Aljex Software and iContainers.com have partnered to offer one-stop international transportation service from within Aljex hosted software. Now Aljex brokers, carriers and 3PL's can quickly and easily price, schedule pickup, and arrange documentation of LCL shipments to anywhere in the world directly from their Aljex screens.
LCL stands for less-than-container, the international equivalent of LTL (less-than-truckload).

Operating successfully in Europe since 2008, iContainers.com offers U.S. customers live online quotes and pricing for international air and ocean shipments. iContainers.com also handles local customs documentation required by the governments involved, and according to Andrew Scott, president of iContainers USA Inc., the web-based service is a major step forward for the shipping industry.

"Freight pricing is complex. It involves information from various vendors to determine optimal routing. iContainers.com simplifies this and provides instant answers for our customers," he said. "iContainers.com offers instant pricing and enables instant online bookings, much like travel sites do for passengers. iContainers.com handles documentation and local customs requirements as well as the physical transportation."

Using iContainers, Aljex users now can accept international shipments from their customers, extending the transportation services they offer. iContainers shipment data automatically populates their Aljex data base as well as forms and reports.

"We're very pleased to provide iContainers.com within Aljex," said Aljex CEO Tom Heine. "We believe it represents a breakthrough in international shipping, something many of our Aljex brokers will love to offer. After all, it's never a good idea to tell a customer 'you'll have to find someone else to handle that'."

Scott says that while iContainers currently handles only LCL shipments, the company will offer full container services and air freight in the near future.

For more information, visit www.aljex.com.