Getting Started as a Forwarder

This guide walks a freight forwarder through the smallest path from sign-up to a multi-leg shipment in motion. By the end you will have a forwarder organization on chrt, a customer connected, a courier network you can dispatch to, a default rate sheet, and your first order built and assigned.

Before you start

You need:

• A work email address.
• An idea of the kinds of shipments you orchestrate — single ground legs, ground + flight + ground hand-offs, or hand-carry (OBC) — so you know which flows to set up first.
• The handles or names of the shippers and couriers you already work with.

Step 1: Create your forwarder organization

1. Go to chrt.com/sign-up.
2. Enter your name and work email, then create a password (or continue with Google).
3. Enter your company name and a public handle when chrt asks you to create or select an organization.
4. Choose Provider when chrt asks how your organization uses chrt. Freight forwarders are providers — the same organization mode as couriers, with access to the full multi-leg builder.

chrt routes provider sign-ups through subscription checkout before dropping you in the app. Complete checkout to land on the activation checklist.

Step 2: Invite operators and dispatchers

A forwarder org typically has dispatchers, ops coordinators, and finance people. Invite them now so they can pick up work as it comes in.

1. Open Members settings.
2. Click Invite user and enter their email.
3. Choose Admin for managers who need to manage members or billing, Operator for dispatchers and coordinators, and Member for limited access (drivers, contractors, or other role-restricted users).

See Add an organization member for role definitions and the full invite flow.

Step 3: Add a customer

A customer is a shipper you forward for. If the shipper is already on chrt, search the directory and connect. If not, record them as an off-platform shipper so you can still build orders that reference them.

1. Open chrt.com/connections.
2. Click Find New and search for the shipper’s handle, or click Add off-platform shipper to record one that isn’t on chrt yet.
3. Confirm the connection to make the shipper available in the draft builder.

See Add a customer for the full flow.

Step 4: Build your courier network

Forwarders need couriers at both ends of every multi-leg shipment. Use the same connections flow to link up with the couriers you dispatch to.

1. Open chrt.com/connections.
2. Search for each courier by handle and click Connect.
3. Repeat in the directory for couriers in your origin and destination markets.

See Managing your courier network for the full network playbook and how to keep partner detail pages current.

Step 5: Create a rate sheet

A rate sheet defines what work costs and what you’ll earn. As a forwarder you’ll likely want at least two: one for what you charge a shipper, and one for what each of your couriers charges you.

1. Open chrt.com/rate-sheets.
2. Choose the rate sheet kind (Standard per-piece, Per-piece per-distance, Per-piece per-pickup — the right kind depends on how you price work).
3. Fill in base rates, mileage rates, and surcharges (wait time, after-hours, dangerous goods, fuel).
4. Save the sheet and set it as the default for the relevant connection so it applies automatically on future orders.

See Set up a rate sheet for the detailed walkthrough.

Step 6: Build and assign your first order

Forwarders place orders from the same draft builder as shippers, with the multi-leg segments and flight tooling enabled.

1. Open chrt.com/orders/drafts/new.
2. On Order setup, pick the shipper this order is for and add an external reference if the customer has a PO or order ID.
3. Add cargo for each item being shipped.
4. Add segments for each leg of the journey — a single ground leg, a ground + flight + ground chain, or an onboard-courier hand-carry. See Multi-leg orders for the full segment-by- segment walkthrough.
5. Attach flights on the Flights tab if any segment is air freight.
6. Add stops to each segment with addresses, contacts, cargo selections, and time windows.
7. Open Preview, click Validate, fix anything flagged, then click Submit.

Once submitted, the order moves to Staged and each ground task group goes out to the assigned courier to accept. You’ll see the order at /orders/<order-ref> with the live map, timeline, and task progress.

Step 7: Set up notifications

Configure who on your team hears about which events. Open Notification settings and create groups for dispatch, ops, and finance. Subscribe each group to the relevant events (order staged, courier assigned, task completed, flight arrival, invoice opened) on the right channels (email, SMS, push).

For system-to-system integrations into your TMS, enable webhooks and configure endpoints to receive the event payloads.

Related guides

• Multi-leg orders
• Flights and WebCargo
• Managing your courier network
• Billing for forwarders
• About chrt for forwarders