For consumers accustomed to clicking a button and having whatever they desire arrive on their doorstep just days or weeks later, even if it’s coming from the other side of the planet, international shipping is a mysterious miracle. At any given time, 6,000 container ships are cruising across the oceans packed with goods and raw materials, and cargo planes fly overhead carrying shipments that just can’t wait. Trying to manage the vast and intricate global supply chain on your own – navigating import and export regulations, customs, taxes, weather, geopolitics, and more – is intimidating and risky. An experienced logistics partner to handle your international shipments is well worth the investment.

Shaker’s international experts stay up to date on the changing regulations and familiarize themselves with the intricacies of customs procedures in different countries, allowing our shippers and buyers to expand their business across borders.

Read on to learn important terminology and ways that an experienced 3PL can help make your international logistics go smoothly and efficiently.

The Language of International Logistics

If you’re an international buyer or shipper, you can rely on a savvy logistics partner to handle most steps of the process, but you’re still legally responsible for filling out complex customs forms. To navigate and properly fill these documents out, you have to understand the plethora of acronyms used in the customs world. Fortunately, Shaker’s international logistics team is backed with years of experience and can walk our customers through each line of documentation, explaining what customs is asking for and where to find the information.

Most countries require similar information for international trade, but sometimes the same information can go by a different name.

The following acronyms are commonly used on customs documents for the United States:

POA: Importers must grant Power of Attorney to the US Customs Broker for their freight to pass clearance
SLI: The Shipper’s Letter of Instruction is a document exporters produce to authorize their logistics partner to act on their behalf. Without this document, a logistics partner can’t legally arrange your international transportation.
EIN: An Employer Identification Number is issued upon request by the IRS to business entities that operate in the United States of America.
HS Code: The Harmonized System Code is a six-digit number that classifies the type of goods being traded.
IOR: The Importer of Record just means the importer or buyer, who is responsible for ensuring that their commodity enters the country legally. Though the buyer is the IOR on paper, Shaker’s team works with our customers to ensure everything is compliant and to help them avoid any delays caused by legal snags.
OGA: This stands for Other Government Agencies, referring to the many government bodies responsible for import and export regulations.

Your Guide Through the World of International Logistics

Our team at Shaker spends hours digging into obscure regulations and requirements for international shipments so that our customers don’t have to. Overlooking anything from a number on a form to an import quota can result in delays that cost shippers and buyers time and money to correct. With an experienced logistics partner like Shaker, you can ensure that all your bases are covered to get your freight across borders without an issue, whether you are importing or exporting.

For example, the US has several import quotas that limit how much of a given product is allowed into the country within a certain period. Anything from brooms to mandarin oranges to Argentinian steel are subject to import quotas, which are dictated by international trade agreements and political tides. A buyer attempting to import outside of the quota window will end up paying higher duty rates or risk the exportation or destruction of their product. A good logistics partner will advise buyers about import timelines, arrange storage for their goods if necessary to wait out a quota, and facilitate reports to the government for compliance purposes.

Compliance and regulations are similarly varied for exports out of the US and require high attention to detail. Exporters have to obtain licenses from government agencies and abide by international trade agreements to avoid potential legal hold-ups. Shaker’s international logistics specialists guide our customers through these processes to avoid costly delays, legal fees, and product losses.

Streamline Your International Logistics with Shaker

Shaker also offers services on both sides of the border to make less work for our customers. Our door-to-door service handles transportation from the pickup location in the country of origin to final delivery in the destination country. If door-to-door isn’t necessary, our door-to-port service ensures your goods make it to the port/airport on time and in good condition to make the international journey.

Shaker uses online tools to seamlessly navigate multiple online portals and electronic compliance forms, so you don’t have to. Our international logistics team will serve as your stand-in international logistics department, saving you time and money for a stress-free experience. International logistics is complex, but a reliable and experienced logistics partner like Shaker will help you ensure everything goes smoothly.

Simplify your international logistics today and let Shaker deliver inventive international solutions.