The risk is not limited to poor service. An unreliable agent can create demurrage exposure, delayed clearance, uncollected cargo, disputed charges and reputational damage with your customer. References will not remove every risk, but they help distinguish a credible operator from a business that looks established only on paper.
Use references as one part of a wider partner-vetting process. Verify the company identity, operating locations, relevant certifications, memberships, service capability and peer feedback alongside the reference check. A strong partner should be comfortable with reasonable due diligence because they understand what is at stake for both sides.
How to request trade references professionally
Ask for references early enough to make an informed decision, but after you have established that there is a realistic commercial fit. There is little value in requesting contacts before you know whether the agent handles your required trade lanes, modes, cargo types and volume expectations.
Be direct about why you are asking. A clear request signals professional standards rather than suspicion. Explain that your company carries out reference checks before appointing new overseas agents or extending payment terms. State the type of references you need, ideally from freight forwarders or logistics providers that have worked with them recently on comparable shipments.
A practical request could read:
> Before we proceed with agent appointment, please provide two or three current trade references from freight forwarding partners that can comment on your operational performance, communication and payment reliability. Where possible, please include contacts relevant to the services and trade lanes we are discussing.
Keep the request proportionate. Two or three meaningful contacts are normally more useful than a long list of unverified names. Ask for the referee's company name, contact name, job title, email address, telephone number, the length of the relationship and the services provided. A generic mailbox with no accountable contact is less useful than a reference from a senior operations or finance contact.
Request references that match the proposed work
Context matters. A reference from a domestic road haulage customer may not tell you much about an agent you are considering for time-sensitive air freight imports or project cargo handling. Ask for referees who can speak to the work you intend to place.
If you are appointing an agent for UK import customs clearance, seek feedback from companies using their customs and delivery operation. If you plan to move LCL cargo, ask whether the referee has experienced their consolidation service, destination handling and document control. For credit arrangements, include a finance-focused question rather than relying solely on operational praise.
Questions to ask trade referees
Do not send a vague message asking whether the agent is "good to work with". Most contacts will respond politely, and a vague endorsement offers little protection. Instead, use concise questions that make it easy for the referee to give useful, specific information.
Ask whether they have worked with the agent in the past 12 months and what services or lanes they have used. Establish whether shipments were handled consistently, whether documents and milestone updates were provided accurately, and how the agent dealt with exceptions. You also need to understand whether quoted charges were transparent and whether invoices, disputes and payments were managed professionally.
For a structured check, ask these five questions:
- How long have you worked with this agent, and what type of traffic do they handle for you?
- Have they delivered reliable communication, accurate documentation and timely operational updates?
- How do they respond when there is a delay, claim, customs issue or unexpected cost?
- Are their charges and invoicing clear, consistent and resolved fairly when queried?
- Would you continue to use them for the same work, and are there any limitations we should understand?
The final question is often the most revealing. A referee may be unwilling to make a direct criticism, but they may qualify their answer by saying the agent is suitable only for certain ports, only for straightforward shipments or only where close operational control is possible. Treat those qualifications as useful commercial intelligence, not a reason to dismiss the reference entirely.
Validate the reference, not just the response
A positive email is not enough. Confirm that the referee is a genuine business contact with relevant experience. Check that the company operates in the market and service area described, and contact the referee through independently verified company details where possible. This reduces the chance of receiving a reference from a related business, inactive contact or unverified source.
A short telephone call can be more informative than a written reply. It allows you to ask follow-up questions and assess whether the referee speaks from real operational knowledge. Keep the call professional and respectful. You are not asking them to disclose commercially sensitive rates, customer names or shipment volumes. You are assessing reliability, capability and conduct.
Look for consistency between the referee's feedback and the prospective agent's claims. If the agent promotes specialist dangerous goods handling, but the reference only covers basic general cargo, that does not prove the claim is false. It simply means you need separate evidence before relying on that capability.
Red flags when checking trade references
One weak reference does not automatically rule out a partnership. Newer businesses may have a shorter trading history, while a specialist operator may have a smaller group of relevant customers. The deciding factor is whether the agent is transparent about those limits and whether the rest of your due diligence supports their position.
Be cautious when an agent repeatedly delays providing references, supplies only personal email addresses, offers contacts who cannot explain the relationship, or insists that all feedback must be handled through one person. Other warning signs include vague statements about service scope, contradictory information on payment practice, and referees who appear reluctant to work with the agent again.
You should also investigate patterns rather than isolated comments. A single complaint about a delayed vessel may reflect market disruption. Repeated concerns about missing updates, unexplained destination charges or ignored disputes point to a process problem. In freight forwarding, the quality of communication under pressure is often a better indicator than performance on an uncomplicated shipment.
Record what you learn and set the right terms
Keep a simple written record of each reference check: who you spoke with, their role, date, relationship length, services used and the key points raised. This creates accountability within your own team and prevents decisions being made from incomplete verbal recollections months later.
Use the outcome to set an appropriate starting arrangement. A new agent with excellent references may still begin with limited shipments, agreed operating procedures and tighter payment controls until the relationship has proved itself. For a partner with fewer references but strong verified credentials and a clear niche capability, a controlled trial may be sensible. It depends on the cargo value, customer sensitivity, route complexity and financial exposure involved.
As the relationship develops, continue to monitor performance. Trade references describe the past, while your operational scorecard shows whether the agent is meeting expectations now. Track response times, document accuracy, claim handling, invoicing quality and feedback from your customers. A trusted network is built through repeated evidence, not a one-off approval.
Build a stronger partner selection process
Reference checks work best when they sit inside a consistent approval process rather than being used only when a problem feels likely. Set a standard for when references are required, who reviews them and what conditions must be met before a new partner receives freight or credit.
A specialist directory and peer-review environment can support that process by giving your team visibility of company profiles, industry credentials and feedback before the first conversation. Trust A Forwarder is designed to help freight forwarders identify credible partners and build relationships on clearer evidence.
The right agent will see a trade reference request for what it is: a professional safeguard that protects both businesses. Ask clearly, verify carefully and let proven conduct guide the partnerships you choose to grow.