Fractional freight forwarding is an arrangement where a company gets senior international logistics support on a part time basis, covering ocean and container movement, customs flow, and the inland delivery that follows, without hiring a full time freight forwarding manager or building an import department.
Who this is for
You are importing enough to feel the problems, and not enough to justify a full time import hire. The symptoms are familiar. A container sits at the port and nobody can tell you why. A customs document is wrong and you find out after the delay. Your supplier quotes a price to the port and your landed cost lands somewhere else entirely. The inland leg gets booked late because the person booking it learned the arrival date the same day you did.
That is the gap this covers.
What it covers
- Ocean movement, either a dedicated bulk vessel or smaller shipments moving by container, depending on what you ship and how often.
- Customs flow, coordinated so the paperwork moves ahead of the freight rather than behind it.
- Inland delivery from the port to your door, planned against the actual arrival rather than the quoted one.
- Bulk commodity movement, including direct access in fertilizer components and metals.
- Special project moves from a foreign origin all the way through to the delivery point.
How the engagement works
Same three steps as our Fractional Transportation Department, because it is the same model applied to international freight.
First meeting
You describe what you import, where it comes from, and what keeps breaking. We give consultative feedback on the spot. Free of charge.
Strategic planning
If you want the deeper work, we look at supply chain strategy, at manufacturing and origin locations chosen for logistics rather than unit price alone, and at whether your 3PL fulfillment partners hold up. One time fee, based on the effort involved.
Managed services
We run the work. Entirely a la carte, at your discretion. Ocean, customs and storage are charged as a flat percentage fee. Bulk commodity moves are priced per ton, depending on the lane and the commodity.
Fractional against the alternatives
| Full time import manager | Traditional forwarder | Fractional freight forwarding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost shape | Salary, benefits, ramp | Per shipment | Scoped to what you use |
| Who owns the plan | Your employee | Nobody between shipments | Us, continuously |
| Works below steady volume | Hard to justify | Yes | Yes |
| Advice on origin and sourcing | Depends on the hire | Rarely | Included in strategic planning |
Frequently asked questions
What is fractional freight forwarding?
It is international logistics support bought part time. You get senior help with ocean movement, customs flow and inland delivery without carrying a full time import hire, and you scope the work to what you actually need.
How is this different from using a freight forwarder per shipment?
A per shipment relationship starts when the booking starts and ends when the container lands. A fractional arrangement holds the plan between shipments, which is where most landed cost and most delay actually get decided.
What does it cost?
The first meeting is free. Strategic planning is a one time fee based on the effort involved. Managed services are a la carte, with ocean, customs and storage charged as a flat percentage and bulk commodity priced per ton by lane and commodity.
Do you handle the inland leg too?
Yes. We arrange the inland delivery from the port through to your door, which is the same brokerage work we have done from DFW since 2009.
What volume do I need before this makes sense?
There is no floor. The first meeting is free, so the fastest way to find out is to describe what you import and let us tell you whether this helps.
Talk to us about what you import
Tell us what you import and where it comes from. Call 972-685-6993 or email contact@rockwallservices.net to set up the first meeting.
Related: global supply chain freight and more guides on the freight insights page.