Ask three forwarders for a quote on the same shipment and you will get three documents that cannot be compared without rewriting them. One is port to port, one is door to door, one quotes an all-in rate that excludes destination charges. Here is how to normalise them before deciding.
Write down the four segments and mark which are included in each quote.
| Segment | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Origin inland | Is pickup at my supplier included, and how many free loading hours? |
| Origin port | Terminal handling, documentation, export filings, seal |
| Ocean | Base rate plus which surcharges, and for how long is it valid? |
| Destination | Terminal handling, release, deconsolidation, delivery, free days |
A quote missing any of these is not cheaper, it is shorter.
Rate validity, whether the rate is subject to a general rate increase during the validity, and whether space is allocated or simply "subject to availability". A rate that expires before your cargo is ready is a quotation exercise, not a price.
Free days at destination before demurrage and detention start, and whether they are calendar or working days. On lanes where clearance is slow, three extra free days are worth more than a lower ocean rate. The mechanics are in demurrage and detention.
FCL quotes are per container, LCL on weight or measure. Convert an LCL quote to a total for your actual shipment before comparing, using your real chargeable figure rather than the gross weight. If you are unsure which applies, chargeable weight covers it.
Transit time and the number of transshipments, which on air freight comparisons changes the calculation entirely. Whether the forwarder controls the origin or is buying through another agent. Whether there is an owned destination operation or a partner. Whether they run their own consolidations on your lane, which decides how often you sail and who fixes it when a box is rolled.
For Caribbean and Latin American cargo out of Florida, the frequency question decides more than the rate. We run our own Miami consolidations and ocean services, so cut-offs and rollovers are ours to manage.
Rebuild each quote as a single landed number for your shipment, add an allowance for the omissions you identified, then rank by that total. Keep transit time and free days as a second column. The cheapest total with acceptable transit wins, and it is frequently not the quote with the lowest headline rate.
Because they cover different scopes, use different validity periods, and treat surcharges differently. Once normalised the spread narrows sharply.
No. Duty and taxes are assessed by the destination authority and are separate from freight.
A rate bundling the base freight and the carrier surcharges. It usually excludes inland transport and destination release charges unless stated.
Often two to four weeks on contract lanes and as little as a single sailing on the spot market. Check the expiry and the GRI exposure.
Only after normalising scope. A cheap port to port rate with slow clearance and few free days routinely costs more than a complete door to door price.
Want your quotes put on the same basis? Send us what you have and we will benchmark them against the lane.