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Q1: What is LCL?
A: Less than Container Load. Individually skidded (palletized), crated or loose box shipments are consolidated on freight carries bound for the intended destination. This service is designed to those shipments whose space is insufficient to fill a 20 ft container with total capacity of 1168CFT/33.07CBM.
Shipping items must be boxed or crated and labeled for shipping purpose with complete consigner and consignee addresses and phone numbers.
The following commodity cannot be shipped using LCL Service:
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Motor-vehicles* - we recommend www.shipmyvehicle.com* Any motorized vehicle that requires DMV registration (autos, motorcycles, mopeds, jet skis, ATV’s) will not be permitted to move as LCL freight. This is due to US Customs Regulations that will not recognize any warehouse as an exam site for inspection. -
Unboxed or uncrated cargo CANNOT be shipped as LCL. International Moving Companies provide service for shipping unboxed cargo (for an example see www.internationalmovers.com). -
Items that will not fit into a 40 foot container (approx.39.5'/12m in Length; 7.5'/2.36m in Width; 8'/2.26m in Height) will be considered oversized and cannot be shipped at the normal LCL pricing schedule.
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Dangerous and Perishables Goods are not permitted.
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Ro-Ro, bulk or charter.
LCL Service quoted is to a destination cargo receiving terminal (CFS) and subject to destination charges. Destination charges for the account of consignee. The recipient will be required to arrange formal or informal entry with customs in the destination country. Destination agent should guide the recipient in the complexity of the destinations customs regulations.
Q2: I cannot submit a quote or booking request online.
A: Our web site was designed for Microsoft Internet Explorer browser version 5.0 or higher. This site may not work properly with other browsers.
If you cannot access our secure SSL online Quote or Booking request forms, please, try to use standard HTTP protocol without SSL by click on troubleshooting site use another PC or report the problem to us.
Q3: How will my shipment proceed?
A: We make every effort to ease shipment procedures for you. With WTX you will be able to complete and receive all your shipping documentation on-line from the convenience of your home or office.
IMPORTANT: You will receive e-mail with all documents to CONSIGNER's (Exporter's) e-mail indicated in your booking request form ONLY. If you need us e-mail documents to other e-mail then you must notify us in writing in separate e-mail.
IN ORDER TO USE WTX ECONOMY LCL SEAFREIGHT SERVICE YOUR CARGO MUST BE BOXED OR CRATED.
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To process your shipment we suggest you complete our secure LCL booking request form. This is the first and absolutely necessary step to begin your shipment.
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After submitting your booking request you will receive an e-mail with the rate confirmation, BTX Reference# and, for shippers that do not have an account with us, we request a deposit 50-100% of the estimated shipping charges. The deposit will be applied to the final cost of your shipment. CONSIGNER (Exporter) WILL BE INFORMED OF THE NEED FOR THE PREPAYMENT VIA E-MAIL BEFORE THE BOOKING IS PROCESSED. We DO accept major credit cards online.
IF A SECURITY DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED THEN WE WILL NEED AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS DAY FROM THE TIME WE RECEIVE THE PAYMENT IN ORDER TO SCHEDULE YOUR SHIPMENT.
After we will receive the deposit we send to the payer our confirmation e-mail. Please consider that e-mail a receipt for your deposit.
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Exporter will receive a confirmation email with the BTX Reference#, BOOKING# and a link to complete Shipping Instructions generated individually for you.
The shipping instructions will contain terminal address & phone# for self-delivered shipment OR pickup details; Sailing details (i.e. ETD - Estimated Time of Departure, ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival, Vessel, Voyage, etc.) and individually generated links to your:
A. Dock Receipt
B. Packing List
C. Commercial Invoice (in general applies to commercial shipments only).
Note: You need fill it out and submit online before your freight is dropped off at the receiving terminal (CFS) OR picked up from you.
- Follow the shipping instructions and self-deliver your boxed or crated cargo to the address provided in the instructions OR meet a trucker within the time slot requested by you for the curbside pickup, if pickup is ordered.*
*IF PICKUP SERVICE IS ORDERED: Pickup driver will load your boxed or crated cargo from driveway, front porch, garage or acceptable ground level loading area. We do not provide inside pickup service.
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NOTICE: You do not have to pay anything when self-delivering your cargo to the receiving terminal OR when releasing your cargo to the pick up driver.
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After your cargo reaches the origin cargo receiving terminal (CFS), the CFS will issue us certified weight-measurements for it. Upon receiving the information we will e-mail to you a final invoice for your shipment based on its actual size and weight. As a rule it takes up to five business days from the date when cargo had been delivered to the CFS (sometimes it takes a little longer). Your security deposit will be applied to the final invoice. Payment due is within three to five days. We DO accept major credit cards online.
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Upon your timely payment and a few days (sometimes it takes a little longer) after the Estimate Time of Departure (ETD) for your shipment you will receive e-mail with the BTX Electronic House Bill of Lading containing complete contact information for the destination cargo receiving terminal (CFS). We will confirm express release for your shipment, unless you have requested the release upon a set of originals Bill of Lading. Express release means you do not have to provide a set of originals Bill of Lading in order to recover your shipment at the destination.
As a rule we will e-mail to you copy of carriers Master Bill of Loading attached in PDF format. Use this copy to recover your cargo at the destination.
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Finally, upon arrival your cargo to the destination, the destination cargo receiving terminal (CFS) indicated within the ‘FOR DELIVERY/PICKUP PLEASE APPLY TO’ field of your Bill of Lading (BOL) should issue to the consignee/notify party a Notice of Arrival (phone call, e-mail, a letter etc) and instructions regarding cargo recovery procedures at the destination.
If for any reason the destination cargo receiving terminal (CFS) does not contact you, then we strongly recommend contacting the receiving terminal a few days after the Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) for your freight. For SHIPMENTS WITH TRANS-SHIPMENTS allow additional 10-15 days to get the ETA information at your final destination. Your FINAL DESTINATION agent may not have any info about your shipment until very few days before it actually reach the destination.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All international sea shipments are subject to DESTINATION CHARGES. Destination charges are beyond our control. In general the charges include: (1) Destination Country Customs Duty; (2) Fee of your destination agent for filing import documents on your behalf; (3) Destination terminal handling charges. Destination charges vary depending on a destination country. For personal shipments it may vary from $60 up to $250 or more. For commercial shipments it depends on the commodity. Your destination agent should guide you in the complexity of destination importing regulations. You may want to check with the destination country consulate or ask a destination country’s customs broker concerning customs duty. Most countries do not charge a duty or tax for personal effects shipments.
Q4: How differ Self-delivered and Picked up shipments?
A: WTX Global Logistics provides THREE types of services for Less Than Container Load (LCL) Seafreight shipments. While you are quoting or booking your shipment you may select any of them, which is most convenient for you and suitable to your budget:
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SHIPMENTS SELF-DELIVERED TO CARRIER'S CFS (i.e. carrier's receiving terminal. Container Freight Station. CFS.). This is the most economical way to ship boxed or crated cargo oversea.
Shipping charges for shipments Self-delivered directly to a CFS based on its size only (total chargeable volume per cubic meter). WEIGHT FOR SUCH SHIPMENTS IS NOT A PRICING FACTOR unless its density exceeds 1654 lbs (or 750 Kilograms) per Cubic Meter. You will be asked to provide estimate weight of your cargo for statistical purpose only.
NOTE: Carrier CFSs appear in dark blue capital letters (like BALTIMORE, MD) in the origin station's drop-down list within our on-line price calculator.
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SHIPMENTS SELF-DELIVERED TO A LOCAL WAREHOUSE and subject to trucking (line haul) to a carrier's receiving terminal (CFS).
Line Haul charges based on chargeable weight of your cargo. However, Line Haul charges are lower than Pickup Charges. If a CFS is located far away from you, then that service may be most appropriate in your particular situation. Ocean freight charges will be calculated based on the total chargeable volume.
NOTE: Local Shipping Warehouses appear in black lower case letters (like Albany, NY) in the origin station's drop-down list within our on-line price calculator.
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SHIPMENTS PICKED UP by WTX directly at exporter's location.
Using our BTX cartage service partner's network we will pickup your boxed or crated cargo almost everywhere within the continental USA. Upon your booking request we confirm our capability for the pickup. Pickup charges based on chargeable weight of your cargo. Ocean freight charges will be calculated based on the total chargeable volume.
Commercial pickups considered ONLY from warehouses, which provide loading docks and forklifts. Please read more about pickups in our Service Requirements while quoting your shipment on-line.
Q5: What shipping documentation is needed for my shipment?
A: With WTX you will be able to submit and receive the most common shipping documents on-line: Quotation, Booking, Shipping Instructions, Dock Receipt, Packing List, Commercial invoice (in general applies only to business shipments. However some destination countries require commercial invoices for personal shipments as well), Invoice, BTX House and Carrier’s Master Bill of Lading for express release of your freight. In general this is the necessary minimum to complete an international shipment.
However, some destination countries (particularly countries in South America, countries in the former Soviet Union and Eastern European nations) and/or depending on commodity require a more comprehensive list of items shipped and/or additional shipping documents. You may want to check with a local consulate or ask a destination’s customs broker about additional documents that may be necessary.
You need fill your shipping documents out and submit it online before your freight is self-delivered to the receiving terminal OR picked up by our pickup driver. Otherwise you may experience problems with your shipment at the origin or/and destination. We do not take any responsibilities to inaccurate shipping documents submitted by you, nor for sufficiency of documents represented to all parties related to your shipment. We will not be responsible for any delays or/and charges that may occur due to lack of proper shipping documentation.
U.S. CUSTOMS REGULATIONS FOR EXPORT FROM THE U.S.A.: If a shipment is NOT commercial and the commodity is Household Goods and Personal Propriety, NON-Hazardous, NON-Perishable with the total value under $2500, then NO Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) is required [REF: 15 CFR 30.55 (h)].
For all other shipments you must file SED in AES at www.aesdirect.gov or we can do that on your behalf based on your commodity description for $50 and limited by up to three (3) Harmonized Tariff Codes. $20 per Harmonized Tariff number thereafter. (For Household Goods shipments as a rule there is going to be just one Harmonized Code).
Consigner must indicate the request for SED filing in a booking request or in separate e-mail prior 72 hours to ETD. In general no international shipments without AES number are permitted unless the exemption above.
IN ORDER TO FILE AN SED (SHIPPER EXPORT DECLARATION) THE CONSIGNER MUST DESIGNATE A VALUE, THE WEIGHT OF THE SHIPMENT AND PROVIDE A U.S. FEDERAL TAX ID# (EIN) or SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) or FOREIGN PASSPORT# and U.S. VISA#.
Q6: What will the transit/sailing time for my shipment be? What is ETA?
A: Though we will work diligently to insure your shipment arrives on time, for Sea Freight the transit/sailing time indicated in your shipping documents is not precise. Estimate Time of Departure (ETD) and Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) cannot guarantee a specific transit time. However, in most cases shipments depart and arrive as scheduled.
SHIPMENTS WITH TRANS-SHIPMENTS: If your shipping documents indicate that a port of discharge is different from the final destination (Place of Delivery by Carrier), then cargo will discharge first at the port of discharge and continue traveling to its final destination. Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) on your Bill of Lading (BOL) for such shipments is to the first port of discharge, NOT TO THE FINAL DESTINATION. Arrival to the final destination requires additional time. For more precise ETA to the FINAL DESTINATION contact your destination agent indicated in your BOL in 10-15 days after ETA to the port of discharge for the transshipment.
If for any reason CFS does not contact you, we strongly recommend contacting the receiving terminal indicated within the ‘FOR DELIVERY/PICKUP PLEASE APPLY TO’ field of your Bill of Lading (BOL) in few days after the Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) for your freight. It will insure that you are prepared for recovery of your freight and avoid possible storage or demurrage charges. For SHIPMENTS WITH TRANS-SHIPMENTS allow additional 10-15 days to get the ETA information to your final destination.
Q7: Is my freight insured?
A: To find out about insurance for seafreight click on the link Insurance Page
Q8: What is a Cubic Meter?
A: One Cubic Meter = 35.315… cubic feet. Click on the link to see more.
Q9: How do you determine the final charges for my shipment? How should I pay for my LCL shipment?
A: For shippers that do not have an account with us we request a deposit 50-100% of the estimated shipping charges. The deposit will be applied to the final cost of your shipment. CONSIGNER (Exporter) WILL BE INFORMED OF THE NEED FOR THE PREPAYMENT VIA E-MAIL BEFORE THE BOOKING IS PROCESSED.
After we receive the deposit we send the payer our confirmation e-mail. Please consider that e-mail as a receipt for your deposit.
NOTICE: You do not have to pay anything when self-delivering your cargo to the receiving terminal or when releasing your cargo to the pick up driver.
After your cargo reaches the origin carrier’s Container Freight Station (CFS) the CFS will issue to us certified weight-measurements for it. Upon receiving this information we will e-mail you a link, which contains the final invoice for your shipment based on its actual size and weight. As a rule it takes up to five business days from the date when cargo had been delivered to the CFS (sometimes it takes a little longer).
We expect you pay the invoice within three to five days but no later than Estimate Time of Departure (ETD) indicated in your shipping instructions. If you do not receive the invoice due to wrong e-mail address, it is your responsibility to contact our office in order to make the payment.
We do accept major credit cards online Pay on-line using Visa, Master Card and American Express with Verisign PayFlow Link (www.verisign.com).
IMPORTANT: Some credit cards issued by banks outside of the USA may not support the Verisign PayFlow Link and you must provide your credit card info over the phone (+703-433-0280) or via fax (+703-433-0281). DO NOT E-MAIL! Unencrypted e-mail is not a safe way for sending private information.
For payments by mail make it payable and remit to:
WTX Global Logistics
22580 Glenn Drive, Suit 10
Sterling, VA20164, USA
Please, note: If we do not receive the final payment in time then we cancel Express Release for your cargo. In this event you must provide a set of original Bill of Ladings in purpose to recover your freight at the destination. Express mail with this set of originals will cost you USD150. We will not take any responsibilities for any demurrage and other charges at the destination connected to delays with the release. We will not take any responsibilities for any charges connected to any delay of your freight at any point on its way to the place of release. Any additional insurance will be canceled as unpaid on the time of express release cancellation as well. If not paid within three weeks from the day of arrival at the destination, the shipment will be considered abandoned and U.S. and destination security officials will be notified and additional fines levied. Return check fee is $50.
Q10: What does palletizing mean?
A: Click on the link to see the palletizing page.
If you are ordering palletizing along with a residential or commercial pickup, then the trucker will pickup your items and the shipment will be palletized before the delivery to steamship line CFS (Container Freight Station or shipping terminal). The charges will be included in the final invoice.
If you drop your freight off at the origin CFS, then you most likely will be asked to pay the charges for palletizing directly at the CFS. Ask for the receipt and keep it as a proof in case the CFS forwards the charges to us.
Q11: What other or extra charges may apply to my shipment beside the quotation I received from BTX?
A: A. PICKUP. Residential pickup is curbside-service. The driver will load freight from driveway, front porch, garage or acceptable loading area. No inside service is permitted due to liability. Some additional charges may apply if your pickup conditions or area are out of normal range. The charges will be calculated and forwarded to you in the final or a separate invoice. The following charges may occur but are not limited to: attempted pickup, debris removal, inside pickup, waiting time etc.
B. ACTUAL WEIGHT/MEASUREMENT. Since it is almost impossible to predict a precise weight/measurement of shipment, the final certified weight & dimensions at CFS most likely will differ from those which you provided on your booking request form.
C. PALLETIZING. Some extra-volume charges due to palletizing may occur. Click on the link to see more.
D. DESTINATION CHARGES. International shipments are subject to all destination charges and or other fees. The charges are on consignee account at the destination. The charges are beyond our control. In general the charges include: Destination Country Customs Duty (1); fee of your destination agent for filling import documents on your behalf (2); destination terminal handling charges (3). Destination charges vary depending on a destination country. For personal shipments it may vary from $60 up to $250 or more. For commercial shipments it all depends on the commodity.
For SHIPMENTS WITH TRANSSHIPMENTS (your Bill of Lading indicates a different Port of Discharge and Place of Delivery by on Carrier i.e. Final Destination) there is a carrier transshipment port’s charge (IT) may occur. The charge varies between USD25 to US50.
IMPORTANT NOTE: According to destinations customs regulations for most countries the consignee must clear cargo with customs and pay all or part of destination charges at a port of entry, but at the final destination. Your destination agent should provide all the details upon arrival your freight to the destination seaport.
It is the responsibility of the consignee to arrange customs clearance for any shipment. Most countries do not charge a duty or tax for personal effects shipments. Your destination agent should guide you in the complexity of destination importing regulations. Just follow instructions in theirs notice of arrival. You may want to check with the destination country consulate or ask a destination country’s customs broker regarding destination charges.
Using Incoterms the WTX Economy Sea Freight Service would be classified as FOB (Free On Board). WTX allows customers to conduct business directly with the destination CFS (Container Freight Station) professionals and does not charge for the service. Some freight forwarders provide service on a DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) basis. They charge a considerable fee for clearance and delivery on top of the destination charges for the service. BTX does not provide this service.
E. U.S. EXPORT CUSTOMS REGULATION: ALL commercial shipments and Household Goods or Personal Propriety of total value above $2500 must be declared to the U.S. Census Bureau by filing in AES at www.aesdirect.gov.
Consigner may fill out SED independently or we can do that based on commodity description provided in Packing Lists or Commercial Invoices for $50 and limited by up to three (3) Harmonized Tariff number. $20 per Harmonized Tariff number thereafter. Consigner must indicate the request for SED filing in a booking request or in separate e-mail prior 72 hours to ETD.
IN ORDER TO FILE AN SED (SHIPPER EXPORT DECLARATION) THE CONSIGNER MUST DESIGNATE A VALUE, THE WEIGHT OF THE SHIPMENT AND PROVIDE A U.S. FEDERAL TAX ID# (EIN) or SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) or FOREIGN PASSPORT# and U.S. VISA#.
F. We make every effort to provide the most accurate quotation for your LCL shipment; however, we cannot predict all situations for your freight. Some other charges may apply to out of range shipments.
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