The AGSL Bill of Lading is a globally recognized, fully compliant shipping document that serves as a contract between the shipper and the carrier. It outlines the cargo details, terms of shipment, and legal ownership, transferring responsibility when goods reach their destination. For freight forwarders, it’s more than just a document, it’s an essential tool that legitimizes cargo and establishes a secure legal framework for international trade.
However, the AGSL B/L goes beyond the standard bill of lading by offering exclusive features to ALFA members, providing significant advantages that enhance your logistics process.
Your benefits for using a House B/L
- More control over the shipment: By using our HBL, you as a freight forwarder maintain more control over your documentation, communication with consignee and shipper, but also release of cargo at destination. Allowing you to act as an intermediary between the actual shipper and the ocean/ air carrier, providing flexibility and control throughout the shipment process. You can retain the original HBL and only release the goods when all the charges have been settled, protecting you from bad debt or unauthorized cargo release, giving you a more powerful tool for payment settlement.
- Better profit margins: as you will act on behalf of the NVOCC carrier, this allows you to set your own freight rates and terms, but also handling, documentation and service fees. As the freight forwarder becomes a contractual carrier, you will manage directly with your customers, empowering you to resolve disputes and claims more effectively and maintain contractual independence.
- No bypassing carriers to your client: This might be one of the most important reason to subscribe as a member and start using our HBL. As the House B/L conceals the identity of the actual carrier and the real freight cost paid by the shipping line, it protects your business relationship and margin with your customers. Which the carrier might otherwise bypass.
Summary
Using our exclusive AGSL bill of lading gives our members strategic edge control, branding, revenue opportunity, confidentiality, and operational flexibility. It transforms them from a passive intermediary into a logistics partner with full visibility and command over the transport chain.