Frida Academy

A good forwarder starts with questions, not with price. A quote is only as good as the information received at the start.

• The basic questions are: what, how much, from where, to where, when and under what conditions (temperature, ADR, dimensions).
• One Euro pallet measures 120 × 80 cm. For a quote the height also counts, and whether it can be stacked.
• A standard trailer has about 13.6 metres of loading length, so it usually takes 33 Euro pallets.

For part loads you pay for the space occupied. That is why a forwarder thinks of a trailer as a puzzle.

• A loading metre (ldm) is one metre of trailer length across its full width, about 2.4 m.
• A heavy but low load and a light but tall one use a trailer in completely different ways, and the price depends on what limits more: space or weight.
• Non-stackable cargo cannot have another load placed on it, so it "eats" the space above it.

Curtainsider, refrigerated, tipper, low-loader: a good forwarder matches the vehicle to the cargo, not the other way round.

• A refrigerated trailer holds the set temperature but will not cool warm goods. That is why goods must be pre-cooled before loading.
• "Mega" trailers have a taller cargo space, and "jumbo" combinations even more volume, which helps with light, bulky loads.
• Side, rear or top loading often decides the choice of a curtainsider over a closed trailer.

Routes are planned not only by kilometres but also by the rules on driving and rest times.

• In the European Union a driver may as a rule drive no more than 9 hours a day, and twice a week 10.
• After 4.5 hours of driving a break of at least 45 minutes is required.
• Driving time is recorded by the tachograph, so the rules can be checked and breaking them costs money.

In transport, goods travel together with paperwork. A missing document can stop a truck as effectively as a breakdown.

• The CMR consignment note is the basic document in international road transport. Signed on receipt, it confirms the condition of the delivery.
• Notes about damage must be written on the note at receipt, because later it is harder to prove anything.
• In sea and air freight, customs and carrier documents are added, and the forwarder is responsible for their consistency.

An abbreviation of three letters can decide who is responsible for the goods on which leg of the route.

• Incoterms are trade rules of the International Chamber of Commerce. They define the division of costs, risk and obligations between seller and buyer.
• The EXW and DAP rules differ in who organises transport and where the risk passes. The forwarder must know which one applies to the order.
• A misunderstood Incoterm is a common cause of disputes about who was to insure or clear the goods.

ADR, temperature control and oversize cargo are three worlds with their own rules.

• Transport of dangerous goods (ADR) requires, among other things, driver qualifications, vehicle marking and documents. A safety adviser helps with this.
• Oversize cargo needs transit permits and often an escort, so quoting takes longer than usual.
• In refrigerated transport the temperature recorder logs the whole journey and can serve as evidence in a claim.

One order is sometimes several shipments. The forwarder joins them so that the customer sees only one route.

• Sea freight is cheap and slow, air freight fast and more expensive, and road the most flexible. The choice depends on deadline, value and weight of the cargo.
• Containers have standardised dimensions, so they pass from ship to truck and to rail without the goods being reloaded.
• The hardest part of intermodal transport is the interface between stages: terminal, clearance and transfer.

A forwarder sells trust: that they will do what they promised, and that if something goes wrong they will say so first.

• Informing a customer of a delay in advance is usually valued more than quietly hoping that "it will work out".
• Photo documentation from loading and unloading shortens a conversation about damage from hours to minutes.
• Long-term cooperation with a customer or subcontractor starts with a promise kept on the first order.