Freight forwarding
A freight forwarder arranges the movement of goods across borders — booking space, preparing transport and customs documentation, and coordinating the parties involved. This page covers forwarding as a whole; the transport-mode pages cover air, sea and road in detail.
TCSA reviews your enquiry and helps identify suitable member providers. The appointed provider confirms the scope and quotation.
What this covers
Businesses moving goods regularly without a logistics function, exporters entering a new trade lane, and importers whose current forwarder cannot cover a route, mode or volume.
Movement planning
Route, mode and transit-time options for the goods, including the cost and lead-time trade-offs between them.
Booking and documentation
Space booking, transport documents and the paperwork the movement requires.
Multi-leg coordination
Movements involving more than one mode, including the handover points between them.
Shipment visibility
Milestone tracking from collection to delivery, with exceptions raised as they occur.
Who performs the work: A member forwarder. TCSA reviews the requirement, identifies forwarders whose lanes and modes match it, and makes the introduction. The forwarder confirms rates, transit times and terms directly.
Limits: TCSA does not carry the goods or issue the transport contract. The forwarder does that, and their trading terms apply to the movement.
How membership and accreditation differInformation to have ready
None of this is required to send an enquiry. It helps us confirm the appropriate route and the scope faster.
- Collection and delivery locations
- Goods description, weight and dimensions
- Preferred or required transport mode
- Required delivery dates
- Whether the goods are hazardous, temperature-controlled or high-value
- Whether customs clearance is also needed
What happens next
The same four steps apply whatever the service. Timings are agreed with you rather than promised up front.
- 01
Requirement
You set out the goods, the lane and the timing.
- 02
Matching
TCSA identifies member forwarders covering that lane and mode.
- 03
Rates
The forwarder confirms rates, routing and transit times, with any surcharges itemised.
- 04
Movement
The shipment is booked and tracked against the agreed plan.
What affects the price
Freight charges vary with weight, volume, mode, route and season. Surcharges such as fuel, security and peak-season charges are itemised in the quotation rather than included in a headline rate.
Submitting the enquiry is free. The service itself is quoted before any work begins.
The provider who delivers the work sets its own rates. TCSA does not set them.
Where this is available
Confirmed for the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Lane availability is confirmed during review.
Availability on a specific lane, site or regime is confirmed during review.
Who handles the work
Member forwarders are matched on lane experience, mode capability and the handling requirements of the goods. Membership status is verified against TCSA records before an introduction.
Membership of TCSA is not a statutory licence, and neither membership nor accreditation guarantees the performance of any provider. Scope and charges are agreed with you before work begins.
Questions about this service
Related services
Air freight
Air freight moves goods quickly at a cost that is charged mainly by chargeable weight — the greater of actual and volumetric weight. It suits time-critical shipments, high-value goods and cargo that cannot travel by sea.
Sea freight
Sea freight carries the majority of international trade by volume. It is the most economical option for large or heavy consignments, with a transit time measured in weeks rather than days, and with a choice between full containers and shared space.
Road freight
Road freight covers the movement of goods by trailer, including cross-border road movements within Europe and inland legs at either end of an air or sea shipment. It suits palletised goods on predictable corridors.
The process
How an enquiry works
Find customs, freight and trade services through TCSA. Tell us what you need and we will review your enquiry, connect you with suitable member providers, or confirm whether TCSA can deliver the service directly. Submitting an enquiry does not book work or accept a quotation, and does not guarantee that a provider is available.
- 01
Choose a service and tell us what you need
Pick the service that fits and describe the requirement. It takes a couple of minutes.
- 02
TCSA reviews the requirement
We confirm the appropriate next step: a member provider, a TCSA-delivered service, or a managed sourcing process.
- 03
The agreed route responds
Suitable member providers or the TCSA team respond according to the route you agreed to.
- 04
You decide whether to proceed
Review the scope, the provider and the pricing before committing to anything.
Membership
What members get on services
You do not need to be a member to enquire. Membership changes the rate you pay and the way opportunities are routed to you as a provider.
For buyers
- Preferential rates on eligible services, confirmed with your quotation.
- Eligibility checked against your membership record, not a self-declaration.
- One enquiry route covering customs, freight, compliance and inspections.
For member providers
- Enquiries matched to your stated services, countries and language capability.
- Only enquiries you are assigned to are visible to you, in the Member Portal.
- Your details are shared only where the customer has permitted it.
Buying a service has no bearing on accreditation. Accreditation is assessed separately against published criteria.