Alaska Air Forwarding: A Government Approved Carrier
At Alaska Air Forwarding, we are proud of the many successes of our company. Over the course of the last half-century, we have grown from being a buying service to Alaska fishermen, to being a full-service Alaska freight forwarder servicing many businesses and industries throughout North America. However, one additional fact that we are equally proud of is our status as a government approved carrier. A government approved carrier is one that is dedicated to the government’s transportation needs. As a company, we were required to go through a significant amount of clearance in order to achieve the status of “government approved carrier” particularly as it pertains to the Department of Defense. Here are the requirements that Alaska Air Forwarding had to meet in order to become a DOD government approved carrier.
NEEDED FOR DOD APPROVAL
“To be considered for the program, carriers must have one year of passenger transportation experience and successfully pass a pre-qualification safety inspection. Participating carriers must also undergo rigorous onsite safety inspections that include facility, terminal, and equipment every two years per the Passenger Safety Inspection Program. Carriers will be subject to unscheduled safety inspections to monitor continued compliance.” Defense Travel Management Office
The following are the requirements set forth by the DOD that we at AAF were required to meet:
- Signed Military Bus Agreement
- Copy of Operating Authority
- Certificate of Insurance
- Copy of carrier personnel and complete inventory list of equipment
- Signed copies of Statement of Common Financial or Administrative Control Sheet and Drug/Alcohol-Free workplace certificate
- Standard Carrier Alpha Code
- Certified Financial Statement
- Register with System for Award Management (SAM)
- Satisfactory fitness rating
- Prequalification and inspection of equipment and facilities
Alaska Air Forwarding met all of these requirements with flying colors and this status enables our staff to work with both Commercial Bills of Lading (CBL) and Government Bills of Lading (GBL). A Commercial Bill of Lading basically serves as evidence of the title for receipt of goods and services. This is somewhat different than a government bill of lading.
WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT BILL OF LADING?
A government bill of lading is a controlled document that conveys specific terms and conditions to protect the interest of the government and also serves as the contract of carriage. With a government bill of lading, we are able to transport equipment for the Department of Defense (DOD) as well as the General Services Administration (GSA).
So for example, with a GBL in hand, we become an agent for the United States government indicating that we have been entrusted by either the Department of Defense or other General Service agency of the government to act on their behalf during the course of shipping freight from point A to point B.
Our quick and cost-effective delivery has earned us a favored position when it comes to working with the government. We are also Syncada enabled, which means we can quickly and efficiently receive payments via the Syncada cloud network. This financial supply chain has brought an increased measure of efficiency to all government shipping transactions minimizing paper work and providing a secure platform for transferring payments.
ADVANTAGES TO ALASKA
How does our status as a government carrier benefit Alaska? Well, quite simply, we enable Alaska to easily receive the government support it needs. For example, when it comes to supporting the infrastructure of the state of Alaska, Alaska Air Forwarding is able to provide equipment needed for repairing roads after a harsh winter. Additionally, there are federal buildings in Alaska that are funded by the US government. When items are needed to support the daily operations of these agencies, Alaska Air Forwarding is the carrier of choice thanks to our government-approved status.
As a government-approved freight shipping company, we offer yet another reason to trust Alaska Air Forwarding with your shipping needs.
