Logistics
The intermediary who never touches the goods
You neither load nor store it, and yet all the paperwork passes through you. That is where liability sits.
You arrange the transport, choose the carrier, handle the documents and never see the goods. It is easy to think that whoever does not touch does not answer — and in practice the opposite holds: **all the information passes through you, so you are the only point where a mismatch can be spotted**.
Transport intermediary
Whoever arranges carriage without performing it: contracts the carrier, passes on instructions and documents, and is often the only party seeing the whole operation end to end.
What is yours even though you never touch the load
| What | Why it is yours |
|---|---|
| Choosing the carrier | You chose, with everything that entails |
| Passing on complete instructions | What you do not pass on, the driver will not know |
| Keeping each operation's documentation | You are the only point where it exists whole |
| **Spotting what does not add up** | **Nobody else sees both ends at once** |
Important
**The fourth row is what sets you apart and what is most ignored: you are the only ones seeing origin and destination on the same screen.** The shipper knows their part, the carrier theirs, the consignee the last. If a goods description does not match the destination, if a document is missing, or if the agreed temperature does not fit what was contracted, the only place that can be seen before the lorry leaves is your desk.
What to file per operation
- 1
Who you contracted and on what terms
Including their authorisation or licence where the carriage requires it.
- 2
The instructions you passed on, verbatim
If something is lost en route, it is what places you.
- 3
The operation's documents in full
Not only those you were asked for: the whole chain's.
- 4
And incidents, including small ones
A pattern with one carrier only shows if they were recorded.
Watch out
The specific risk of this position: **passing on a half instruction**. A «keep it chilled» with no exact temperature, a «delicate goods» that does not say what, a «deliver on site» with no site hours. The driver will do what they understood, and what they understood depends on what reached them — which came from you. The complete instruction, written and kept, is the invisible part of the job and the only one examined when something goes wrong.
Worth knowing
Which responsibilities an intermediary assumes, what licences they need and what documentation they must keep depends on the transport mode, the country and each contract. **Your adviser settles that**; here we cover the part independent of legal form: you are the only point that sees the whole operation.
›If I never touch the goods, am I liable?
For the choice, the instructions and the documentation, yes.
›Do I have to check the carrier?
At minimum that they are licensed for that carriage. And keep proof.
›How long do I keep the documentation?
Longer than the operation: claims arrive much later.
A real case
The situation
«Keep it chilled» is passed on with no temperature and the lorry arrives at another.
What you do
- Passes the full instruction in writing and files it with the operation
What you get
What was asked for is clear, and the driver knows what they had to do.
The situation
A claim arrives a year later and that operation's documentation is incomplete.
What you do
- Files every document per operation, not only those requested
What you get
The claim is answered with the file rather than with recollections.
The situation
A carrier accumulates small incidents nobody has ever recorded.
What you do
- Records minor incidents too, with dates
What you get
The pattern becomes visible and staying with them is decided on data.
The situation
A job is placed verbally and later the versions differ.
What you do
- Asks for written confirmation and keeps it
What you get
What was agreed stops depending on two memories.
The situation
The client complains about something the carrier did.
What you do
- Keeps what was agreed with each party
What you get
Each party answers for their own, with the trail in view.
The situation
Nobody knows whether the carrier is current.
What you do
- Checks their file before placing a load
What you get
The gap shows before the job.
This article answers
- freight forwarder documentation liability
- im a transport intermediary what papers do i keep
- freight broker obligations
- liability of whoever arranges the transport