Given the tight labour market and the challenges many companies face in finding suitable employees, investing in knowledge and training will be crucial in the coming years.
FORWARD Belgium has developed various best practices aimed at the profession of freight forwarder and customs representative.
In these toolkits, we consider the essential basic knowledge needed to get started and stay in our sector.
We focus on sector-specific recommendations, practical guidelines on how your operational staff can best deal with problems in the logistics chain, tips to increase compliance and limit your risks, use of model templates and standard contracts, etc.
FORWARD Belgium provides the sector with essential basic knowledge in the form of practical in-house toolkits.
In this toolkit, we and your employees will consider the current logistical and legal challenges in the relationship with your various logistical partners (shipping companies, terminals, transporters, etc.). We will discuss the most common problems and offer a number of practical recommendations that you can use every day.
We also focus on the importance of the legal capacity of the freight forwarder and the use of the general Belgian forwarding conditions. We go over some basic customs concepts; the points of attention regarding insurance, the increased non-fiscal obligations such as CBAM, EUDR, the FORWARD reporting centre for suspicious shipments, etc.
Shippers and logistics service providers who outsource their customs formalities are increasingly considered to be a ‘customs intermediary’ with their own responsibilities. The argument that customs formalities are outsourced to a professional customs representative no longer holds true to avoid all customs-technical responsibilities.
In this Toolkit, a practical expert discusses the necessary basic practical knowledge of customs and the risks associated with it. The way in which the forwarder and customs representative work together is also discussed in detail. Other topics include:
- The process of screening and accepting customers.
- Checks by the freight forwarder on his client's goods flows; value; origin.
- Control system for customs declarations made by customs representatives..
- Training and professional competence.
In this toolkit, we explain to the forwarder's client the role of the forwarder in the logistics chain, what can and cannot be expected of them, what the obligations of the client and the forwarder are, and how the forwarder ensures that the logistics chain runs optimally.
We will consider the current logistical and legal challenges (the relationship with the various logistical partners and the most common problems that arise; the legal capacity of the forwarding agent and what exactly he is responsible for; the general Belgian forwarding conditions; some basic customs concepts; the FORWARD reporting centre for suspicious shipments, etc.).
We will examine these elements from the point of view of the shipper, focussing on the freight forwarder. A better understanding will not only increase the efficiency of the logistical processes, but will also contribute to better customer service and higher customer satisfaction.
Target group Toolkit 1 and 2
Target group Toolkit 3
Member of FORWARD Belgium? Benefit from special rates:
For employees working under Joint Industrial Committee 226 (employees in international trade, transport and logistics), you can apply for a subsidy for this training course from the LOGOS training fund. Check the LOGOS website for the regulations. For more information, please contact us via:
The contribution amounts to 20 euros per person per effective training hour.
If you would like more information or to book in-house guidance, please contactthe FORWARD Belgium secretariat.
In a sector where finding suitable staff is a challenge, your company can make a difference by investing in knowledge and training. For many years, FORWARD Belgium has been offering in-house coaching based on various FORWARD Best Practices, tailored to the roles of freight forwarders and customs agents. This knowledge is now also available online via two practical e-learning courses.
This course offers a broad introduction to the profession of freight forwarder and covers the key operational, legal and compliance challenges that freight forwarders face on a daily basis.
Topics
Does your company outsource all or part of its customs formalities to an external customs agent? Or are you a customs professional looking to strengthen your basic knowledge? Then this practical online training course is exactly what you need.
You will gain a clear overview of the key considerations in the collaboration between freight forwarder, importer/exporter and customs representative. You will learn which responsibilities lie with each party and how you can mitigate risks through proper agreements and procedures.
Topics such as customer screening, authorisations, the declaration mandate, the customs declaration itself, archiving and numerous practical tips and tricks are covered in detail.
This training course will not only help you to better understand the collaboration with your customs agent, but also to correctly fulfil your own role and responsibilities within the customs process.
Topics
Who is it for?
These e-learning courses are suitable for:
These courses provide a solid foundation for any employee working in the freight forwarding and logistics sector.
Flexible, accessible and practical
The courses are taken individually using a personal access code. Each participant completes the course at their own pace, works independently on the integrated exercises and receives a personal FORWARD Belgium certificate upon completion. As soon as a participant completes the course, both the participant and the team lead receive a notification.
Upon completion, the participant receives a FORWARD Belgium certificate – a clear added value for your employee’s CV and your company’s reputation for quality. The certificate remains valid for two years.
These online courses were developed by FORWARD Belgium and are available via BDO Belgium’s e-learning platform. As an associate member of FORWARD Belgium, BDO Belgium is strongly committed to competence management and compliance guidance within our sector. This collaboration results in practical online tools that support logistics companies in knowledge building, risk management and quality improvement. BDO Belgium is an internationally active advisory firm with a strong reputation in Audit & Assurance, Tax & Legal, Accounting & Reporting and Advisory.
The codes are purchased via FORWARD Belgium and remain valid for one year.
For employees covered by Joint Committee 226 (international trade, transport and logistics), a subsidy application can be made via LOGOS.
Further information:
Would you like more information or to book one of our online guidance sessions? Please contact the secretariaat van FORWARD Belgium.
In addition to the FORWARD Toolkits, FORWARD Belgium offers its members the option of providing targeted additional support when complex or exceptional issues arise, particularly in the area of customs and compliance.
This guidance is always based on specific cases presented by the member. On this basis, we assess the extent to which FORWARD Belgium can use its expertise to provide practical insights, risk analysis and possible solutions, tailored to the reality of the company and the applicable regulations.
If additional support is recommended, it can be offered at the following indicative rates:
The scope and form of the support are always agreed in advance, taking into account:
FORWARD Belgium reserves the right to assess on a case-by-case basis the extent to which and the form in which support can be provided.
