has dedicated personnel for each account. Larger forwarders are used to taking on much larger clients.  Such companies already have an established process to handle all their shipments. Their solutions are often generalized and rely on automated processes which do not always work well with smaller and medium company’s needs. Also, you may experience a harder time working with a specific account representative to help with your shipment. Several different departments may need to be spoken to reach simple answers or communicate simple needs.

It is much better to have a dedicated representative that intimately understands the requirements and details of your shipment. It will make for more efficient communication.  Above all give your company peace of mind. At VWL a dedicated representative will handle your account start to finish.

The takeaway: Get to really know your freight forwarder and your account representative. At Vital Worldwide Logistics we like to know our customers on a first name basis. We like to establish long term relationships and not just treat our clients as account numbers only.

PROPER INFORMATION AND EDUCATION

A good forwarder will not just provide the best price. In addition to being competitive in pricing, a good forwarder will seek to explain the terms of your shipment.  Details such as the method of transport available and the pros and cons of each solution will help you make the best decisions. We recommend not just focusing on price.  Although it is important to get competitive rates, rates themselves do not tell the whole picture. For instance, a general forwarder provider may have set rates they give generally to a multitude of customers. But those rates may not have the best transit times, insurance coverage, or safest packing methods.

There may be options that are faster, more efficient, and better insured for a slightly higher price.  Such options may protect your goods and your customer’s interest much better. Ultimately it is up to your team to decide the best option.  In order to do so you need a forwarder that will take the time to present to you all of the options and explain them thoroughly. At Vital Worldwide Logistics we want to ensure that our customers fully understand the scope and details of their shipment so they feel confident in their logistic decisions.

Final Notes: Take your time in knowing your Freight Forwarder. At VWL we love to take the time to truly understand each and every one of our clients. We aim to develop long term relationships and to grow with each of our customers. Please contact us today for all your shipping needs. We look forward to hearing from you!