Freight and Cargo

Start with who needs air, sea and road freight and why. Around exporters, importers and online sellers drive demand in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.

• List 10 offers or suppliers in the UAE with price per shipment in AED and who buys.
• Interview 5 people from exporters, importers and online sellers: what do they buy now, how often, what do they pay, what annoys them?
• Learn three terms: Incoterm (a standard rule that says who pays and bears risk); Bill of lading (the document that proves a sea shipment); Chargeable weight (the weight used for pricing, by size or mass).
• Write a one-page brief: user, need, hoped-for price, and the rule that matters most.

Activity. Complete the market table, five interview notes and the brief.

Standard to meet. Price ten offers, interview five users, and state one need in one sentence.

Know the rule before the work. Main hazards here: damaged cargo and wrong paperwork. Hazard thinking means list each step, ask what could go wrong, and decide the control.

• Ask your local authority or free zone which licence, permit or inspection applies. Write the answer and the date you asked.
• For each step (quote and book; pack and document; track; clear and deliver) write the hazard and the control.
• Use a hierarchy: remove the hazard, replace it, separate people from it, change the way of work, then protective equipment last.
• Keep a one-page incident rule: who you call, what you stop, what you record.

Activity. Draw the flow and mark hazard and control at each step.

Standard to meet. Name a hazard and a control for every step, and answer the licence question in writing.

The work is a short chain: quote and book, pack and document, track, clear and deliver. Learn each link, then link them with records.

• Write a checklist for each of the 4 steps: input, action, check, output.
• Time each step three times and note the slowest.
• Record a defect or delay each time it happens: what, where, cause, fix.
• Measure shipments delivered on the promised date; this is your main number.

Activity. Run the chain three times (simulated or real) and fill the log.

Standard to meet. Complete three logs, and give the slowest step a cause and a fix.

What you do not measure you cannot improve. Your main measure is shipments delivered on the promised date.

• Define shipments delivered on the promised date: what counts, what does not, and over what period.
• Draw a simple chart of the last 10 results and mark the average.
• Find the top two causes of loss with a tally sheet, then fix the biggest one first.
• Check measuring tools: are they accurate, clean and in date?

Activity. Collect a tally for one week and make a Pareto chart.

Standard to meet. Complete the tally, name the biggest cause, and plan one fix with a date.

Know the cost of one shipment before you set the price. Include materials, labour, energy, transport, licence share, waste and a safety margin.

• Cost per shipment = total cost divided by shipments sold (not made).
• Margin = (price minus cost) divided by price.
• Break-even units = fixed costs divided by gain per unit.
• Test the price with two users and write down the answer.

Activity. Build the cost sheet with AED on every line and have your mentor check it.

Standard to meet. Check that no cost is missing, and calculate the margin twice by different routes.

Customers return when you keep promises. Promise only what your workflow can deliver.

• Write a one-page offer: what is included, what is not, price, time, how you fix mistakes.
• Write a short script for the first call or visit.
• Agree dates in writing; confirm each change.
• Handle a complaint in four steps: listen, apologise for the impact, fix, record what changed.

Activity. Present the offer to two users and note changes.

Standard to meet. Write an offer with scope, price, time and a fix rule, and collect comments from two users.

Small, real and recorded. Change one thing at a time and learn quickly.

• Keep a daily log: date, units, cost, delays, defects, safety notes.
• Hold a 15-minute review each week with your mentor.
• Write down every complaint and what you changed.
• Take photos only where allowed and never of people without consent.

Activity. Complete 30 days of the log and four weekly reviews.

Standard to meet. Log 30 days, give each defect a cause, and keep weekly notes.

A decision beats a feeling. Compare plan with result and choose to scale, change or stop.

• Make a before and after table: cost per unit, defects, delays, repeat users.
• Write three lessons.
• Decide scale, change or stop, with the numbers behind it.
• Give two peers one strength and one fix each.

Activity. Present to a review room and collect one written comment from a user.

Standard to meet. Justify the decision with numbers, and give two peer reviews.

Cargo stops where paperwork is wrong. Every shipment has a document set that must agree.

• Commercial invoice, packing list and transport document must match on quantity, value and description.
• Classify goods with the correct tariff code.
• Check licences for restricted goods before booking.
• Keep copies and a tracking sheet.

Activity. Check three sample document sets for mismatches.

Standard to meet. Find and correct all mismatches.

Air cargo is priced on the larger of actual and volume weight.

• Volume weight = length x width x height (cm) divided by 6,000, giving kg.
• Chargeable weight is the higher of actual and volume weight.
• Add handling, fuel and documents.
• Promise dates only with margin.

Activity. Price five sample parcels.

Standard to meet. Check the weights and itemise the quotes.

Cargo is sometimes damaged, delayed or lost. A clear claim process saves money and the customer relationship.

• Inspect on delivery and note any damage on the delivery document before signing; a clean signature weakens a later claim.
• Photograph packaging, labels, seals and the damage itself, and keep the originals.
• Give written notice to the carrier within the time stated in the contract; late notice can end the claim.
• Work out the claim from invoice value and the limits in the contract, then keep the customer updated until it closes.

Activity. Fill a claim form and cover letter for a sample damaged-pallet case.

Standard to meet. Note damage on the delivery paper, list the photos, check the notice date is inside the limit, and calculate the amount correctly.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Modes and documents of freight

Notes: Name air, sea and road freight and say what a bill of lading and chargeable weight are. Notes: use one UAE online seller's parcel and ask learners to pick the mode and name the key document.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Damage and paperwork rules

Notes: Describe how damaged cargo and wrong paperwork happen and how an Incoterm sets who pays and bears risk. Notes: show one correct and one wrong document; learners mark the error and say what it would cost in delay.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Compare chargeable weight

Notes: Work out chargeable weight for one parcel by size and by mass and book it under a supervisor. Notes: check that the larger of the two weights is used and the document matches the parcel.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Run a 30-day shipment pilot

Notes: Quote, pack, document, track and deliver shipments for a real or simulated exporter and report shipments delivered on the promised date. Notes: price at AED 2,400 per shipment against AED 1,900 cost, a gain of AED 500 or 20.8 per cent; log every paperwork error.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Compare carriers and decide

Notes: Compare two carriers or routes by on-time rate and cost per shipment and decide to scale, change or stop. Notes: with only 20.8 per cent margin, one damaged shipment can wipe out the gain of several shipments, so include a claim in the comparison.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Coach a documents team

Notes: Set document checks, tracking updates and a weekly review for a small team. Notes: sample five shipment files for matching weights, Incoterm and bill of lading before release.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Design the freight system

Notes: Design a freight system for several customers with a document audit, damage controls and a 12-month plan. Notes: at 90 shipments a month and AED 500 gain each, gross gain is AED 45,000; present one risk, one saving and the plan.