What Global Freight Forwarding Inc does

Global Freight Forwarding Inc, operating primarily as AFS Logistics, is a privately held third-party logistics provider headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana (LA), with operations across 8 locations in the United States and Canada and a workforce of 380+ logistics teammates. Founded in 1982 as a freight audit and payment services company, AFS has expanded into a multi-modal 3PL serving 1,800+ companies across 35+ countries, with $11B in annual transportation spend under management. Its service portfolio is organized into four pillars: Parcel Services (audit, cost management, G/L coding, parcel value management), LTL Services (cost management, volume LTL, OptimaLTL, freight audit, OS&D claims), Audit Services (parcel, freight, post audit, ocean post audit), and Transportation Management (managed transportation, freight brokerage, freight forwarding, network design, 4PL services).

The company's underlying technology stack centers on proprietary freight audit and transportation management systems, supported by tools such as the TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index — a quarterly predictive rate-forecasting product co-developed with TD Cowen, leveraging nearly $39B in transportation spend data across truckload, LTL, express parcel, and ground parcel sectors. AFS also operates a blockchain-enabled Foreign Exchange Solution settling international transactions in more than 180 currencies, and holds regulatory credentials including IAC (Indirect Air Carrier) certification and an NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) license that enable its international freight forwarding capabilities.

AFS generates revenue through managed services fees on freight audit and payment, transportation management, and freight forwarding engagements, supplemented by professional services for parcel, LTL, and truckload consulting. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts, tailored to client transportation spend volume and shipment count. GTM is sales-led and B2B, combining a direct enterprise sales team, inside-sales phone/web inquiry capture, and content marketing via the AFS Insights blog, case studies, webinars, white papers, the AFS Exchange newsletter, and the thought-leadership Freight Index. The customer base spans enterprise shippers and mid-market companies across electrical distribution, food and beverage, retail, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Name

Global Freight Forwarding Inc

Legal name

AFS Logistics

Website

https://globalfreightforwarders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Freight Forwarding Inc (operating as AFS Logistics) is a private, multi-modal 3PL founded in 1982 that provides freight audit, parcel, LTL, and transportation management services — including freight forwarding and 4PL — to 1,800+ enterprises across 35+ countries, managing $11B in annual transportation spend.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Third-Party Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border Freight Brokerage (USMCA/EU, etc.) (TLADAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Transportation management services
• Freight audit and payment
• Parcel cost management
• Third-party logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Shreveport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Freight Audit and Payment Services: Managed freight audit and payment services where AFS processes and audits freight bills on behalf of clients, identifying billing errors and discrepancies to recover lost revenue. The company manages over $11 billion in transportation spend and pays millions of freight bills annually.
2. Transportation Management: Managed transportation, freight brokerage, and freight forwarding services helping clients optimize logistics operations. Revenue generated through service fees and carrier relationship management.
3. Parcel, LTL, and Truckload Consulting: Advisory services helping clients understand freight costs, negotiate carrier contracts, and optimize shipping programs across all modes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Freight Forwarding Inc (operating as AFS Logistics) provides third-party logistics services spanning freight forwarding, transportation management, freight audit, parcel management, and LTL cost optimization. The company manages over $11 billion in transportation spend for more than 1,800 clients across 35+ countries, offering multimodal international shipping (land, sea, air), customs brokerage, and freight rate analytics. Core offerings are organized into four pillars: Parcel Services, LTL, Audit Services, and Transportation Management, supported by the proprietary TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index.

Product overview

AFS Logistics provides a comprehensive suite of transportation management and logistics services organized into four core pillars: Parcel Services (including audit, cost management, G/L coding, and value management), LTL Services (encompassing cost management, volume LTL, OptimaLTL, freight audit, and OS&D claims handling), Audit Services (covering parcel, freight, post audit, and ocean post audit), and Transportation Management (including managed transportation, freight brokerage, freight forwarding, network design, and 4PL services). The company also offers the TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index, a proprietary quarterly freight rate forecast and market analysis tool. These interconnected services work together to help over 1,800 companies across 35 countries manage their shipping programs, from planning and execution through invoice auditing and payment settlement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index: A quarterly freight market index providing rate forecasts and insights for truckload, LTL, express parcel, and ground parcel sectors, developed in partnership with TD Cowen investment bank.
• AFS Exchange Newsletter

Products and services

• Parcel Services Comprehensive parcel management solutions including parcel audit, cost management, G/L coding, and parcel value management to optimize shipping operations for enterprise shippers.
• LTL (Less Than Truckload) Services Less-than-truckload shipping solutions including cost management, volume LTL, OptimaLTL, freight audit, and overage/short/damaged claim handling for mid-market and enterprise shippers.
• Audit Services Freight audit services covering parcel, freight, post audit, and ocean post audit to identify and recover billing discrepancies and inaccuracies for enterprise clients.
• Transportation Management End-to-end transportation management including managed transportation, freight brokerage, freight forwarding, network design, and 4PL services for comprehensive logistics control.
• Freight Forwarding International freight forwarding services providing expert management for trade lanes, customs clearance, carrier relationships, and multimodal transport for land, sea, and air shipments.
• Freight Brokerage Freight brokerage services connecting shippers with carriers to secure competitive rates and reliable transportation capacity.
• Managed Transportation Outsourced transportation management services leveraging TMS technology and expert oversight to optimize logistics operations for enterprise clients.
• TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index Quarterly freight rate forecast and market analysis tool providing predictive pricing for truckload, LTL, express parcel, and ground parcel markets based on nearly $39 billion in transportation spend data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced shipping costs by $1.2 million for Rexel USA
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TD CowencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021AFS collaborates with TD Cowen, a leading full-service investment bank, to produce the quarterly TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index. This partnership provides current, highly relevant data and insights on truckload, LTL, express parcel and ground parcel sectors. The index leverages massive client historical data and macroeconomic factors to produce predictive rate forecasts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RXO: Freight brokerage spin-off from XPO that arranges truckload, LTL, and last-mile services. Directly competes with AFS in managed transportation and brokerage for U.S. enterprise shippers.
• Echo Global Logistics: Technology-enabled 3PL providing truckload, LTL, intermodal, and managed transportation. Comparable to AFS in serving mid-market and enterprise shippers with brokerage and TMS-enabled services.
• Hub Group: Intermodal and logistics services provider offering truck brokerage, dedicated, and supply chain solutions. Comparable to AFS in managed transportation and multi-modal freight services for enterprise customers.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Largest U.S. third-party logistics provider and freight broker, offering truckload, LTL, intermodal, and global forwarding. Directly comparable to AFS in providing managed transportation, freight audit, and brokerage services to enterprise shippers across multiple modes.
• Coyote Logistics: UPS-owned freight brokerage and 3PL offering truckload, LTL, intermodal, and managed transportation. Directly comparable to AFS in multimodal brokerage for enterprise shippers, now backed by UPS's scale and network.
• Landstar System: Asset-light freight transportation services provider using a network of independent agents and owner-operators. Comparable to AFS in providing truckload and multimodal brokerage with a non-asset-based model.
• ArcBest: Asset-based freight carrier and logistics provider with truckload, LTL, and supply chain solutions. Comparable to AFS in serving enterprise customers with managed transportation and freight services.
• Worldwide Express: Third-party logistics provider focused on LTL, truckload, and parcel services for enterprise and mid-market shippers. Directly comparable to AFS in multi-modal 3PL service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Expeditors International: Global logistics company specializing in air and ocean freight forwarding plus customs brokerage. Comparable to AFS's NVOCC and customs brokerage services, but operates at significantly larger scale with global owned operations.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest global freight forwarders offering ocean, air, road, and contract logistics. Comparable to AFS's international freight forwarding services but at vastly greater scale, with owned global infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-freight-forwarding-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Freight Forwarding Inc