Don’t worry, we will take care of all the export custom and paperwork for you.

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Delays and/or changes to schedules can happen. Best way to make the cargo ship as quickly as possible is to make sure all paperwork is properly filed before hand, this eases the customs process.

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If you can route from/to a major hub (JFK, LUH, BJS) instead of a smaller airport, this may help to lower your freight rate.

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Of course, if your cargo is chosen for custom exam at destination, please prepare to home charges and delays for getting the cargo.

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Please check with us, they will be able to help you for any destination services.

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We also advise you to check with destination custom prior to shipment departs, just to make sure if there’s any special rule & regulation at destination for certain commodities

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Please let us know your cargo location and we will advise you the closest receiving warehouse.

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As a rule of thumb, maximum normal cargo dimensions: 120x80x60in.

As the weight and size increase so will the cost. If your cargo is oversized or requires special handling, ask us about special rates.

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Just give us all three dimensions and we will calculate the chargeable weight for you or you can download our conversion calculator here.

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When the driver shows up to your site, the first 2 hours are included in your fees. We recommend staffing up and preparing in advance to load the container as quickly as possible to avoid overtime charges.

Tip #2: Prepare Shipping Container Contents for Extremes

Containers are subject to extreme conditions. There are wild swings in temperature and humidity inside the container – they go through the Panama Canal and sometimes around the Cape. Containers are subjected to triple digit heat and humidity to sub-zero temperatures while in storage or in transport.

Tip #3: Carefully Declare ANY Organic Cargo

Plants, Edible Plants, Vegetables and Fruit are all treated differently depending on the origin and destination of the shipment. If customs finds any undeclared organic cargo, the can quarantine your container and charge you daily holding fees.

Tip #4: Properly Insure Your Cargo

Plan for “attrition”. All of the contents don’t always make it all of the time.
There will be some “”attrition”” – containers get inspected, sometimes by unscrupulous dock/deck hands…this isn’t REALLY considered stealing, as the items in transit, technically are the property of the shipping company*. See our blog entry on securing, insuring and properly declaring your container contents to manage risk of inspection, suspicion, mistakes and “”attrition””.

Tip #5: Understand that Freight Forwarding is both an art and a science.

Many companies and handlers are involved in moving your container, here are just a few possible examples: Trucking company(ies) outbound (your door to the port of origin or train yard), Crane Operations transferring container from truck to train, and train to ship. That’s just to get the container to the ship, then the reverse happens on the other side…it’s a REALLY rough ride, even in good weather.

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Another factor is fuel, or what is called the Bunker Fuel factor. This is a floating surcharge that the Carrier’s can change when oil prices rise or fall. It is called the BAF.

Another factor is when the Carrier has increases in costs such as when Terminal costs rise, especially with Unions, congestion problems, etc. Or when the U.S Rail costs increase for similar reasons. This is where the Carriers can add in new surcharges which have happened in the past and eventually get absorbed into the “”all in “” rate quoted.

Most recently the primary reason for rate increases, was a knee jerk response to the tremendous downturn in traffic and volume as a result of the current U.S. recession since ’08. This downturn caused many carriers to lose about 50% of their previous volume and while their costs remained the same or higher, and their revenue all but disappeared, they found themselves the beginning of this year looking at an average of $500, 000,000 in losses per Carrier. So from late ’09 until May of ’10, most Carriers put a large portion of their fleet out of commission off the coast of Singapore. Thereby creating a vessel shortage, or a false space problem. This gave them all excuse to raise their rates again, in order to salvage their businesses. This type of thing is not normal.

See our Blog post about the dramatic rate increases during early 2010 (https://www.universalcargo.com/blog/bid/46390/Freight-Rates-and-Container-Shipping-Costs-up-350-from-China).”

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Freight forwarding services guarantee that products will get to the proper destination by an agreed upon date, and in good condition. The freight forwarding service utilizes established relationships with carriers of all kinds, from air freighters and trucking companies, to rail freighters and ocean liners. Freight forwarding services negotiate the best possible price to move the product along the most economical route by working out various bids and choosing the one that best balances speed, cost and reliability.

A freight forwarding service generally provides one or more estimates to the client along with advisement, when necessary. Considerations that effect price will range from origin and destination to special requirements, such as refrigeration or, for example, transport of potentially hazardous materials. Assuming the client accepts the forwarder’s bid, the freight is readied for shipping. The freight forwarding service then undertakes the responsibility of arranging the transport from point of origin to destination.

One of the many advantages of using freight forwarding is that it handles ancillary services that are a part of the international shipping business. Insurance and customs documentation and clearance are some examples. As a consolidator, a freight forwarding service might also provide Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) documentation, or bills of lading. Warehousing, risk assessment and management, and methods of international payment are also commonly provided to the client by the freight forwarding service.

A good freight forwarding service can save the client untold time and potential headaches while providing reliable transportation of products at competitive rates. A freight forwarding service is an asset to almost any company dealing in international transportation of goods, and is especially helpful when in-house resources are not versed in international shipping procedures.”

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