Overweight cargo in international air freight can typically be handled by paying excess charges, splitting the cargo, or requesting special transportation services. Possible penalties include an overweight surcharge, a higher chargeable weight, and penalties for load imbalances caused by overweight.
In this article, Weefreight provides a detailed analysis, which we hope will be helpful.
Handling Methods
Paying excess charges: If the overweight cargo is less than 32 kg and there is space on the flight, the shipper can choose to pay excess baggage fees at the airport.
Splitting: Splitting the overweight cargo into multiple smaller packages within the weight limit ensures that each package complies with the airline’s regulations.
Requesting special transportation services: For overweight cargo that cannot be split, you can request special transportation services from the airline, such as FedEx’s “Freight Economy” service.
Changing the mode of transport: If your overweight cargo exceeds the airline’s restrictions and cannot be handled by other means, consider changing the mode of transport, such as sea freight.
Penalties
Additional overweight surcharges: Airlines will charge an overweight surcharge for individual pieces of cargo that exceed the weight limit. These surcharges are typically charged in two ways: a percentage of the excess weight, such as a 5 yuan surcharge per kilogram; or a fixed amount, such as a 500 yuan surcharge per overweight piece.
Charging based on a higher chargeable weight: For overweight cargo, airlines may adjust the chargeable weight calculation method. For example, one airline may calculate the chargeable weight of a piece of cargo exceeding 100 kilograms as 1.2 times the actual weight, resulting in an increased freight rate.
Loading imbalance penalties: If overweight cargo causes an imbalance in the aircraft’s loading, you may face an additional penalty of 50%-200%.
If you have any international logistics service needs, please click the floating chat icon in the lower right corner or other contact information in the lower right corner of the page to communicate with us immediately!
