Transport Modes¶
Every shipment starts with a transport mode decision — and each mode has its own workflow, forms, and business checkpoints. This documentation group guides ops staff and booking officers through each mode from shipment creation to closure, covering both export and import directions.
Choose the mode that fits the shipment:
Sea Freight FCL — Full Container Load. Use when: the customer has enough cargo to fill one or more 20GP/40HC containers and prioritizes lower cost over transit time.
Sea Freight LCL — Less than Container Load. Use when: cargo does not fill a full container, the customer can accept the additional CFS consolidation step, or the customer needs to minimize minimum order inventory.
Air Freight Direct — Full air freight consignment. Use when: cargo is time-sensitive, high-value, or perishable and cannot go by sea.
Air Freight LCAF — Less-than-Charter Air Freight consolidation. Use when: the shipment is small and needs speed but the cost of a full charter is too high.
Road Freight — Domestic or cross-border trucking. Use when: cargo is for border trade or as a trucking leg within a multimodal chain.
If you are unsure, ask sales about the Incoterms and the customer's lead time requirement — those two pieces of information determine the optimal mode.
Recommended reading order¶
If you are implementing Freight for the first time, start with Sea Freight FCL. This is the most foundational flow: it includes booking, container tracking, VGM, documents, and profitability.
If the company handles a large volume of LCL cargo, continue with Sea Freight LCL to understand house/master relationships and CFS.
If customers have short lead time requirements, read Air Freight Direct then Air Freight LCAF.
If there are domestic routes or border crossings, read Road Freight last to compare with the sea/air flows.