Ports

Shippers Reward Forwarders With Volume Growth for Crisis Performance

Major industrial shippers are directing additional freight to forwarders that perform well during supply chain disruptions, executives said at the Air Cargo Forum in Miami.

Veralto Corp, Lockheed Martin, and GE Vernova representatives said contract performance during capacity constraints directly influences volume allocation decisions at renewal negotiations.

A Veralto logistics director cited one forwarder that protected contracted rates during a China capacity crunch while competitors imposed surcharges. The forwarder offered to honor original pricing on committed volumes while charging premium rates for incremental cargo.

"For the next negotiation, we placed an emphasis on moving as much of our volume to that freight forwarder as we could," the executive said.

GE Vernova indicated strong performers can access additional business outside annual tenders, including spot shipments and project cargo opportunities. Shippers said reliable execution during disruptions carries greater weight than pricing proposals alone.