Freight forwarding · Air & ocean

Freight Forwarding

Ocean, air, customs and the truck at both ends, run from one file by the desk that picks up when a vessel rolls or an entry stalls.

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FCL & LCL

Ocean

YYZ · YVR · YUL

Air gateways

Filed in-house

Customs

Drayage both ends

Inland

Overview

What a freight forwarder actually does

A freight forwarder owns no ships and no aircraft. What it owns is the file. Qeep books the space, files the customs entry, arranges the pull off the pier or the ramp and delivers inland, so an importer deals with one company from the supplier’s door to their own rather than with an ocean carrier, a customs broker, a drayage outfit and a trucking company separately, each holding a different piece of the same shipment and none of them accountable for the date.

How it works

From quote to POD, step by step.

Booking

We take the commercial invoice, packing list and Incoterm, price the lane against current ocean and air rates, and book the space. FCL where the volume justifies a box, LCL where it does not, air when the date will not wait for water.

Origin and documents

Supplier collection, export paperwork and the bill of lading or air waybill. Errors here surface as holds later, so the documents are checked before the freight moves rather than after it lands.

Customs

The entry is filed by our own brokerage against the same file, so the release is lined up with the arrival instead of chased once the container is already accruing demurrage.

Inland and delivery

Drayage off the pier or the rail ramp, transload if the freight has to change equipment, then final delivery. One proof of delivery, one invoice covering the whole move.

Pricing

What drives the rate?

Transparent inputs, not mystery margins. Here’s exactly what goes into a freight forwarding quote.

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Mode

Air costs several times ocean per kilo and lands in days rather than weeks. The choice is a date decision before it is a cost decision.

FCL or LCL

A full container is usually cheaper per cubic metre past roughly half a box. Below that, LCL wins until the handling and deconsolidation time starts to matter.

Chargeable weight

Air and LCL both bill on the greater of actual and volumetric weight. Light, bulky freight pays for the space it occupies.

Port and terminal charges

Terminal handling, documentation and destination charges are real money and are quoted up front, not discovered on the invoice.

Free time

Demurrage and detention start when free time expires. Customs filed early and drayage booked ahead is what keeps that number at zero.

Duty and tariff treatment

Classification, origin and any trade agreement decide the duty. Getting the HS code right is cheaper than amending an entry afterwards.

Frequently asked

Freight Forwarding questions, answered.

What is the difference between a freight forwarder and a freight broker?

A freight broker arranges trucks. A freight forwarder arranges the whole international move: ocean or air space, export and import documents, customs, and the inland legs at both ends. Qeep does both, which is why a container off a vessel in Vancouver and a truck out of Brampton can sit on the same file.

Do you handle customs, or do I need my own broker?

We file it. Customs brokerage is run in-house and against the same file as the freight, so the release is sequenced with the arrival. You are welcome to use your own broker if you already have one.

Can you collect from my supplier overseas?

Yes. On EXW and FOB terms we arrange origin collection, export clearance and the main carriage, then deliver to your door in Canada.

How long does ocean freight from Asia to Canada take?

Transit varies by lane, carrier and season, and port congestion moves it more than distance does. We quote the current schedule at the time of booking rather than a brochure figure.

What does freight forwarding cost?

It depends on mode, volume, lane and timing. Send the commercial invoice, packing list, Incoterm and the date you need it there, and you get a quote with the terminal and destination charges written into it rather than added later.

Where you ship from

Rates and transit times change by market.

What a lane costs and how long it takes depends on the terminals, ramps and crossings at each end. Pick your market for the local detail.

All locations

We run freight forwarding out of every market we cover — Mississauga, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, the United States, Mexico, Asia and Europe. Tell us the origin and destination and we will price the lane.

You may also need

One file. Multiple services. Same team.

Ocean Freight

FCL and LCL worldwide, port to port or full door to door with drayage.

Air Freight

Airport to airport or door to door — standard, express and next flight out.

Customs Brokerage

Entries filed by licensed brokers on both sides — classification, duty, CARM.

Full Container Load (FCL)

A whole container on a fixed sailing, sealed at your supplier.

Less than Container Load (LCL)

A few pallets by sea, paying for your share of the container.

China to Canada

Door to door from China by ocean or air — FCL, LCL and final-mile delivery.

Let’s move it

Have a shipment? Get rates in 10 min.

Tell us the origin, destination and mode. A Qeep specialist replies within 10 minutes with live capacity, lane price, and a transit window you can actually plan around.

Get a quote Talk to a specialist