International Freight Solutions

International freight solutions are necessary for businesses that want to sell their goods around the world. They can include air, sea and road freight services.

In this episode, Rebecca shares a key lesson learned with exporting and importing machinery, infrastructure and project cargo. She also explains the types of essential information clients need to start shipping internationally.

Sea Freight

Ocean freight transport is one of the most common forms of product transportation. It involves moving products via cargo ships that sail through designated sea lanes to their destination country. Compared to air freight or courier services, shipping items via sea freight is usually less expensive for large volumes. Most types of products can be shipped through this mode of transportation with the exception of compressed gases, flammables, toxics and corrosives.

When businesses choose to ship products using this mode of transportation, they typically work with a 3PL that handles all the details for them. A 3PL will collect the goods from their suppliers and move them to the nearest port where they’ll then be shipped to the final consumer. The time frame of the shipment depends on many factors such as the size of the goods, customs clearance at both ends and vessel space availability.

Because shipping goods through ocean freight is a long process, companies must be prepared for delays. A delay in the shipping of a product can cause costly implications for the business and its supply chain. For example, it may lead to lost revenue from delayed shipments or back-to-school or seasonal promotions that require time sensitive delivery schedules.

The logistics industry is highly consolidated with only a handful of major ocean freight carriers holding the majority of capacity. These ocean carriers compete for customers by offering rates based on the shipping lane, commodity and season. Traditionally, international freight solutions organizations would contact each carrier directly for quotes, which required manual effort to source quotes and compare rates.

Air Freight

Air freight is the fastest shipping option and ideal for time sensitive or critical shipments. It can be more cost effective than ocean shipping in many cases, but there are additional expenses like fuel and security surcharges, stops and transfers, terminal fees, customs brokerage, pickup and delivery charges and accessorial fees that need to be factored in.

Characteristics: This option ships your freight as soon as a space becomes available on an aircraft, often at the last minute to meet your deadlines. It is the most expensive form of air cargo, but if you are looking for speed and reliability this is an ideal solution.

This type of shipment shares space on an airplane with other shippers’ cargo for cost efficiency. A large provider with a global network can provide this service at a lower cost than a small one as they have the scale to operate on regular schedules.

This method combines air and ocean shipping to save money on transportation costs, while still providing speed and reliability for time-critical shipments. international freight solutions It is often a better choice than importing or exporting air cargo, as it does not require a port of entry and can reduce transit times by up to 50%. It is also the best option for landlocked countries with unreliable ground transport or long and uncertain border clearance procedures.

Road Freight

The growth in international freight transport has increased the need for a wide range of freight solutions. Sea, air and road freight all play their part in the transportation process, each with their own pros and cons.

Road freight transport is used to carry cargo to or from places where other modes of transport are not available or appropriate. It covers all types of goods, irrespective of their size and is therefore one of the most flexible freight solutions available. Road transport includes all motor vehicles from smaller vans to mega trailers and can be categorised as FTL (Full Truck Load) or LTL (Less Than Truckload).

This form of freight transport offers a number of benefits, notably the door-to-door service it provides. Unlike other shipping methods, which have specific time schedules that must be adhered to, this type of freight transport allows you to deliver your goods to your customers without any hassle or delays.

Miami International Freight Solutions, LLC works with a network of freight companies and line-haul truckers to provide a seamless, reliable and cost-effective way to move your cargo. In addition, MIFS offers customs brokerage services and is an authorized importer of record (AOR). The company is a member of the National Ocean Transportation Board and the American Association of Exporters and Importers. Moreover, it is an approved ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) provider, which helps speed up the US Customs clearance process.

Rail Freight

Rail freight solutions are an option for large shippers that require efficient bulk transportation across long distances. This is a great solution for manufacturers, paper and pulp, construction and building materials, automotive, energy, chemicals and forest products. Since this mode of transportation only travels on railway tracks it is a less expensive, more eco-friendly and faster shipping option than over-the-road (OTR) trucking.

This type of shipping method is also very punctual as transit times are not affected by weather or traffic. Also, rail service providers offer a lot of tracking options for the shipment which is not possible on OTR trucks. This includes live railcar sightings, which can be a valuable tool for the logistics and supply chain team to monitor.

As with any type of transportation service it is important to work with an experienced and dedicated freight transport company. This includes an end to end logistics provider that can manage the complex transportation details while you focus on what makes your business grow. The best freight audit and pay companies can quickly identify any accessorial charges and help you reduce those costs to make sure you only pay for what you need.

In addition, if you are currently handling your own rail service logistics and would like to outsource that function to someone else, look into managed transportation service solutions. These are similar to outsourcing your truckload, intermodal and LTL services and can provide significant savings over running the operations yourself.