Choosing a Freight Company in Chile

They are not all the same thing

• Freight forwarder: organises the whole movement, contracts the carriers, handles documentation and customs. Does not own the ships or planes.
• Carrier: owns the vessel, aircraft or trucks. Moves cargo between points, and nothing else.
• Customs broker: files the customs declarations. Legally required, and sometimes part of the forwarder, sometimes not.
• Courier: handles small parcels door to door on its own network. Simple, and expensive above a few dozen kilos.

Questions that actually reveal the difference

• Do you have your own customs brokerage, or do you subcontract it?
• Is this quote FOB, EXW or CIF, and what is not included in it?
• How many transhipments does this routing have?
• How many free days do I get at destination before demurrage?
• How will I know where my cargo is, and who answers when I ask?
• How long is this rate valid for?

What to verify before you hire

Ask for the customs brokerage certification, check they carry liability cover, and ask to speak to a client shipping on the same lane as you. All three are reasonable requests and all three are cheap to answer honestly.

The one that tells you most is the last. A forwarder who moves your lane weekly knows its quirks; one who does not will learn them with your cargo.

What a cheap quote usually leaves out

• Destination charges, described as "local charges apply"
• Customs clearance, quoted separately later
• Inland trucking from the port to your warehouse
• Insurance, which is not included unless it says so
• A validity date, without which the number means little

Where Segucargo sits

We are a freight forwarder with our own customs brokerage, which is the combination that removes the handover where most time is lost. We quote with every block itemised and a validity date, and the portal exists so that the answer to "where is my cargo" does not depend on someone being at their desk.