The year-end holiday season, featuring gift-giving days like Christmas, Hanukah and the Chinese New Year in January –increasingly significant market effects in cosmopolitan South Africa – as well as a maze of public and school holidays to negotiate make it a particularly pressurised time for the unprepared freight clearing and forwarding enterprise. In addition, personnel shortages, particularly in the driver class, due to everyone wanting to take leave, further exacerbate the situation. As reflected in the economy generally, peak seasons also represent a peak in criminal activity, theft in particular, so responsible freight clearing and forwarding companies must beef up security as well as cargo insurance. This, together with a scarcity of service supply brought about by increased short-term demand affects rates costs.
EFFECTIVE FREIGHT CLEARING AND FORWARDING OF YOUR CARGOES: HOW-TO
So what can you, the freight services customer be mindful of, and do, to minimise these factors?
The key is in planning and deadlines. And commissioning a professional, well-connected and experienced freight clearing and forwarding company like Assured Freight Services (Pty) Ltd
Preferably, cargoes destined for shipment shouldn’t be urgent – this will give you and your freight forwarder opportunities to source the best rates and most secure options. Ideally, your freight forwarder has geared up staff-wise for the period and is familiar with trusted transportation options. You can ensure that your clearing documentation is up to scratch and then it is your forwarder’s duty to walk it through a log jammed clearing system as quickly as possible. You should also pay proper attention to planning your freightage, taking into account a pressurised system and increased rates costs.
Freight clearing and forwarding enterprises cannot allow a late shipment during this time as the knock-on effect in wasted man-hours and resources is astronomical so you can be assured, as their name states, that Assured Freight Services will make every possible effort to achieve fulfilment for you. Which should set your mind at ease.
