We’ll guide you through some strategies to find the best partner for your air freight shipping program.
Air is one of the most popular modes of domestic and international freight shipping services. It’s flexible, dependable, and with the proper approach, often as cost-efficient as ground or sea transport. However, in order to maximize the value of your air freight program, you’ll need to find a logistics provider with the requisite experience, capabilities, and dedication. Here are a few things you should consider when choosing an air freight partner.
A Variety of Services
An ideal air freight forwarder, or indirect air carrier (IAC), will have experience with a variety of operational services, including multi-vendor order consolidation, inland transport pickup, and delivery services, and customs brokerage. In order to maximize efficiency, partners should be willing to apply recent automated technologies to streamline such tasks. They should also be familiar with local and international regulations to ensure complete compliance with regulations and avoid unnecessary delays and fees.
Certifications
There are a number of certifications that an IAC can attain to maximize the amount of value they’re able to provide for their customers. A TSA certification allows IACs to ship cargo on passenger aircraft, which helps increase cost efficiency and flexibility. IATA-certified IACs are qualified to ship hazardous goods and materials by air. In addition to having more options at their fingertips, these kinds of certifications and partnerships are an indication of trustworthiness, reliability, and experience.
Expertise
Shipping is fraught with unexpected events, from sudden economic instability to last-minute changes to your supply chain. A good logistics partner needs to have years of practical experience under their belt in order to provide day-to-day value, and respond to issues quickly and efficiently if and when they arise. An ideal IAC will also recognize the value in embracing innovative technology and will be able to provide the best solutions for modern shipping needs.
Transparency
In an increasingly competitive and complex shipping environment, speed and visibility have become non-negotiable requirements. Ensure your air freight partner is able to provide easily accessible, accurate information on your shipments — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Proactive Shipment Monitoring
Similarly, your IAC should offer monitoring technology with built-in notifications or, even better, a dedicated account manager that will monitor your shipments and immediately inform you if an issue does arise. This level of proactivity will help you react quickly in order to keep your cargo — and your bottom line — on the right track.
Demonstrated Success
At the end of the day, the definition of a successful shipping program really boils down to two key questions:
1. Do your goods consistently arrive on time?
2. Are they damaged when they reach their destination?
Look for an air freight partner with years of proven success in transporting cargo safely, securely, and efficiently for their clients. Moreover, they should offer clear-cut processes for reporting damages if and when they do occur.
Real Value
When choosing between air freight partners, always opt for long-term value over short-term savings. Well-established, global forwarders will leverage their extensive trading network and market-specific expertise to increase flexibility and customize solutions for their clients. Your partner should be able to adapt their offerings to suit your company’s specific needs and budgetary considerations — not the other way around.
Why Primary Freight
For nearly 20 years, Primary Freight has been committed to providing value and peace of mind to our partners across the globe. Our wide array of air freight services assures your cargo will be delivered securely, on-time, and in the most cost-effective manner possible. Primary’s web-based tools streamline the customer experience, providing easy online access to schedules, bookings, documentation, and cargo tracking.
If you’d like to learn more about our air freight services and our award-winning customer service, contact one of our representatives today at (800)-635-0013.