VANGUARD SERVICES

The core of Vanguard’s service offering is LCL ocean freight consolidation, where our expansive network is set up to provide reach, visibility and control second to none. Our peerless LCL infrastructure also allow us to offer a range of other services to freight-forwarders as a one-stop shop: we can leverage our coverage and expertise to offer competitive FCL transport, for example, using our CFS/warehousing network to tailor solutions to customer requirements and offer value-added services such as IPI and Gateway programs. Our owned facilities offer best-in-class hazardous cargo handling, too, and dovetail into an extensive road transport network which can be used both to support door-to-door solutions or as a stand-alone service.

Throughout this suite of integrated services and across worldwide locations, our organization has three overarching focuses which guide our strategy and our operations:

Largest Owned Network in the World

With the largest owned network and presence in the industry today, Vanguard’s more than 120 offices across more than 100 countries ensure the highest level of performance, end-to-end control and visibility, and customer service anywhere in the world.

Unmatched Reach and Service Capabilities

Expansive global network and extensive suite of ancillary services allow Vanguard to offer more direct routes at the greatest frequency and more competitive rates than any other NVOCC in the market today.

Complement and Extend Any Size Network

Whether a smaller forwarder looking to serve a broader range of routes or a large provider needing to add reach to their own network strategically and cost-effectively, Vanguard serves both seamlessly and – thanks to its industry-leading, integration-orientated technology solutions – with true end-to-end visibility.

Please contact us to learn more about the impressive capabilities of our network, and how we can put them to work for your business.

AIRFREIGHT SERVICES

As the world’s premier LCL operator with a worldwide proprietary network, we have a truly global, hands-on presence. As such, we can also offer comprehensive neutral airfreight capability at our trademark level of service.

• Vanguard has contracts and rates with more than 80 carriers
• Vanguard covers the USA with four regional airfreight locations
• Vanguard has dedicated teams and expertise across our network, including Latin America, South Pacific and Europe
• Network reach to handle origin to destination support and execution

Extending networks

Vanguard has made its name with its tightly-woven web of high-quality staffed facilities across the globe and its tech-led approach to providing best-in-class tracking and tracing and by focusing on seamless client-side IT integration. We apply this same infrastructure quality to airfreight, offering end-to-end visibility while our on-the-ground import and export services ensure safe and efficient door-to-door cargo handling.

Above and beyond our customary service level, customers using Vanguard airfreight services also benefit from the expertise of our specialized air team. Whether it’s a standard cargo move or a complex sea-to-air or air-to-sea shipment, our airfreight support and operations staff are always on hand to help and guide.

Accelerating transport

Our customers find that airfreight can dramatically reduce transit times on many routes with weaker highway or harbor infrastructure while, for smaller, urgent packages on prime routes, air can be a time-saving addition to other transportation modes. Vanguard ensures that the time advantage provided by air is used to the fullest extent, offering open co-load in addition to co-load consolidation services to make sure that, if necessary, shipments can be put on the first available flight.

We have the necessary airfreight transport certification and specific expertise in the segment to get freight moving shortly after landing. Combined with the highly competitive pricing that only an operator of our size can offer, Vanguard’s airfreight service is the perfect way for our customers to extend their networks with air.

CONTAINER FREIGHT STATIONS & WAREHOUSE LOCATIONS

Vanguard has more owned and directly operated CFS and warehouse locations than any other NVOCC. The global network of facilities is a key element of our world-class LCL service offering, forms a central plank in our expertise in handling hazardous cargo, and allows us to offer a full range of value-added services.

Driving LCL performance

Our network of strategically located, Vanguard-staffed CFS permits safe and efficient cargo handling of Less Than Container Load freight across the globe. In these state-of-the-art CCTV-monitored facilities, export loading and import unloading are managed using bar-code labeling, SOLAS-VGM weighing and certification are standard, and a full range of specialized equipment is on hand for packing and crating, cross-dock, and heavy-lift. Thanks to the global extent of our network, we deliver Visibility Plus, a best-in-class EDI tracking and tracing package, across our facilities.

• Vanguard has more than 2.6 million square feet of CFS operations
• Vanguard runs 14 directly-operated facilities in 9 countries
• Vanguard sites offer longer operating hours
• Dedicated hazardous goods capabilities and investments

Vanguard gives you the best control and management of your LCL shipment across facilities which are fully compliant with regulations both international (e.g. ISPM 15) and national. Many are custom bonded, such as in the United States, where we have TSA approval and are CTPAT members; Vanguard has AEO status in several other countries.

Enabling HazMat capabilities

The quality of Vanguard facilities and the expertise of Vanguard staff allow us to offer comprehensive hazardous cargo handling services. We have full hazardous capabilites at more than 15 locations across our network, with around 2000m² of separate warehousing space, specially trained on-site employees, and a 30-year track record of safety. Our world-leading experience makes us the go-to HazMat provider for many of the world’s freight forwarders and chemicals companies.

Offering customized solutions

Our owned and directly operated CFS and warehouse facilities enable us to offer a range of value-added services. We can store inventory, trans load and box cargo as required, and run a large-scale gateway program for freight forwarders, bolting on to our LCL expertise and dovetailing into our inland solutions.

As a one-stop-shop for your logistics needs, we use our CFS and warehousing network to accelerate and optimize your supply chain, offering expertise combined with economies of scale to provide operational capability you can trust at highly competitive prices.

Please contact us to learn how we can put our CFS and Warehouse capabilities to work for your business.

FULL CONTAINER LOAD (FCL) OCEAN FREIGHT

With its broad on-the-ground reach and highly experienced staff, Vanguard is able to provide consistent levels of service across the globe from origin to destination. That is why, while known to many as the world’s premier LCL operator, Vanguard also handles a significant volume of global FCL cargo. It is the scale and quality of Vanguard’s operations that make it an attractive NVOCC in FCL for freight forwarders and customers large and small.

One provider, multiple carriers

The key driver behind Vanguard’s competitiveness in the FCL segment is the access it offers as a neutral provider to the full range of carriers. One phone call to Vanguard – or one query in our proprietary rates engine – will give you the most comprehensive overview available anywhere of all lines and alliances, their routes, and their rates.

• Vanguard offers access to more than 30 carriers
• Vanguard has one of the largest NVOCC teams dedicated FCL experts
• Vanguard serves more than 1,000 ports every year

No other provider has this level of coverage and hands-on expertise, meaning that you can be confident that we offer not only the most competitive rates on the market, but also the best service to go with it.

Best-in-class FCL service

Besides streamlined booking and handling processes facilitated by our dedicated customer service operatives, Vanguard offers cutting-edge tracking and tracing technology and user-friendly electronic data integration (EDI). We are fully compliant with legal requirements and have the expertise required to navigate processes and regulations across the globe.

True end-to-end capabilities

When coupled with our advanced inland capabilities, the breadth of our network and the experience of our FCL operatives allows us to deliver genuine door-to-door packages. Using our network of state-of-the-art CFS and warehousing facilities, we can also develop tailored solutions, including gateway programs, to meet specific transport needs and add value to FCL services.

As a one-stop shop, we combine carrier scope, high service levels, simplified billing, and a flexible approach to complement larger freight forwarders’ FCL networks and extend the reach of smaller operators as required – always to a high level of performance.

Please contact us and our dedicated FCL experts for more about how we can meet your FCL needs.

HAZARDOUS CARGO TRANSPORTATION

When it comes to transporting dangerous goods, Vanguard’s global controlled network of owned and managed facilities is of more value than ever. Combined with the expertise of a world-class in-depth hazardous team, this infrastructure allows Vanguard to deliver faultless process and regulatory compliance. As a result, we are the go-to partner for a variety of freight forwarders and chemicals companies when it comes to LCL hazardous cargo ocean transport.

Our infrastructure advantage

Vanguard has built up an extensive footprint of industry-leading CFS and warehouse facilities which allows it not only to promise extensive global control of freight movements and best-in-class end-to-end visibility, but also to respond to the specific infrastructural requirements inherent in dangerous goods transport. Our sustained investment in hazardous cargo facilities means that we have state-of-the-art handling and transportation equipment and widespread cargo segregation capabilities in a range of fully-compliant, C-TPAT & AEO-certified locations.

• Vanguard has a world-leading hazardous cargo team with IMDG, ADR, & CLP expertise
• Vanguard operates separate HazMat warehousing space across 15 locations
• Vanguard can offer extended stays of up to 30 days
• Vanguard accepts a wide range of handling classes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, & 9.

Our expert staff

As specific product experts in hazardous cargo transport, Vanguard staff provide customers with the peace of mind that comes from a long track record of safety and compliance. Hazardous goods shipment presents not only a physical and environmental risk, but also a logistical and financial one. Identifying and addressing regulatory compliance issues reliably requires knowledge of legislation, extensive product expertise, and unwavering attention to detail – and these are the watchwords in our dedicated DG team, one of the largest in-depth HazMat divisions in the NVOCC sector. In our warehouses, meanwhile, certified DG staff provide on-site handling and on-the-ground correction capability as part of the integrated approach.

The specific capacities of our infrastructure and the excellence of our personnel combine to give Vanguard a commanding position in hazardous cargo compliance – which is why our customers trust us with thousands upon thousands of sensitive shipments every month.

 Please contact us to learn more about how we can put our HazMat capabilities to work for your business.

IPI & GATEWAY

As a leading neutral non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC) with a larger owned network than any other provider, Vanguard is ideally placed to offer fully-integrated IPI and Gateway programs to support global ocean freight consolidation services. These unique capabilities allow us to optimize inland costs for our customers to an unparalleled degree.

Inland point intermodal (IPI) network (import)

By using IPI services, customer benefit from high speed delivery of cargo with release at their destination of choice while enjoying best rates, all with the high standards of visibility and control provided by Vanguard tools and EDI as standard – and regardless of whether cargo is co-loaded with Vanguard at origin or part of a third-party CFS product. Our IPI capability enables customers to deliver door-to-door solutions.

The size and scalability of Vanguard’s extensive US coast-to-coast IPI network mean that it can offer 235 unique combinations and moves more cargo to more locations than any other provider. With the two largest container freight stations (CFS) in the New York and Los Angeles ports respectively, Vanguard handles the volume of cargo necessary to provide consistent, regular inland service. We have a twice-daily New York-Chicago shuttle, for instance, representing a level of frequency which allows us to provide airfreight speed of service using trucks on this and many other routes.

Gateway network (export)

With 40 years of expansion and excellence in Less Than Container Load ocean freight – and a substantial CFS footprint – behind us, we are able to make the advantages of our low-cost, high-performing infrastructure available to our customers.

By using our Control Tower software for load-planning, Gateway customers have the benefits of managing fluctuations and flexible sourcing with Vanguard – and enhance their own LCL program performance. As such, we can offer cost-effective and highly flexible volume management to help freight forwarders buffer peaks and troughs, providing last-minute and overflow capability. Moreover, with its range of hybrid solutions, Vanguard allows freight forwarders to select the Gateway options which best help them optimize their own operations.

Throughout the process, Vanguard’s industry-leading EDI and tracking & tracing ensure uninterrupted visibility and control.

Whether it is a question of moving imported cargo to its destination or helping to load shipments for export, Vanguard has the respective IPI and Gateway infrastructure and expertise to help freight forwarders extend and complement their networks.

 Please contact us to learn more about how we can put our IPI and Gateway solutions to work for your business.

LESS THAN CONTAINER LOAD (LCL) OCEAN FREIGHT CONSOLIDATION

Vanguard was among the first operators in non-container-sized cargo consolidation – and remains the premier NVOCC provider of LCL consolidation today. Our commanding position is a function of our structure, our scale, and our services.

Vanguard structure: complementing and extending networks

We manage the vast majority of shipments end-to-end: our network of own-managed facilities and offices allows us to maintain control of processes and ensure consistently high service standards. Our processes allow us to interface seamlessly with customers’ existing program, meaning that Vanguard’s reach can be used to complement large freight forwarder’s own networks and extend the reach of smaller operators – flexibly and efficiently.

Vanguard scale: reach and capabilities

No matter where on the globe, Vanguard offers access at consistent service levels: we complement our extensive own-managed network with selected, integrated agents to offer broader and deeper reach than other operators.

• Vanguard runs 1,200 direct services every week
• Vanguard operates approximately 24,000 port-to-port pairs
• Vanguard employs 3,000 LCL experts in 120 offices in 30 countries
• Vanguard partners with agents to extend into more than 100 countries
• Vanguard moves c.8 million cubic meters shipments every year
• Vanguard works with 35 carriers to ship more than a quarter of a million TEUs annually

Our size means that we can offer better reliability, higher frequency, and lower prices while maintaining capabilities such as best-in-class visibility and compliance throughout our network and proven DG handling competence. The scale of Vanguard’s operations ensures schedule integrity, lowers transit times, and all but eradicates roll-overs, securing our customers’ supply chains.

Vanguard services: IT integration and value-adds

As a tech-led organization, Vanguard sets new standards of IT integration in the logistics sector. LCL customers have access to our sophisticated technology platform, allowing them to plan and then monitor and manage their freight movements independently and using their own systems. Meanwhile, Vanguard’s range of value-added ancillary services which plug straight into LCL include CFS & warehousing and inland solutions: this is what makes Vanguard service truly point-to-point.

Vanguard’s size represents a real advantage not only its global coverage and service levels, but in the frequency of its sailings and the integrity of its scheduling – and, not least, in price. Find out more about our offer here.

ROAD NETWORK AND LTL

Vanguard is not just the premier provider of Less Than Container Load ocean freight consolidation, but also of matching Less Than Truckload logistics on land. Our strong road capabilities allow us to provide door-to-door shipments for seagoing cargo and offer stand-alone LTL solutions for freight forwarders’ domestic use in America and Europe – all with the same customer service, seamless integration, and end-to-end visibility that characterizes Vanguard operations.

Seamless, door-to-door solutions

Our broad network of carriers ensures that trucks are always available, always in time for cut-off at port, and always ready for delivery on the other end; this wealth of carrier agreements also allows us to offer highly competitive rates while providing genuine door-to-door service. What is more, Vanguard processes do not require class-of-freight information, for example, running on weight and cubic dimensions alone.

• Vanguard uses more than 35 carrier agreements to offer highly competitive rates
• Vanguard offers Class 70 FAK rating for all USA and Europe pick-ups and delivery
• Vanguard’s Shiprite quoting tool offers 24/7 LTL pricing
• Vanguard’s Shiprite on demand tool provides 24/7 LTL pricing, dispatch, tracking capabilities and a single invoicing process in the USA
• Vanguard offers best-in-class EDI milestones

At Vanguard, we have mirrored the expansion of our ocean freight network with an ever tighter web of road solutions to provide a truly integrated service.

Technology-driven approach

As a tech-led organization, we have developed a suite of tools that solve freight challenges – a full-service platform which we make available to freight forwarders of all sizes, enabling them to access door-to-door rate quotes, execute shipments, and track cargo, customizing trucking solutions on both ends to provide the best possible service to their clients. Our transport management system offers one-click solutions to door pick-up and delivery, integrating road movements into the ocean booking process.

Stand-alone LTL offering

Vanguard extends the networks of smaller freight forwarders and complements those of larger organizations by making its in-house LTL capabilities available to them as a stand-alone service. Customers can use Vanguard LTL to ship from or to their own CFS or third-party sites, to transport cargo with TSA or airfreight requirements, or simply to plug gaps in their own international processes.

Whether as part of an ocean shipment or as a discrete LCL service, Vanguard’s road network delivers truck capacity on time, using proprietary software to provide simple, door-to-door rates and best-in-class transport management services.

 Please contact us to learn more about how we can put our road network capabilities to work for your business.

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

As a technology-led organization, Vanguard implements cutting-edge systems which create real value for customers. We focus on process, usability, and integration so that customers can make informed shipping decisions in real time and monitor the progress of their cargo once it is on the move, and then pass on the added value to their own customers by integrating with our systems and processes. With the largest owned network worldwide, Vanguard is able to ensure the delivery of these solutions to a consistent standard across the globe.

End-to-end control and visibility

Part of being at the forefront of the shipping industry is maintaining technological leadership. As such, we provide freight forwarders using our network to extend and complement their own with access to a comprehensive suite of advanced online tools, including our Control Tower and Visibility Plus programs. Combined with one of the most comprehensive rating engines in the industry, our best-in-class door-to-door, tracking & tracing, and freight availability solutions allow customers to generate schedules and view estimates, book shipments, monitor transport progress, and release cargo in a highly user-friendly IT environment. Taken together, our applications promise nothing less than unmatched levels of control and visibility end-to-end.

Seamless integration and exchange

Vanguard supports customers’ businesses by offering peerless integration options which also make the added value of Vanguard’s industry leading tools available as part of customers’ own service offering. Besides offering streamlined integration, our strong EDI capability has allowed us to develop private label websites which offer all of the functions of our OEM tools as part of customer-branded interfaces. As such, Vanguard customers not only benefit from world-class technology services, but can pass this benefit on to their own customers as part of their service package.

Never before has it been easier for network operators to manage, control, and monitor cargo on a truly global scale than with Vanguard’s technology solutions – and never before have network operators been able to reap the benefits of IT integration to this degree. Vanguard: the largest owned network, the best technology solutions.

Best-in-class proprietary tools

• Control Tower – LCL load planning for customers and with Vanguard
• Visibility Plus – Track and Trace containers and goods with photographic records
• vRate Calculator – LCL quoting and rates for global destinations
• Freight Availability – early view freight availability across locations with multiple search options
• Track and Trace – Global door-to-door views of shipment status
• Shiprite on Demand – LTL quoting and booking for Vanguard and other LCL shipments