Transport companies or freight forwarder-logisticians, who to order shipping from
When it becomes necessary to ship goods or industrial cargo, the Customer faces the task of finding a shipping contractor, finding the required transport, placing an order and receiving the cargo on time in the right place intact and undamaged. What options does a cargo owner have for finding the necessary transport?
Ask similar trading or manufacturing company partners. Search the Internet for a transport company or freight shipping, and select a contractor from there. Who is the shipping contractor, and who does the customer typically find?
With numerous searches, the cargo owner will predominantly come across freight forwarder company websites, and only rarely the websites of actual transport companies. Freight forwarder and logistics companies are more numerous than direct carriers, and freight forwarders are solely engaged in searching for customers to offer shipping services and earn revenue. Transport companies with their own vehicle fleets are not as responsive or flexible as freight forwarders, who have more options for finding transport.
If a cargo owner contacts a transport company directly, where the transport belongs to the owner himself, in this case the customer understands that the shipping cost will be cheaper than with a freight forwarder. But this is not true! This is a myth! This is a misconception! The needed transport is not always available from a direct carrier exactly where the cargo owner urgently needs it! A transport company only has its own available transport for shipping. What does a freight forwarder company have? Information about dozens of free vehicles already available, or about transport becoming available. Information about where, what quantity, what type of transport will be available for loading in the coming hours... This information allows the freight forwarder company to organize shipping faster. What about shipping costs? For freight forwarders-dispatchers, the cost of cargo delivery is sometimes cheaper than from a direct vehicle owner. The flexibility and variability of a logistics freight forwarder's behavior allows him to find the same carriers but cheaper. This is the essence of a freight forwarder.
Customer and transport company, or cargo owner and private carrier, shipping cargo. Minimal contact, minimal customer support and notification about cargo location, minimal consultations. No time! Vehicle, road, steering wheel!
Cargo owner and freight forwarder company – freight forwarder-logistician, always available, always ready to consult, will report on cargo movement on time. Will warn the customer in advance about cargo arrival at the destination. According to statistics, 80% of all shipping: trucking, maritime, rail and air delivery pass through freight forwarder companies. 20% is the shipping organizer – a direct transport company. Liability is the same according to the code, convention, and the conditions in the shipping contracts.
The website com-stil.com was specially created so that a shipping customer or shipper could find the right shipping contractor. To deliver cargo quickly, alternatively, on time and inexpensively.
To ship cargo, there are two options
- Direct search for a contractor or transport. In the «Transport» section in the transport search, you should select the type of transport and specify the starting and ending points of the route. Depending on your tasks, select a suitable contractor. All available transport requests are in open access. The contact information of carriers and freight forwarders is open. The shipping customer calls themselves and chooses a partner-contractor for the duration of the shipment.
- The customer-shipper adds their cargo themselves, in this case everything is much faster. All contractors, both carriers and freight forwarders, seeing the posted cargo, call, write, offer delivery options and shipping costs. To do this, the customer needs to select «add cargo». Fill in the form with cargo information, about the shipping direction, about the needed transport, specify cargo details. Immediately after posting, the request will be available to all contractors on the site.
To view the contact information of carrier-freight forwarders, registration on the site is required, if you already have an account, log in to your personal account in «My cargo», add new cargo (several requests will attract a contractor faster), raise your request to the top of the list, there is also a quick contractor search button.
Sometimes transport company owners are willing to offer prices below market rates. This happens when transport is traveling in the same direction, or collecting groupage cargo in the same direction, contact the carrier, clarify the possibility of shipping, specify the transport type, do not forget to negotiate, and conclude a shipping contract. Do not provide the loading address until you conclude a shipping contract with the carrier.
Factors affecting shipping costs
The main parameters affecting the cost of cargo shipping:
- Route distance.
- Physical characteristics of the cargo (weight and dimensions).
- The need to provide specialized vehicles, such transport costs more than ordinary, the depreciation of the vehicle is included in the shipping cost.
- Quality of vehicles, good condition of the truck-trailer unit, guarantee of cargo preservation.
- Some specialized cargo trucks and trailers; for example, volumetric truck-trailer units, reefers, lowbeds for oversized cargo transportation, require additional road expenses.
- Requirements for cargo insurance in transit and the cost of material values being transported.
- Companies operating obsolete worn-out transport may ship more cheaply, but the quality of delivery is questionable.
- Presence of CMR liability insurance with the carrier.
Need to ship cargo. Choosing a reliable freight carrier or freight forwarder
Every shipper wants to save on cargo delivery, and every carrier wants to earn more.
But first make sure the contractor is professional!
The experience of a carrier or freight forwarder in the freight market is indicated in registration documents:
- Availability of documentation, license allowing to operate in shipping.
- Quality of offered transport.
- Possibility to provide CMR insurance.
- Check the business reputation of the carrier. You can use recommendations provided by the carrier, or check reviews on the Internet.
- Ask the carrier about shipping via the TIR Carnet, or find out if the carrier is a member of a transport company association.
- Find out if the transport company has all the necessary permits for shipping your specific cargo.
- Get from the carrier the vehicle registration certificate and driver's passport, clarify all contacts.
Several contractors meeting your requirements have called you. Choose safety. Shipping cost is not always the deciding factor. The cargo is worth more than the shipping rate.
On 02.11.2026. In the «transport» section for the direction 46 622 requests from shipping organizers