Guides
Freight knowledge for global trade
Guides on Incoterms, customs clearance, shipping modes and freight documentation, written for shippers and forwarders. Looking for help with your CargoLinked account? Visit the help centre.
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Pillar guides organised by subject
Incoterms
Who pays for transport, insurance, and customs under each International Commercial Term, from EXW through DDP, FOB, CIF, and more.
Customs & Compliance
Step-by-step customs clearance, HS codes, import documentation, and how to avoid delays at the border.
Freight Forwarding
What forwarders do, how to vet partners, NVOCC vs forwarder, and how digital marketplaces change procurement.
Shipping Modes
FCL vs LCL, air freight pricing, transit times, rail freight, and dangerous goods. Choose the right mode.
Freight Costs
How rates are built, BAF/CAF/PSS explained, cargo insurance, and getting comparable forwarder quotes.
Documentation
Commercial invoices, bills of lading, certificates of origin, and the paperwork customs expects.
Cargo Insurance
How marine cargo insurance works, what carrier liability actually covers, and how to choose the right level of protection for your shipment.
Dangerous Goods
Classification, documentation, packing, and carrier requirements for shipping hazardous materials by sea and air.
Containers & Equipment
Choosing the right container or equipment for your cargo: standard boxes, high cubes, reefers, flat racks, open tops, and tanks.
Cold Chain
Shipping perishable and temperature-sensitive cargo without breaking the chain, from reefer setup to monitoring and claims.
Packaging & Handling
How to pack, palletise, secure, and mark cargo so it survives transit and clears biosecurity requirements.
Tracking & Delivery
Following a shipment through its milestones, understanding why dates move, and what to do when cargo is delayed.
Featured guides
Tariff-Rate Quotas Explained: TRQs and Your Duty Bill
A tariff-rate quota is not a quota in the sense most people mean. Nothing is barred from entering. What changes is the duty rate, and getting the timing wrong on a time-sensitive commodity can mean paying substantially more than you planned.
Oversize Load Permits and Pilot Cars Explained
There is no national oversize load permit in the United States. Every state sets its own dimension thresholds, its own escort requirements, and its own process, and a coast-to-coast heavy haul means a separate application to nearly every one of them. Here is how the system actually works.
Pro Forma Invoice in International Trade Explained
A pro forma invoice looks like an invoice but is legally a quotation, and that distinction matters at three separate points: customs entry, a letter of credit, and getting paid. Here is what CBP actually requires when the real invoice is not ready yet, and where treating the two documents as interchangeable causes real delay.
LTL Freight Class and NMFC Explained
Freight class decides what an LTL shipment costs, and it is set by a private industry standard, not a government rule. Since July 2025 most commodities are classed by measured density rather than a fixed lookup, and the system is still being rewritten: a public comment period on the next round of changes closes in days.
Vessel Sharing Agreements and Slot Chartering Explained
Alliance news tells you who is partnering with whom. It rarely explains the mechanism: how carriers legally pool vessels, why a filed agreement gets antitrust immunity, and why the carrier on your bill of lading may not be the one that operated the ship. That last point decides where a cargo claim actually goes.
First Sale for Export: Lowering Your Customs Valuation
When goods move factory to middleman to importer, US customs law lets you pay duty on the earlier, lower price instead of what you actually paid, if you can prove it. Here is how first sale for export actually works, what CBP demands as proof, and why Congress is trying to abolish it this year.
All guides
Tariff-Rate Quotas Explained: TRQs and Your Duty Bill
A tariff-rate quota is not a quota in the sense most people mean. Nothing is barred from entering. What changes is the duty rate, and getting the timing wrong on a time-sensitive commodity can mean paying substantially more than you planned.
Oversize Load Permits and Pilot Cars Explained
There is no national oversize load permit in the United States. Every state sets its own dimension thresholds, its own escort requirements, and its own process, and a coast-to-coast heavy haul means a separate application to nearly every one of them. Here is how the system actually works.
Pro Forma Invoice in International Trade Explained
A pro forma invoice looks like an invoice but is legally a quotation, and that distinction matters at three separate points: customs entry, a letter of credit, and getting paid. Here is what CBP actually requires when the real invoice is not ready yet, and where treating the two documents as interchangeable causes real delay.
LTL Freight Class and NMFC Explained
Freight class decides what an LTL shipment costs, and it is set by a private industry standard, not a government rule. Since July 2025 most commodities are classed by measured density rather than a fixed lookup, and the system is still being rewritten: a public comment period on the next round of changes closes in days.
Vessel Sharing Agreements and Slot Chartering Explained
Alliance news tells you who is partnering with whom. It rarely explains the mechanism: how carriers legally pool vessels, why a filed agreement gets antitrust immunity, and why the carrier on your bill of lading may not be the one that operated the ship. That last point decides where a cargo claim actually goes.
First Sale for Export: Lowering Your Customs Valuation
When goods move factory to middleman to importer, US customs law lets you pay duty on the earlier, lower price instead of what you actually paid, if you can prove it. Here is how first sale for export actually works, what CBP demands as proof, and why Congress is trying to abolish it this year.
RoRo vs Container Shipping for Vehicles and Machinery
RoRo and container shipping are priced differently, measured differently and regulated differently, and the choice is usually decided by height, weight and rating basis rather than by preference. Here are the real deck and door numbers, what the 2026 fire safety and dangerous goods rules actually changed, and the export and import compliance that catches vehicle shippers out.
ATA Carnets and Temporary Imports Explained
An ATA carnet moves goods across a border temporarily without paying duty or posting a local deposit. The rules changed in 2026: digital carnets went live in 30 territories on 1 June, and Mexico now demands pre-registration. Here is what a carnet covers, what it costs, and when it is the wrong tool.
Peak Season Surcharges: When They Apply and How to Budget for Them
Peak season surcharges are not fixed, published fees like most other line items on a freight invoice. Knowing when they typically apply and how they get announced is what lets you budget around them.
Air Freight ULD Types: Which Unit Load Device Fits Your Cargo
Air cargo is built up on unit load devices before it ever reaches the aircraft. Choosing or accepting the wrong ULD type wastes chargeable space and can hold a shipment off a flight entirely.
Consignee, Notify Party and Ultimate Consignee: Who Is Who on a Shipment
A bill of lading names several parties who are not the buyer, and getting one of these fields wrong can hold cargo at destination even when everything else about the shipment is correct.
Minimum Bill of Lading Charges: Weight, Volume and When They Kick In
Every freight rate has a minimum chargeable weight or volume behind it. Small shipments routinely pay for cargo they never actually sent because the minimum was never checked against the real numbers.
Customs Post-Entry Amendments: Fixing a Filing Mistake After the Fact
A wrong value, code, or quantity on a customs entry does not have to become a compliance problem, as long as it is corrected the right way and within the right window.
Breakbulk and Project Cargo: When Your Freight Does Not Fit a Container
Breakbulk and project cargo cover the freight that containers were never designed for: oversized, overweight, or awkwardly shaped loads that need their own stowage plan, not a booking reference.
Free Trade Agreement Certificates of Origin: How to Actually Use Them
A certificate of origin under a free trade agreement only saves duty if the product actually qualifies under the agreement's specific rules of origin, not just because it was made in a member country.
Freight Payment Terms: Prepaid vs Collect and Who Actually Controls the Cargo
Prepaid and collect are not just billing preferences. The choice decides who can release the cargo, who absorbs a rate dispute, and who has leverage if something goes wrong mid-shipment.
Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties: What Importers Actually Pay
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties can add far more to a landed cost than the regular tariff line. Here is what triggers them, how the rates are set, and how to check before you commit to a supplier.
Stretch Wrap, Strapping and Getting a Pallet to Arrive Intact
Most pallets fail the same way: the film never gripped the pallet, so the load slides off the base as one piece. Thickness is not the measure that matters.
Shipper-Owned vs Carrier-Owned Containers (SOC vs COC)
A shipper-owned container stops the detention clock permanently. It also makes the empty your problem, which is the whole calculation.
Pre-Cooling and Loading a Reefer Without Breaking the Chain
The chain usually breaks in the twenty minutes the doors are open. Loading a reefer properly is a sequence, and one step of it is the opposite of intuition.
Marine Pollutants and UN Numbers: Getting Classification Right
Marine pollutant status is an extra label on top of whatever your cargo already is. Plenty of ordinary products qualify, including detergents and paints.
Marine Cargo Insurance Documents: Certificate, Policy, Open Cover
Which insurance document you hold decides whether a bank will pay you. UCP 600 rejects a cover note outright, and that surprises people at the worst moment.
Shipping Fresh Produce: Controlled Atmosphere and Ethylene
Fresh produce is alive in the container. It breathes, it gives off heat and ethylene, and several popular fruits are ruined by being kept too cold.
Limited and Excepted Quantities: When Full DG Rules Do Not Apply
Small quantities in small inner packagings pose less risk, and the regulations recognise it. Two separate regimes exist and they are frequently confused.
How Much Cargo Insurance to Buy: CIF Plus 10 Explained
CIF plus 10 percent is the default sum insured on almost every shipment. It comes from one line in Incoterms, and for some cargo it is materially too low.
High Cube vs Standard: When the Extra Foot Helps
The extra foot of height is nearly free at sea and occasionally impossible on the road. Whether it helps depends on your cargo height and your destination.
Export Crating: When a Box Is Not Enough
Machinery and capital equipment need structure, not cardboard. Crating is also where corrosion protection, desiccant and shock indicators come in.
Segregation and Stowage of Dangerous Goods at Sea
Two containers that are each perfectly safe can be a serious hazard side by side. Segregation is why a dangerous goods booking takes longer and costs more.
Container Damage, Detention and Per Diem: Who Pays
The container is not yours. You are borrowing it, and the charges for holding it or returning it damaged are separate from the freight you agreed.
Cargo Marking and Labelling: What Goes on the Outside
The outside of the box is a document. It routes the cargo, tells handlers how to treat it, and in some cases is a customs requirement in its own right.
What Cargo Insurance Does Not Cover
The exclusions apply to all risks cover just as much as to the narrow clause sets. These are the ones that decline real claims on genuinely damaged cargo.
Active vs Passive Cold Chain Packaging for Air Freight
A powered container and an insulated box solve the same problem differently. The choice turns on duration, value, volume and how much handling risk you can absorb.
Reefer, Flat Rack, Open Top and Tank: Special Equipment
Special equipment is scarcer, dearer and slower to position than a standard box. Here is what each type is actually for and when a standard container will do.
Shipping Lithium Batteries by Air and Sea in 2026
Lithium batteries are the most heavily regulated everyday cargo in freight, and the rules changed on 1 January 2026 for batteries shipped inside equipment.
Pallet Sizes Around the World and How They Fit a Container
A container floor is 2.35m wide, and no common pallet divides into it neatly. Which pallet you use decides how much of the box you actually pay to ship as air.
General Average: Why Another Shipper's Fire Can Cost You
Your cargo is undamaged, the ship is safe, and you still owe money. General average is the oldest rule in shipping and the one that surprises shippers most.
GDP Pharma Shipping: What the Rules Actually Require
GDP is about documented control, not about how cold the box was. Most forwarders who say they are GDP compliant cannot produce what compliance actually requires.
Dunnage, Lashing and Bracing: Securing Cargo for Sea
Cargo at sea is not sitting still. It is being accelerated in three axes for weeks, and restraint has to be designed for that, not for the drive to the port.
The Dangerous Goods Declaration: How to Get It Right
Most dangerous goods declarations are refused for the order of words in the shipping name, not for anything about the cargo. Here is how to complete one properly.
Container Weight Limits, Payload and VGM
A container can legally hold far more than a truck can legally carry it. Loading to the plate figure is how shipments become undeliverable by road.
Cold Chain Data Loggers and Temperature Excursions
An excursion is not automatically a loss. The damage is usually done by whoever decides on the spot to write the shipment off, or to accept it without telling anyone.
Carrier Liability Limits: What You Actually Get Paid
Carriers are liable, but only up to a limit set per kilo or per package. On most cargo that limit pays out a fraction of what the goods were worth.
Reefer Setpoints, Ventilation and Humidity: What to Specify
Most reefer claims trace back to three lines on a booking that nobody filled in properly. Here is what each setting does and what happens when it is wrong.
ISPM 15: Wood Packaging Rules and Why Shipments Get Rejected
The pallet under your cargo is regulated cargo in its own right. Untreated wood gets shipments refused entry, and the piece that fails is usually not the pallet.
Institute Cargo Clauses A, B and C: What Each One Covers
A and C are not the same product at different prices. One covers all risks minus exclusions, the other covers a short list of named perils and nothing else.
The 9 Dangerous Goods Classes, With Everyday Examples
Most dangerous goods problems start with a shipper who did not know their product was regulated. Here are the nine classes and the everyday goods that fall into them.
How to Read a Container Number and CSC Plate
The eleven characters on the side of a container are a checkable code, not a serial number. Here is how to verify one yourself and what the safety plate on the door means.
Air Cargo Security in 2026: ACAS, Screening and Known Consignor Status
Advance data and physical screening are two different regimes, and both changed in the last year. What ACAS requires now, what the EU expects, and six widely repeated claims that the primary sources contradict.
Customs Binding Rulings: How to Get Certainty Before You Ship
A ruling binds CBP to a position on your goods, but only your goods, only if your facts were right, and only until it is revoked.
Customs Valuation: How the Dutiable Value Is Actually Calculated
The six methods, the five additions to the invoice price, and the First Sale rule, which is still alive despite what a lot of guidance implies.
Cargo Securing Inside the Container: The Step Most Shippers Skip
Packing a container is not stacking boxes: weight distribution, void filling and lashing decide whether cargo arrives intact or becomes a claim.
Demurrage and Detention Invoices: The FMC Rules That Let You Refuse to Pay
A US invoice missing any required element eliminates your obligation to pay it, plus the provision that was struck down in 2025 and is still quoted everywhere.
Warehousing and 3PL Pricing: What You Are Actually Paying For
Storage, handling, pick and pack, receiving, and the accessorials that quietly dominate the bill, how to read a 3PL quote properly.
Transloading and Deconsolidation: What Happens to Your Cargo at the Port
Moving cargo from ocean containers into domestic trailers can cut inland cost sharply, or add a handling step you did not need.
International Returns: How Reverse Logistics Actually Works
Returning goods across a border is not shipping in reverse. It is a fresh import, with duty consequences unless you plan for them.
Thailand to USA Shipping: Ports, Modes and Lead Times
Laem Chabang to the US West and East Coasts: what ships, how long it takes, and why Thailand is operationally the easiest China+1 origin.
Europe to USA Shipping: The Transatlantic Freight Guide
Ports, modes and the paperwork that differs from Asia imports, plus why the transatlantic is the one lane where carrier choice really shows.
US Customs Bonds: Single Entry vs Continuous, and How the Amount Is Set
What a bond actually guarantees, the formula behind the number, and why paying high duties does not use it up.
Foreign Trade Zones vs Bonded Warehouses: When Deferring Duty Pays
Both defer duty. Only one allows manufacturing, only one protects you from a rate rise, and recent tariff actions closed the biggest FTZ benefit.
Duty Drawback: How to Reclaim Duty on Goods You Re-Export
Up to 99% of duty back on re-exported or destroyed goods: the deadline nearly every article gets wrong, and which tariffs actually qualify.
Restricted Party Screening: What Exporters and Forwarders Must Check
The lists, the free official tool, why EAR99 does not mean unrestricted, and the ownership rule that blocks companies whose names appear on no list at all.
Rules of Origin: How to Claim Preferential Duty Without Getting It Wrong
Origin is about where goods were made, not where they shipped from. The three tests that confer it, what USMCA and EU claims require, and why enforcement got serious.
Letters of Credit: How Document Discrepancies Delay Your Payment
Banks pay against documents, not goods. The discrepancies that stop payment, and how the shipping paperwork causes most of them.
3PL, Freight Forwarder, Broker or Carrier: Who Does What
Four roles that overlap in marketing and differ completely in liability, assets and what they are actually selling you.
What Your Forwarder's Trading Conditions Actually Say
The standard terms behind every booking: liability caps, time bars, lien clauses and the agent-versus-principal distinction that decides who you can sue.
US Drayage and Chassis: Why the Last 50 Miles Costs So Much
Per diem, chassis splits, dual transactions and appointment systems, the American port-to-door charges that surprise every first-time importer.
Sea-Air Freight: The Middle Option Between Ocean and Air
Roughly half the transit of ocean at a fraction of air freight cost: how sea-air works, the hubs that make it possible, and when it is worth the complexity.
The Best Websites to Find a Freight Forwarder (Ranked by What You Need)
Directories, marketplaces, trade bodies and Alibaba all surface forwarders. Which to use depends on your cargo, your lane, and how much verification you want to do yourself.
The 15 Busiest Container Ports, and Why the Biggest Is Not the Point
Full-year 2025 throughput for the top 15, plus the gateway-versus-transshipment split that decides whether a port matters to your cargo at all.
60 Freight Abbreviations Decoded: The Shipper's Reference
Every acronym you will meet on a quote, booking or invoice, grouped by where it appears: documents, charges, cut-offs and compliance.
Bill of Lading Types Explained: Original, Seaway, Telex and Switch
Which bill of lading releases your cargo, which one controls payment, and the mix-up that leaves containers sitting at destination.
Truck and Trailer Types: Dimensions, Pallet Counts and Weight Limits
European and North American trailer types side by side: internal dimensions, how many pallets fit, and the weight limit that binds first.
Air Cargo ULD Types and Dimensions: A Shipper's Reference
The container and pallet types used in aircraft holds, what fits each aircraft, and why your pallet height decides your air freight cost.
Project Cargo and Out-of-Gauge Shipping: What Changes
When cargo stops fitting a container, everything changes: equipment, pricing, route surveys, lifting plans and lead times.
Temperature-Controlled Freight: 9 Things You Must Specify
Setpoint, ventilation, pre-cooling, cold-chain gaps and data loggers. The details that decide whether reefer cargo arrives sellable.
How to File a Cargo Claim: The Step-by-Step Process
Notice deadlines, the documents you need, what carrier liability actually pays, and the three mistakes that kill a claim before it starts.
9 Freight Forwarder Credentials You Can Check Yourself
Licences, accreditations and memberships: what each one actually proves, which are checkable at source, and why a certificate in a PDF proves nothing.
Export Packaging and Palletisation: The Checklist That Protects Your Cargo and Your Rate
Carton specs, pallet standards, ISPM 15, and the packaging decisions that quietly change what you are charged.
Port-to-Port, Door-to-Door or DDP: What Each Freight Service Level Includes
Five service levels, what each one covers, and the charges that sit outside every single one of them.
China+1 Sourcing: What Shipping Actually Looks Like From 8 Alternative Countries
Eight China+1 countries compared on ports, realistic modes and the freight friction nobody mentions when they pitch you the factory.
Container Types and Dimensions: The Numbers That Decide Your Booking
Internal dimensions, nominal versus usable volume, and the payload limit that is almost never the container's own limit.
22 Free Freight Calculators Every Shipper Should Bookmark
Twenty-two free freight calculators grouped by the job they do: preparing a request, comparing quotes, and controlling costs after booking.
Container Tracking Explained: What the Box Number Can and Cannot Tell You
How container numbers are structured, what the check digit is for, why one container can hold several shipments, and where the real status lives.
How to Track an International Shipment: What Each Number Tells You
Booking number, bill of lading, container number, air waybill, which one to use, where to check it, and why the milestones lag reality.
Do You Need a Customs Broker? Broker vs Forwarder vs Filing Yourself
Three ways to clear customs, what each costs in money and risk, and the cases where self-filing is reasonable, plus the liability that never transfers.
How to Import from China to the USA: The Small Business Playbook
From supplier terms to delivered cargo: registrations, classification, the documents, who files what, and the timeline to plan against for a first China import.
Import Duty from China to the USA: How to Calculate What You Will Pay
Duty from China is now several layers stacked on one entry. How the calculation works, where each rate comes from, and how to estimate before you commit to an order.
Finding a Freight Forwarder on Alibaba: What to Check First
Supplier-arranged freight looks convenient and hides the margin. What you gain and give up, the questions to ask, and when to arrange your own forwarder instead.
Freight Forwarders for Ecommerce and Amazon FBA: What's Different
FBA freight fails on compliance details, not transport: appointment booking, labelling, prep requirements and who is importer of record. What to check before choosing a forwarder.
Where to Find Freight Forwarder Reviews You Can Actually Trust
Freight reviews are thin, gameable and often written by the wrong party. Where the useful signal actually lives, and the reference call that beats any star rating.
How to Find a Freight Forwarder in the USA: A Practical Shortlist Method
A repeatable method for building a shortlist of three: where to search, the FMC and FMCSA licence checks, and the questions that separate lane experience from marketing.
Cheapest International Shipping for Small Business: Courier vs Consolidation vs Freight
Where each channel actually wins by shipment size, the crossover points that decide it, and the six levers that reduce cost without changing provider.
How to Start Shipping Internationally: A First-Timer Checklist
The setup work before your first international shipment (registrations, supplier terms, HS codes and who does what) in the order it needs doing.
International Shipping for Small Business: The Complete US Guide
Your first international shipments, end to end: choosing a mode, the six documents, who clears customs, what it costs, and the mistakes that turn a small shipment expensive.
LTL Freight Quotes: How to Get One, Read It, and Compare It
LTL pricing runs on freight class, density and accessorials, not on a rate per kilo. What drives the number, why quotes get reclassified, and the details that prevent a corrected invoice.
Instant Freight Quotes: What 'Instant' Really Means
Instant rates come from pre-loaded contract pricing on covered lanes. When that is genuinely reliable, the five conditions that break it, and how to tell which you are looking at.
Freight Calculators vs Real Quotes: What Estimates Can and Cannot Tell You
Calculators are exact about arithmetic and silent about markets. What they are genuinely good for, why estimates and quotes diverge, and which tool answers which question.
What Information Do You Need for an Accurate Freight Quote?
The seven fields every forwarder needs, why each one changes the price, and a copy-paste template that gets accurate quotes back on the first reply.
7 Things to Check Before You Book a Freight Quote
A pre-booking checklist for the quote you have already chosen (validity, free time, routing, who holds the contract) before the money and the cargo move.
How to Post a Freight Request Online (and Get Comparable Quotes Back)
Emailing five forwarders gets you five incomparable answers. What to prepare before you post a request, what happens after, and the mistakes that get a request ignored.
Freight glossary
A-Z definitions for bills of lading, Incoterms, customs terms, and logistics jargon
Common freight questions
What is a freight forwarder?
A freight forwarder is a licensed intermediary that arranges international transport on your behalf: booking carriers, preparing documentation, managing customs clearance, and coordinating door-to-door delivery. They typically do not own vessels or aircraft; they use their carrier relationships to move your cargo.
What are Incoterms and why do they matter?
Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) are ICC rules that define who pays for shipping, insurance, and customs, and when risk transfers from seller to buyer. Using the wrong Incoterm (or none at all) is a leading cause of unexpected freight bills and border delays.
What is the difference between FCL and LCL?
FCL (Full Container Load) means you book an entire container for your cargo alone. LCL (Less than Container Load) means your goods share a container with other shippers. FCL is usually cheaper per unit for larger volumes; LCL suits smaller shipments that do not fill a container.
How long does international ocean freight take?
Port-to-port ocean transit varies by trade lane: for example, roughly 14–18 days Asia to US West Coast, 28–35 days Asia to Europe. Door-to-door time adds export preparation, port handling, customs clearance, and final delivery, often 2–3 weeks beyond sailing time.
What documents are required for customs clearance?
Most imports require a commercial invoice, packing list, transport document (bill of lading or air waybill), and customs declaration. Depending on the product and country you may also need a certificate of origin, import licence, or product-specific certificates.
How can I compare freight forwarder quotes fairly?
Request the same Incoterm, origin/destination points, cargo dimensions, and service scope (port-to-port vs door-to-door) from each forwarder. Compare line-item charges including local fees, surcharges, and currency, not headline ocean or air rates alone.
Is cargo insurance included in freight quotes?
Usually not. Carrier liability is limited by international conventions to a fraction of cargo value. All-risk cargo insurance is typically arranged separately. Confirm coverage, exclusions, and insured value before shipping high-value goods.
What is CargoLinked?
CargoLinked is a directory of logistics companies and a freight marketplace. Shippers post structured quote requests, and logistics companies that cover the route respond with comparable quotes, so procurement and shipment updates happen in one place instead of long email chains.
How much does international freight cost?
It depends on mode, volume, lane, and timing, so any single figure would be misleading. Ocean FCL is priced per container, while LCL and air freight are priced on chargeable weight (the greater of actual weight and a volume-derived figure). On top sit surcharges for fuel, terminal handling, and security. The reliable way to find out is to post your shipment details and compare all-in quotes from multiple providers.
Do I need cargo insurance?
In most cases yes. Carrier and forwarder liability is capped by weight rather than by the value of your goods, so for anything valuable the recoverable amount is a small fraction of the loss. Marine cargo insurance covers actual value, usually at 110 percent of invoice. Check whether the policy is all-risks under Institute Cargo Clauses (A) or a restricted named-perils cover.
What is the difference between a freight forwarder and a customs broker?
A freight forwarder arranges the physical movement of goods; a customs broker is licensed to file customs declarations on an importer's behalf. Many forwarders hold brokerage licences and do both, but they are distinct regulated activities. Whoever files the entry, the importer of record remains legally responsible for the accuracy of the declaration.
How do I avoid demurrage and detention charges?
Prepare customs clearance before the vessel arrives, negotiate longer free time at booking rather than paying charges later, arrange collection as soon as the cargo is released, and confirm the empty-return depot can accept the container before you unpack. Demurrage applies while the box sits in the terminal; detention applies once it is out and not yet returned.
Which Incoterm should I choose?
For containerised cargo use FCA, CPT, or CIP rather than the sea-only rules FOB, CFR, and CIF. Beyond that, the choice depends on how much of the journey you want to control and who can practically handle customs at each end. Avoid EXW for cross-border sales, because it requires the buyer to complete export formalities in the seller's country, and avoid DDP unless the seller can act as importer of record.
How long does it take to get freight quotes?
On CargoLinked, logistics companies whose coverage includes your origin or destination country are alerted as soon as your request is published, and they reply with quotes inside the platform. How quickly quotes arrive varies by lane. Complete requests, with packed dimensions, gross weight, Incoterm and a clear commodity description, are easier to price and get fewer follow-up questions than vague enquiries.
Still need help?
Post a freight request for live forwarder quotes, browse the directory, or contact our team.