Freight company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freight companies are companies that specialise in the moving (or "forwarding") of freight, or cargo, from one place to another. These companies are divided into several variant sections. For example, international freight forwarders ship goods internationally from country to country, and domestic freight forwarders, ship goods within a single country.
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[edit] General
There are thousands of freight companies in business worldwide, many of which are members of certain organizations. Such organizations include the IATA (International Aviation Transport Association), the BIFA (British International Freight Association), or the FTA (Freight Transport Association) and various or other regional organisations.
[edit] Shipping methods
There are various methods of shipping goods; by air, road, sea, or rail. Some companies offer multi-modal solutions, this means that they offer more than one service, in many cases air and sea and in other cases air, sea, and road.
The best way to determine a shipping method is by evaluating three factors: Time, Cost and Product Characteristics. While shipping by sea could take longer than shipping by air, the latter will always remain more expensive for a given set of shipments. Shipping by Rail could also be complimented by "piggybacking"1 the freight onto a truck so it can be delivered to the receiver.
[edit] Couriers
Courier companies are usually spin-offs from freight forwarders. There are various types of courier companies, such as airfreight courier companies (FedEx, Skynet, Crossflight) or road couriers (Circle Express).
[edit] Logistics brokers
Freight brokers are companies that have access to a library of freight carriers and search for the right availability based on customer specifications. Marketrans Transportation Services Inc., and The Freight Rate Company are two of many examples. These also offer various value-added services that encompass transportation, logistics, and distribution. Typically, freight brokers do not "fingerprint", or touch, the freight. They engage in helping shippers find the best price with the best carrier for any given load.
Other logistics companies include 3rd-Party Logistics Providers. They offer a variety of supply chain and distribution-related practices and techniques in order to improve in-house logistics. The main difference between a traditional freight broker and most 3rd-Party Logistics Providers is that freight brokers do not actually touch (fingerprint) the freight, whereas 3rd-Party Logistics providers often do. This can happen, for example, when the 3rd-Party Logistics company handles outsourced manufacturing and/or warehousing. Such companies include the likes of BAX Global, Shenker Logistics, UPS Logistics Division.
[edit] Freight companies
Some of the most well-known and worldwide companies are United Parcel Service, DHL, and FedEx. Some of these freight companies tend to specialize in certain goods. For example, Activair is the world's largest freight forwarder when it comes to the book industry. Many smaller, Internet freight quote and freight shipping companies are gaining traction in the marketplace. These websites, such as FreightClick, provide customers with the ability to rate shop on-line. This can help shippers of all sizes save time and money moving their freight.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[[*Freight & Shipping Inc.
