§ 515.32 - Freight forwarder duties.

§ 515.32 Freight forwarder duties.

(a) Notice of shipper affiliation. When a licensed freight forwarder is a shipper or seller of goods in international commerce or affiliated with such an entity, the licensed freight forwarder shall have the option of:

(1) Identifying itself as such and/or, where applicable, listing its affiliates on its office stationery and billing forms, or

(2) Including the following notice on such items:

This company is a shipper or seller of goods in international commerce or is affiliated with such an entity. Upon request, a general statement of its business activities and those of its affiliates, along with a written list of the names of such affiliates, will be provided.

(b) Arrangements with unauthorized persons. No licensed freight forwarder shall enter into an agreement or other arrangement (excluding agency arrangements not prohibited by law or this part) with an unlicensed person that bestows any fee, compensation, or other benefit upon the unlicensed person. When a licensed freight forwarder is employed to perform forwarding services by the agent of the person responsible for paying for such services, the licensed freight forwarder shall also transmit a copy of its invoice for services rendered to the person paying those charges.

(c) Information provided to the principal. No licensed freight forwarder shall withhold any information concerning a forwarding transaction from its principal, and each licensed freight forwarder shall comply with the laws of the United States and shall exercise due diligence to assure that all information provided to its principal or provided in any export declaration, bill of lading, affidavit, or other document which the licensed freight forwarder executes in connection with a shipment is accurate.

(d) Invoices; documents available upon request. Upon the request of its principal(s), each licensed freight forwarder shall provide a complete breakout of its charges and a true copy of any underlying document or bill of charges pertaining to the licensed freight forwarder's invoice. The following notice shall appear on each invoice to a principal:

Upon request, we shall provide a detailed breakout of the components of all charges assessed and a true copy of each pertinent document relating to these charges.

[64 FR 11171, Mar. 8, 1999, as amended at 80 FR 68737, Nov. 5, 2015]