ver at ExportLawBlog, Clif has posted a bit of a hot topic - do you (or would you?) rely upon your freight forwarder for export law information?
After reading an article recommending to consult freight forwarders for export regulations, ExportLawBlog says:
"The defense of “my freight forwarder did it” is the export law equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.” It’s not going to keep you from doing detention. Worse, many freight forwarders have no working knowledge of export laws and little interest in complying because DDTC and BIS usually whack the exporter not the freight forwarder in these matters."
My response? I say that savvy freight forwarders know that they can be a resource to their customers if they offer value-added services such as AES and ISF filing. Access to an up-to-date database of international trade rules and regulations would be a complementary service.
Unfortunately only some freight forwarders offer services like this, so until you know for sure that your forwarder can provide accurate information, it's best to stick to other trusted sources.
Management Dynamics offers a variety of global trade solutions for freight forwarders. Alternately you can skip the phone call and get straight to the answers by accessing their global trade content database using the Trade Wizards solution. </shameless plug>
