Our calendar has room not only to highlight dates related to popular events such as Mother’s Day, Independence Day or Easter Monday – you can find World Hippo Day, Singles’ Day or Postman’s Day, among others.
The forwarding sector also has its place in the calendar – on May 23, we celebrate Forwarder‘s Day.
Freight forwarder… well, that’s right… everyone is aware of the functioning of such a profession, everyone has met the concept of freight forwarding and more or less knows what sector of activity it belongs to. More or less… But how many of us know what a freight forwarder really does?
“Hm… it’s someone who works with transportation,” “He probably manages transportation and orders drivers where to go…”, “He’s kind of a manager of truck drivers?”. – these are the answers we got from people asked what a freight forwarder is. More or less. Such less than more, right?
Who is a freight forwarder?
What does the person who performs this after all popular profession, present in the consciousness of the average person, do? Theoretically, everyone knows what forwarding is – practically, however, this knowledge is possessed by few.
We can assume the division of forwarders into two groups – not valuing, because here there are no “better” and “worse”, both groups must work together efficiently to achieve the goals intended in their work.
Forwarding employees employed by the carrier
What do forwarding employees employed by a carrier do? Mainly searching for loads for the company’s vehicles, and such that the transport is profitable. Day after day there is loading and unloading of a certain number of cars – loads must be prepared in calculated quantities, everything must go smoothly, without costly delays and confusion. The role of the freight forwarder is to properly prepare the loads and plan the route. Sound simple? Not if you take into account traffic obstructions (traffic jams!), weather conditions and the human factor (drivers get sick, take unexpected compassionate leave, etc.) – the heart palpitations of many a freight forwarder have taken place when beautifully made plans lay in ruins for any of the aforementioned reasons. And these are unpredictable factors, so, as you can guess, work in freight forwarding is dynamic and full of unexpected twists and turns.
Freight forwarding workers employed in shipping companies
All right, but then what does the second group of forwarding workers do? These are people employed directly by shipping companies, focusing on cargo trading.
Their main task is simply to sell the cargo in question… later it is enough to “only” get it to its destination and, of course, earn money on the whole transaction. This is a job focused on the customer, his satisfaction and satisfaction are the most important, because they pay off in earnings, and the forwarder here is often settled on a commission basis. The freight forwarder must ensure positive relations with the company’s customers, on top of that, of course, keep an eye on loads and follow the route, reacting to any impediments and delays in deliveries.
The nature of the freight forwarder’s work
It doesn’t all sound like office work with a quiet cup of coffee, does it? Instead of coffee, freight forwarders would often benefit from a solid mug of brewed lemon balm, because in this profession the adrenaline level is such that there is no need for additional blood pressure… and information about a loading delay is able to put the most sleepy person on his feet in a few seconds.
It should be remembered that impediments on the route can happen at any time, including when the shipper is off work and the driver calls him, whether during his family meeting or a date at the cinema – this phone call should be answered and immediate response, action.
So we are creating a picture of an extremely dynamic occupation, requiring flexibility and availability, working under time pressure, with the need to maintain good relations with a whole staff of other people, from fleet drivers to our customers and partner company employees. It’s an occupation for people who love adrenaline and challenges, for whom “putting out more fires” is the driving force behind the action.
Now, would you be able to answer the question, what does a freight forwarder really do? We hope that we have given you a little insight into this issue.
And on the upcoming Forwarder’s Day, our dear specialists in “firefighting”, moderate levels of adrenaline on a daily basis, patient and contactable drivers, no obstructions on the routes and good loads are wished by the team of LCL Spedition. At the same time thanking you for your hard work, knowing that you are one of the most important links in the entire logistic chain, we wish you all the best on your holiday.
