FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you are frequently shipping with DHL Global Forwarding, myDHLi gives you fast access to shipment booking, tracking and reporting - free of charge.  It is available anywhere, anytime to give you a consolidated status update on all your shipments.

If you have not found an answer to your question on this page, get in touch with your local DHL Representative.  

Yes! Danmar Lines, DHL Global Forwarding’s Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC), secures ocean freight capacity and space protection with the widest range of transport providers from and to all of the world’s major ports. This means that DHL Global Forwarding can transport shipments of all sizes at the best rate, from a single pallet to multiple containers.

Your shipment’s volume is calculated in cubic meters (cbm) as its Length x Width x Height.

The chargeable weight of your shipment is either its gross weight (the combined weight of your goods and their complete packaging, including pallets) or its volumetric weight – whichever is greater.

The volumetric weight of your shipment is obtained by applying a density ratio to your shipment’s volume.

• In Air Freight, a 1:6 ratio is applied to your shipment’s volume to obtain its volumetric weight. A shipment measuring 1 cbm is considered to have a volumetric weight of 166.67 kg.
• In Ocean Freight, a 1:1 ratio is applied for LCL freight charges. A shipment measuring 1 cbm is considered to have a volumetric weight of 1,000.00 kg.
• Additional Ocean Freight charges may use a different density factor, such as a 1:3 (a shipment measuring 1 cbm is considered to have a volumetric weight of 333.33 kg) or a 1:2 ratio (a shipment measuring 1 cbm is considered to have a volumetric weight of 500.00 kg).

The consignee is the buyer of your shipment. It is often the same person who will receive the goods (also known as receiver), but not necessarily.

Before it is loaded onto its containership and after unloading at its destination port, there is one step your international shipment cannot avoid – going through customs. Whether you are the shipper or the consignee, there are great chances that you will be responsible for the import or the export customs clearance and the payment of duties (also referred to as “tariffs”) for your shipment.

Depending on the selected Incoterms®, you may even have to take care of both: clarify who is supposed to take care of clearance at destination as early as possible with your overseas business partner.  

It depends on the nature of your cargo! The smooth handling of your customs activities starts with a precise description of the goods you are shipping. This is achieved through an internationally standardized commodity code, the Harmonized System (HS) Code, which will ensure that the correct duties and taxes are applied by Customs. It is defined by the World Customs Organization (WCO), and is available publicly.

• In the European Union, refer to TARIC
• In the United Kingdom, refer to the UK Tariffs Code
• In the USA, refer to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule
• In Canada, consult the Canada Border Service Agency
• In Mercosur countries (Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina), refer to the Nomenclatura Comun do Mercosur

Especially for import, some goods may be subject to certain government department regulations and require licenses depending on their nature – it is key that you find out the specifics of your shipment before importing or exporting.
Goods can also be subject to control due to trade conventions, such as the Washington Convention (CITES), protecting endangered species such as rare essences of wood, or the Kimberley Process covering the trade of diamonds.

For your peace of mind. Freight forwarders and carriers have limited liability for loss or damage to your goods under international conventions. While every shipment is handled with great care, accidents outside the carrier or freight forwarder’s control can happen. Natural disasters such as floods are not covered by freight liability.

In the case of an incident, your compensation will be calculated against a standard negligent liability clause that is significantly inferior to the real value of your cargo. DHL Cargo Insurance closes the gap between standard liability and the full value of your goods to protect your bottom line.

With our insurance you get:

• Exceptional levels of service, no matter the size of your business. You get access to an insurance policy with no deductibles or excess at a competitive rate, from one of the world’s largest insurers – even for high-risk cargo and in destinations that most other insurance companies won’t cover.
  
• Speed. Your claims are settled within 30 days on average – as your forwarder, we are already in possession of many of the documents needed to process them.
  
• Ease of use. Freight and insurance are billed on a single invoice. Your claim is handled locally by personnel who speak the local language and can settle it in local currency.
  

We can arrange insurance coverage in most countries thanks to our scale – including for special, high-risk, or very valuable cargo.

Yes it is! We offer DHL Cargo Insurance to cover the gap between standard liability and the full value of your goods. Your local sales representative can provide you the details.

In case of an incident, we aim to settle your claim within 30 days from the moment all the required documents are in our possession.

Contact our experts, your claim will be handled locally with personnel who speak the local language, and can settle in local currency.

3rd party billing occurs when the shipping costs are paid by a person that is neither the shipper, nor the consignee of a commercial shipment.

The Bill of Lading (BOL) is a legal document issued to the shipper by the carrier to acknowledge reception of their cargo, and is an evidence of the contract of carriage between the two parties. It also acts as a title and materializes the transfer of ownership of the goods to the buyer upon their reception.

In addition, the Bill of Lading provides the carrier and drivers with all the necessary information to process the shipment, and can be used for insurance and customs clearance purposes. As a NVOCC, DHL Global Forwarding can issue their own Bills of Lading, called House Bills of Lading.

Buyers Consolidation consists in bundling orders from multiple suppliers in one or many countries into dedicated Full-Container-Load (FCL) containers delivered directly at destination, rather than managing individual Less-Than-Container-Load (LCL) shipments. It is designed to decrease shipping costs by increasing the containers’ load factor.

CMR is the acronym for the French title of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. Along with other legal dispositions pertaining to road freight transportation, it enabled the definition of a standard road freight waybill, referred to as CMR Waybill, and is used in most European countries.

Cargo transportation is defined as Cross Trade when the goods are moved from their point of origin to their destination without entering the country where the shipper is registered.

Moving your goods with an ocean Full Container Load (FCL) shipment means that the container – irrespective of its type or size – will transport your cargo exclusively. It is a reliable, flexible and cost-efficient way to transport your goods from door to door. With multiple equipment types and additional services available, FCL shipments can be tailored to the exact needs of your cargo.

A House Airway Bill (HAWB) is a transport document for air shipments, issued and signed by the freight forwarder upon reception of the shipment. It states the terms and conditions of the carriage of the goods.

Incoterms® determine the rights and obligations of the parties as far as the delivery of goods from the seller to buyer is concerned. They give a common framework to understand how transport is organized and by whom, who bears the risks inherent to it, and who is in charge of the shipment’s security and customs compliance. Their naming always follow the same structure – a three-letter acronym and a location name.

Find out more in our dedicated article:  Understand and make the most of incoterms® 2020

Moving your goods with an ocean Less than Container Load (LCL) shipment means that your cargo will be consolidated with additional orders from different shippers and/or consignees into one container. If your shipment does not require an entire container or air freight’s transit times, it reduces both your logistics costs and carbon emissions.

DHL is committed to lead the transition to clean and sustainable sea freight transport: since 1 January 2021, we are neutralizing the carbon emissions of all less-than-container load (LCL) ocean freight shipments with sustainable marine biofuels.