Moving companies and logistics companies do a similar thing, many would say. But are moving companies also logistics companies? If this is a question you’re dying to know the answer to, you came to the right place. We are here to tell you more about the similarities and differences between moving companies and logistics companies. There are plenty of them and you might not even know about them.
What is a moving company?
Do you know exactly what a moving company is? It is a company that you hire when you have to relocate from one place to another. You can hire a moving company for any type of relocation. There are different types of relocations and moving companies offer different services for each one. There are local moves, interstate, intrastate, and international moves. Moving companies relocate your belongings for you. Your furniture, clothes, books. Everything you own is moved by a moving company when you are relocating from one home to another. A great example of a good moving company that does all types of relocations is fourwinds-ksa.com.
What is a logistics company?
A logistics company is a completely different thing yet there are plenty of similarities between them and moving companies. A logistics company plans, implements, and controls the movement and storage of goods that are traveling from one place to another. These companies also deal with relocation but of a different kind. You can see why some people might not know whether moving companies are also logistics companies. And to relocate internationally, you have to ship your belongings from one place to another. Is this a job for a moving company or a logistics company? Maybe even both?
Moving internationally?
Are you thinking about moving internationally? You better start preparing for this relocation on time. There are a lot of things to do regarding this type of move. One of the most important things is to find an international moving company. You also need a freight forwarder. This is when it becomes confusing. Many people don’t know about freight forwarders until they have to relocate to another continent. And as this is also something you are going to have to pay for, you definitely want to know why you need this and what it is exactly. You should definitely be informed more about other unexpected costs of moving
The difference between international movers and freight forwarders
Freight forwarders actually deal with international shipping logistics. They are more specialized companies. And international moving companies only deal with on-ground packing and transportation of personal goods in most cases. But there are some international moving companies that deal with freight forwarding. And sometimes even freight forwarders handle ground transport as well as international shipping.
As you can see, there is a difference but some companies offer both things. So, yes. Some moving companies are also logistics companies. But the word “some” is very important here. If you will be having an international move, make sure you hire a moving company that offers both of these things. This way it could end up costing much less than you expected.
Why do you need both a moving company and a logistics company?
International moving is already very expensive, why do you need to pay for both of these services? Well, moving companies don’t have all the rights to ship goods from one place to another. This could be very problematic. That is why international moving companies and freight forwarders work together.
You hire a moving company to handle the packing and loading of your shipment aka belongings. And then the moving company hires a freight forwarder who is actually going to ship your belongings to your new home overseas. This means that freight forwarders are a third party that gets hired by the moving company. So, if you are organizing a move to Hong Kong this year, for example, you are going to need both a moving and a logistics company.
What do freight forwarders actually do?
Now you might be interested in finding out what it is exactly that freight forwarders do. Freight forwarders ship cargo overseas. If you need to organize transportation for your cargo in Riyadh, for example, you are hiring a freight forwarder. Freight forwarders maintain the ships they use, they also drive them. They are the ones who do the tracking, obtaining permits, and dealing with customs regulations in the various countries they deliver goods to. Freight forwarders usually don’t do any domestic or ground transportations.
How much do international moving and freight forwarding cost?
We all know that international moving is very expensive. This is mostly because of the fact that you have to ship your belongings via freight forwarders. So, how much do international moving and freight forwarding cost? If you hire reliable movers, you will have to pay no less than $100 an hour.
And freight forwarding costs even more. Most ships charge between $2,000 and $3,000 for a full container load. If you have a less-that-container load, you will pay less. But as you are shipping furniture, you will most likely end up with a full container load. This means that your international move is definitely going to cost you more than $5,000. So, if you are moving internationally soon, be prepared to spend a lot of money on it.