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# About chrt for Forwarders

> Overview of chrt's forwarder-facing capabilities — multi-leg orders, NFO and OBC, courier network, flight integration, billing, and common use cases.

Freight forwarders sit at the center of complex shipments, coordinating
between shippers, couriers, airlines, and customs. chrt gives you a single
platform to manage all of it: build orders with multiple legs, assign
different couriers to each leg, track cargo across ground and air, and
keep every stakeholder informed.

## What chrt does for freight forwarders

### Build complex, multi-leg orders

chrt's order system was designed with freight forwarding in mind. Orders
are composed of **task groups** — each representing a leg of the journey
that can be assigned to a different courier and tracked independently.

A typical multi-modal order might look like:

1. **Ground pickup** — local courier collects cargo from the shipper.
2. **Airport transfer** — courier tenders cargo to the airline at the
   origin airport.
3. **Flight leg** — cargo flies, with FlightAware-powered status
   tracking.
4. **Airport recovery** — destination courier recovers from the airline.
5. **Final delivery** — destination courier delivers to the consignee.

Each leg is a separate task group. Assign the right courier, attach a
rate sheet, set flight info, and specify what documentation is required
at every handoff. Build orders through the web UI, our
[API](/api-reference), or our [SDKs](/sdk). See
[Multi-leg orders](/forwarders/multi-leg-orders) for the segment-by-
segment walkthrough.

### NFO (Next Flight Out)

For time-critical shipments that need to move immediately by air, build
a ground + flight + ground order and use the **Next 6 hr** flight search
on the Flights tab to find the soonest available departure. chrt creates
the milestone tasks (airline accepted cargo, tendered, departed, in
flight, arrived, recovered) and tracks the flight automatically. See
[Next Flight Out (NFO)](/forwarders/nfo).

### OBC (Onboard Courier)

For the highest-value, most time-sensitive shipments, chrt supports
onboard-courier service — a dedicated person accompanies the cargo
door-to-door:

* One segment holds **multiple flight legs** in sequence.
* chrt writes per-leg **board / depart / arrive / deboard** milestones
  plus wrapper pickup, airport handling, customs, and delivery
  milestones around them.
* The full chain-of-custody is tracked across every leg.

OBC is configured on the same Flights tab as flight segments. See
[Multi-leg orders → OBC](/forwarders/multi-leg-orders#5-configure-an-onboard-courier-segment).

### Book commercial cargo space

chrt embeds **WebCargo by Freightos** inside the Flights tab so you can
compare rates and book cargo space on commercial airlines without
leaving the order. Bookings made through WebCargo link back to the chrt
order via an external booking reference. See
[Flights and WebCargo](/forwarders/flights#book-with-webcargo).

### Manage your network

Your network is your business. chrt helps you build and maintain it:

* **Discover** shippers and couriers in the public directory — browse
  profiles, service areas, and capabilities.
* **Connect** with shippers who need forwarding and couriers who can
  execute legs. Connections are free and unlimited.
* **Off-platform** providers can be recorded for partners who aren't on
  chrt yet.
* **Default rate sheets** attach per connection so pricing auto-applies
  on new orders.

See [Managing your courier network](/forwarders/network).

### Track everything in real time

Once orders are in motion, chrt gives you full visibility:

* **Order-level view** — status of every order across your portfolio.
* **Task group detail** — driver location, task progress, and
  documentation per leg.
* **Flight tracking** — automatic FlightAware status for air freight
  legs.
* **Device tracking** — attach [chrt tracker devices](/trackers) for
  independent GPS and temperature monitoring that survives every
  hand-off.
* **Messages and files** — per-task-group attachments for coordination
  between parties.

See [Tracking shipments](/shippers/tracking) for the order page
reference and [Trackers for international cargo](/forwarders/trackers)
for the multi-leg tracker pattern.

### Notifications and webhooks

chrt's notification system is built for multi-party operations:

* **Notification groups** — group your dispatch, ops, and finance teams
  and subscribe each to the relevant events (order staged, courier
  assigned, flight arrival, invoice opened) on the right channels
  (email, SMS, push).
* **Ad-hoc notifications** — send tracking updates for specific orders
  to external contacts like the end recipient or the shipper's customer.
* **Webhooks** — pipe events into your TMS or other systems for
  automated workflows.

### Billing and rate sheets

chrt manages the dual financial flow that forwarders deal with:

* **Rate sheets** — define pricing for shipper-to-you and you-to-courier
  on each leg.
* **Line item groups** — auto-generated per task group with base rates,
  mileage, surcharges, and adjustments.
* **Statements** — group line items into invoiceable units; one per
  order for forwarders and shippers, one per task group for couriers.
* **Stripe Connect** — collect from shippers and pay couriers through
  the same payment processor.
* **Ledgers** — roll statements into weekly or monthly billing periods
  per counterparty.

See [Billing for forwarders](/forwarders/billing).

## Cargo types

chrt supports a wide range of cargo classifications. When building
orders, you specify the type for each cargo item, which drives handling
requirements and pricing. See [Cargo Types](/docs/concepts/cargo-types)
for the full list.

## Common use cases

#### Medical logistics

Coordinate shipments of pharmaceuticals, organs, lab specimens, and
medical devices with full cold-chain visibility. chrt supports
temperature monitoring through tracker devices, requires photo and
signature documentation at every handoff, and provides immediate alerts
for exceptions. Ideal for medical logistics companies managing hospital-
to-hospital and lab-to-lab shipments.

#### Time-critical air freight

Manage NFO and OBC shipments with end-to-end tracking across ground and
air. chrt integrates with FlightAware for automatic flight status
updates, lets you assign different ground couriers at origin and
destination, and provides granular visibility into every phase of the
journey.

#### Multi-modal supply chain

Orchestrate complex supply chain movements involving multiple carriers,
transport modes, and handoff points. chrt's task group model lets you
break a shipment into independently managed legs, assign the right
courier to each, and track everything from a single dashboard.

## Getting started

Start with [Getting Started as a Forwarder](/forwarders) for the
end-to-end onboarding path, or jump to the topic you need:

* [Multi-leg orders](/forwarders/multi-leg-orders)
* [Next Flight Out (NFO)](/forwarders/nfo)
* [Flights and WebCargo](/forwarders/flights)
* [Managing your courier network](/forwarders/network)
* [Trackers for international cargo](/forwarders/trackers)
* [Billing for forwarders](/forwarders/billing)

For API integration, our base URL is `https://api.chrt.com`. We offer
SDKs in [TypeScript, Java, and Swift](/sdk) and full endpoint
documentation in our [API Reference](/api-reference).

Need help? [Contact support](/support).