What Is The Difference Between A 3PL And A Freight Forwarder?

Posted on May 12, 2020

difference between 3pl and freight forwarderYou know your business relies on getting your freight shipped across the country or around the world. You depend on it and it can’t let you down. If you have been pondering outsourcing your supply chain, you know that you need a firm with experience. Someone needs to be on top of it every moment. In your research, you have probably come across two terms – 3PL and freight forwarder. But, just what is the difference between 3PL and freight forwarder?

The Freight Forwarder

A freight forwarder is a company unto itself that works with you to get your product shipped where it needs to go. They arrange transportation between the factory to the warehouse or the dock. This can get involved as you may need a ship, movers who can unload the product, and others to load your product onto trucks or drive it into warehouses where it waits to be unloaded.

Say that your product is heading for Europe. Your freight forwarder will arrange transport from the warehouse to a location where the cargo will be moved across the Atlantic, to its final destination. All in all, freight forwarding may combine road, marine, rail, and air transport to complete one journey.

A freight forwarder is NOT a shipping company. They are NOT responsible for your product while it’s in transit. A freight forwarder is a “middleman” that arranges transport with various shippers for you. Once your product is where it needs to go, the freight forwarder’s job is over.

Third-Party Logistics (3PL)

Our Quality Warehouse & Distribution company is a 3PL company. Work with us and you will quickly see the difference between a 3PL and a freight forwarder.

You see, a 3PL company handles all or any part of your supply chain functions. Our 3PL company goes a lot further than that. We take care of many functions for our customers every day, including order management, fulfillment, shipping, warehousing, packing, delivery, transporting goods by train, and more.

You have the option to choose which functions to outsource, if any. Or you can select our complete 3PL package for your product deliveries. It’s nice to know that a third-party logistics company like Quality Warehouse saves you money. All of our services are combined into neat contracts that make our services even more cost-effective.

You know how crucial it is to get your product safely to its destination. Have a look at some of the benefits you will reap when you go the 3PL route with Quality Warehouse.

  • Location is everything. You need your product to be shipped or warehoused in an area where there is quick access to rail lines, highways, and shipping close by. Our location in Edison, NJ, includes over 300,000 square feet of warehouse space and 32 loading docks. Our company offers distribution points throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.
  • Weather is never a factor. Trucks can’t make it through because of a blizzard? Road accidents slowing your deliveries down? Road closures have you pulling your hair out? With our 3PL solutions, those worries are history.
  • Third-party logistics will work for you. Our Quality Warehouse operates from the New York and New Jersey piers every day. We are top of the line when it comes to 3PL transportation. This means our rates will top all others.

Now you know the difference between 3PL and a freight forwarder, get on board with our innovative systems and let us do the work for you. You’ll be very glad you did. Contact us for more information.

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