For the shipper, the most concerned problem is how to find a reliable agent. Whether the freight forwarder is reliable depends on whether the carrier can reasonably arrange the transportation route and space according to the destination and route of the goods after the shipper delivers the goods to the carrier (i.e. the freight forwarder), so as to transport the goods to the destination safely and quickly.
It is a very complicated work for the carrier to arrange the cargo route reasonably, because the carrier must not only consider its own interests, but also comply with the regulations of the country where the departure station, destination station and transit station are located and relevant carriers. When selecting the cargo transportation route, the carrier shall generally follow the following principles:
1. Flight selection: when the carrier arranges the cargo transportation route, generally, it shall try to select the flight with early transportation time and short route according to the nature of the cargo, avoid circuitous transportation, and minimize the cargo transportation time and transit time. The carrier shall preferentially choose the direct flight of the carrier.
2. Selection of aircraft type: the size of cargo door and the bearing capacity of cargo floor of different aircraft types are different. Therefore, the carrier will select the appropriate aircraft type to arrange the cargo space according to the cargo volume, size and weight. For example, for a 20 ton cargo, the carrier can only choose B747 all cargo aircraft or passenger cargo mixed aircraft. If the dangerous goods are transported by cargo aircraft only, the full cargo aircraft flight shall be selected; If it is a living animal that needs oxygen, the cabin with ventilation equipment shall be selected. For goods requiring transit transportation, the aircraft type of the whole flight shall be considered. If the models of each flight segment are inconsistent, the whole flight class shall be reserved according to the volume, size and weight of the cargo that can be carried by the smallest model in the whole flight. When selecting the transportation route for the goods transferred by the whole container, attention shall be paid to the restrictions on the type, weight and loading of the container by the type of the continuing flight.
3. Selection of transfer station: when selecting the transfer station, the terminal with strong transfer capacity and good reputation is generally selected. Meanwhile, the flight density, flight type, connection time, loading and unloading capacity, equipment conditions of the transfer station and the possible adverse effects on cargo transportation caused by the climate, disaster and epidemic situation in the area where the transfer station is located are also considered.
4. Time selection: in general, in order to leave enough time for departure operation, the carrier selects the flight that takes off three hours after the shipper handles the cargo consignment formalities. There will be differences between different carriers and different terminals. For goods requiring transit transport, the air cargo guide and air passenger transport guide must be consulted to select the route with shorter transport time.
