MUSSON INTERNATIONAL Freight Fwdrs - LA, LLC., handles all manner of shipment worldwide. Our carefully chosen global network of agents specialize in project shipments, and general forwarding.

Our in-house computerized system equips our operations department to quickly complete all import, and export documentation requirements in order that your service  needs are met, or possibly exceeded.

In 2000, we received our ISO certification, and in 2002, we upgraded to the highest ISO9001-2000 certification that a freight forwarding company can achieve, confirming our commitment to the highest quality service you can get from an international freight forwarding company. Please contact us to receive our competitive quotation on your international traffic to or from North America.

The standard method of shipment is as follows: You want to know how much it costs to send something from somewhere in the world to somewhere else (not necessarily anything to do with Canada). With your approval of our salespersons quotation, our operations team arranges the movement of your cargo, the booking is made with the suitable carrier, you get a copy of the sailing details as they are made known to us by the line (including where, and when we expect to place equipment for you to load). Once you load, the freight is taken to the line's own terminal, where they arrange movement to it's destination. Musson International adopts the understanding that you/your supplier know how to weigh and measure your own cargoes, as well as properly load, block, and brace them for transport by truck, air, and sea freight. Should you wish Musson to arrange that your cargo is properly packed, loaded, blocked, and/or braced, you need only ask us to quote the additional charge(s) before we arrange equipment to be placed. Please know that for less than container loads, the airlines, and terminals check weigh and measure the cargo they receive, and it is THEIR checked weights and measurements that you are charged on. At destination (directly after booking the freight and advising you the estimated transit details) our agent is also advised the same information, so we each know as much about the expected transport details. Once the cargo arrives at destination, the agent can arrange for customs clearance, and delivery - if your consignee has not already arranged that (as per your terms of sale).

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There are many definitions for project shipments. To some forwarders, it is simply a  short-term regular movement of easily manageable cargo - for others, a project denotes spending a long period of time getting information together to handle a single shipment. 

Our company views a project as the movement of an oversized cargo, by air, and sea - crated, containerized, and break-bulk pieces from worldwide suppliers to one destination either over a protracted length of years, or as little as weeks.  The picture at right shows our turn key project to Hawaii - an environmentally friendly dockside bulk cargo loader/un-loader. The piece measures approximately 70 feet high, and was assembled from multiple worldwide shipments (all handled by Musson), arriving at destination and assembled by the manufacturer's own technicians before the contract met it's deadline.

The full particulars of your shipment are roughed out in the initial project staff meeting - what is expected from what location, going where, when, who's doing what and so-on. Following fax communications keep your team, constantly informed of all shipments' progress, and when changes occur in timelines, everyone is properly informed. Our Web site does have tracking facilities which enable you to track your own shipments, but you get updates from our own operations person handling your project, as new information becomes available. Clear digital photographs can be taken and emailed, or we can print photo quality glossy images and courier them. Contact us if you wish this additional service for regular freight moves. 

The picture just above shows a marine diesel engine arriving in Portland Oregon airport, having just been flown from France, to re-fit a booked cruise ship between stops. After a little debate, it was finally considered a project due to the extreme urgency from the initial call (the morning of the day before), to the arrival at ship's side the next afternoon. Added was the heavy lift crane that had to be located, and delivered to meet the arrival of the heavy lift aircraft we booked, the double drop extended trailers at both origin and destination, and the police escorts for the extra wide and heavy load.

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We are (as is our worldwide network of agents) well versed in charter shipments. Charters are high volume shipments demanding the highest degree of expertise. It is expected that the owner of the goods sign as the charter party, and provide necessary costs associated with the movement in the time advised by the line. We must have absolutely all information concerning transportation requirements - deadlines, funding, restrictions, banking instruments, everything in order to properly handle your shipment. We work with the written information you provide - should you leave something very minor out, it will surprise you how often that blossoms into a very costly situation for you. We work to avoid "situations", but we only make decisions based on the information you provide.

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Musson International offers this service through a full choice of proven long haul, and local cartage companies. We have handled simple Mexico destined skid loads, to convoys of double drops, low boys, and trombones. It is an unfortunate fact that simple local LTL shipments are usually too small to make profit on without an airfreight or sea-freight move to make the difference. The picture at right is a 15 foot high piece on a double drop bound for Singapore.

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We have tried a number of warehouses throughout the years - we believe we have the correct mix now, suitably outfitted to handle the varied tasks we give them - cars, tires, live cats and dogs, drugs, carpets, engines, large and delicate medical equipment, etc. We have not, yet, found one warehouse which is expert enough (to our satisfaction) to handle all the commodities we move. We therefore work with several warehouses, and load terminals (depending on your requirements).

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Our Open Policy with the Maritime Insurance Company allows us to provide the insurance coverage that you require - from "All Risks" to "FPA" at very favorable rates.

Insurance is a very necessary cost when moving your freight. Consider, for example, the photograph at left, the load was "secured" by the shipper themselves. After obviously falling about all over the place, bottles of liquid contained inside the boxes leaked into the floor of the container, requiring the whole floor to be replaced. When the obligatory legal matters were settled, the shipper lost their product, they paid court costs, the HAZMAT clean up and destruction costs, our costs to freight the container to destination, storage costs, and the replacement of the container floor - all because they refused insurance.

We PLACE insurance with the insurance company, meaning that we (ourselves) do not insure your freight (the Maritime Insurance Company does). The money DOES NOT come from our account (should you have a claim), nor will we cancel or reduce the freight invoice, should you suffer loss and/or damage to your shipment. Only if you have been invoiced for insurance, and we have been paid our full invoice amount, will we work on your claim. At that point, the insurance company will either want proof of a lost shipment, or send an adjuster to view the damage. They will then place blame with whomever lost, or damaged the freight, and you will be paid the claim amount by the insurance company. The insurance company then subrogates against those that caused the loss/ damage. Again, we do not work on a claim unless we invoiced you for insurance, and our invoice has been fully paid, and we receive written notification of the amount of damage/ loss.

Remember the reason why you insure your car, your house, your life - just in case something bad happens. Without insurance, you get very little more than sympathy. The same is true of your shipments; however, in many extreme cases, you not only lose your cargo and its entire value, but you pay for the loss of the container, the freight cost to get it to destination (regardless of whether it got there or not), the fines resulting for not delivering on time, and you might also pay a percentage of the total loss that others suffered (in the case of an airline going down, or a steamship vessel sinking or getting beached like these shown here). Musson arranges to move your cargo, and pays the lines to ensure that your freight is released when it gets to destination; however, if there is a mishap, invoices will not be cancelled - you are still required to pay the full invoice amount, regardless of the condition that cargo arrives in (even if it DOESN'T arrive).

Click HERE to read about this.

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