While most trade between the US and Poland is import trade into the US, the volume of exports to Poland is on the rise. If you export goods to Poland, it helps to work with a cargo forwarder who has “been there, done that.” Andrew Rozek, President of I.C.E. Transport, has decades of experience shipping to Poland from the USA. We chatted with him recently to better understand the challenges of cargo shipping from US to Poland.
An international shipment goes through many stages. There’s loading, drayage, maybe a ride on the rails, and then the ocean crossing. On the other side there’s Customs, more land transportation and then, finally, unloading.
So many chances for something to go wrong!
Maybe you’ve bought a used excavator from a dealer in another country. Or you’ve made the winning bid on equipment from a recently-closed factory thousands of miles away. There are many reasons for shipping machinery overseas, many decisions to make along the way and many opportunities to ensure trouble-free, cost effective transit – if you have the necessary capabilities.
The Port of New York and New Jersey is now the second-busiest port in the US, and the busiest on the East Coast. When you ship through a facility of that size, access to local knowledge and connections could save you time and money.
What do you gain when you work with freight forwarding companies in New Jersey?
Ocean shippers can and should get the best container rate they can get. But you will get the most cost savings when you think in terms of reducing ocean shipping costs per ton – in other words, shipping the same volume of freight in fewer containers. If you can max out your payload on every load, you can ship 25% fewer containers and realize up to a 6-figure yearly savings, depending on how many containers you ship.
For transatlantic freight forwarders like I.C.E. Transport, it's been interesting to see the sharp contrast in ocean freight prices and congestion issues between Transpacific and Transatlantic freight.
It's really a tale of two oceans.
For global shippers of wood, metals and other dense cargo, heavy freight shipping companies will charge you more for over-the-road heavy hauls. But, in the process, they can help cut your total freight shipping costs as much as 20%.
The savings are on the ocean shipping leg of the journey.
“I have 10 pallets of product to ship in a container from New Jersey to Poland. Can I get a freight quote fast? I can provide specific details later.”
Believe it or not, quote requests like this are not unusual. But to get an accurate ocean freight shipping quote in a timely manner, you'll want to provide freight forwarders accurate details – and as much as you have.
These days lots of things can slow down your container – from carrier cancellations to port disruptions to labor shortages. Things that are totally out of your control. So why in the world would you risk delays and added costs from something that's totally in your control – shipping paperwork?
Get your shipping documents for export right and avoid shipment delays, customs inspections, unhappy customers, and disputes about who pays for added fees.
In 2019 (pre-COVID), Walmart imported close to 900,000 ocean containers worth of cargo (20-foot equivalent units) into the US.
We're guessing you shipped fewer than that.
Size matters in ocean shipping, and the big shippers leverage volumes to command better rates and better access to capacity. And better service – they may actually get their calls returned, while your calls to carriers and large forwarders go unanswered for days.
