Does a Freight Forwarder Need IMDG Training?

Does a Freight Forwarder Need IMDG Training?

Freight forwarders occupy a central position in international logistics. They arrange transport, communicate with shippers and carriers, prepare documentation, make bookings and coordinate the movement of cargo between road, rail, terminals and vessels. When dangerous goods are involved, these activities can directly influence whether a shipment is transported safely and in compliance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

This raises an important question: does a freight forwarder need IMDG training?

In many cases, the answer is yes. However, the IMDG Code does not base its training requirements simply on a person’s job title. The decisive factor is the function that the employee actually performs. A freight forwarder who prepares dangerous goods documentation, accepts dangerous goods for transport, arranges dangerous goods bookings or communicates regulatory information to shipping lines has different responsibilities from an employee who performs purely commercial work without any involvement in dangerous goods shipments.

Understanding this distinction is essential when determining the appropriate level of IMDG training.

What does Chapter 1.3 require?

The training requirements for shore-based personnel are contained in Chapter 1.3 of the IMDG Code. The fundamental principle is that personnel engaged in the transport of dangerous goods intended to be transported by sea must be trained in the dangerous goods provisions commensurate with their responsibilities.

The Code identifies numerous functions for which training is relevant. These include personnel who classify dangerous goods, pack them, mark or label packages, load Cargo Transport Units, prepare dangerous goods transport documents, offer dangerous goods for transport and accept dangerous goods for transport.

It also includes personnel who handle dangerous goods during transport, prepare loading or stowage plans, load or unload ships and perform inspection or enforcement activities.

Freight forwarding activities can overlap with several of these functions.

A freight forwarder may not manufacture the chemical, physically fill the drum or load the vessel, but that does not mean the forwarder is outside the IMDG training framework.

The freight forwarder as an information link

One of the most important functions of a freight forwarder is transferring information between the different parties in the logistics chain.

A manufacturer may provide the forwarder with a UN number, Proper Shipping Name, class, packing group and package information. The freight forwarder subsequently uses this information to arrange transport and communicate with a shipping line, terminal, agent or other logistics provider.

That information influences important decisions further along the chain.

A shipping line may use it to determine whether the dangerous goods can be accepted. Vessel planners may use dangerous goods information when determining stowage and segregation. Terminals need information to manage dangerous goods on their premises, while emergency responders may ultimately depend on accurate cargo information if an incident occurs.

A freight forwarder therefore needs sufficient IMDG knowledge to understand the information being processed.

This does not necessarily mean that every forwarder must be capable of independently classifying a complex chemical mixture. It does mean that personnel should understand the dangerous goods requirements relevant to the functions they perform.

Dangerous goods bookings require knowledge

Booking dangerous goods is not the same as booking ordinary freight.

The shipping line may need detailed information about the cargo before accepting it. The freight forwarder may therefore be required to communicate the UN number, Proper Shipping Name, class or division, subsidiary hazard, packing group, number and type of packages, quantity and other relevant information.

Additional provisions can apply depending on the goods concerned. Marine pollutants, limited quantities, temperature-controlled substances and other special categories can require additional consideration.

The forwarder may also encounter restrictions imposed by carriers, terminals or particular routes.

Without appropriate training, an employee may see dangerous goods information merely as a series of fields that must be copied from one system into another. IMDG training provides the regulatory context needed to understand what those fields mean and why accuracy matters.

Documentation is a major freight forwarding function

Documentation is probably the clearest example of why freight forwarders may require IMDG training.

Chapter 5.4 of the IMDG Code establishes requirements for dangerous goods transport documentation. The basic dangerous goods description normally begins with the UN number, followed by the Proper Shipping Name, class or division, subsidiary hazard where applicable and packing group where assigned.

For example:

UN 1263 PAINT, 3, II

Depending on the shipment, additional information may be required.

A freight forwarder who prepares, transfers or checks this information needs to understand the structure of the dangerous goods description and recognise when information is missing or inconsistent.

Simply copying information supplied by a customer does not eliminate the need for competence. A forwarder should at least be capable of recognising obvious problems that fall within the employee’s responsibilities and know when clarification should be requested from the consignor.

The freight forwarder should not, however, casually change a classification supplied by the shipper. If information appears incorrect, the appropriate response is to obtain clarification from the responsible party rather than inventing a replacement classification.

Does the freight forwarder become the consignor?

The distinction between a freight forwarder and a consignor is important.

A freight forwarder arranging transport does not automatically become responsible for every technical decision made by the original shipper. Classification, packaging and other responsibilities may remain with other parties depending on the contractual and regulatory circumstances.

However, a freight forwarder can perform functions normally associated with the consignor.

For example, the forwarder may prepare dangerous goods transport documentation on behalf of a customer, submit declarations to the shipping line or formally offer the dangerous goods for transport. In those circumstances, the employee performing those tasks requires knowledge appropriate to those responsibilities.

This is precisely why IMDG training is function-based rather than title-based.

Two employees working for the same forwarding company may therefore require different training.

Awareness training or function-specific training?

Not every employee within a freight forwarding company necessarily needs the same level of training.

A customer service employee who occasionally receives an enquiry involving dangerous goods but does not prepare, check or accept dangerous goods shipments may primarily require general awareness or familiarisation training.

A dangerous goods coordinator who prepares documentation, verifies shipment information, arranges dangerous goods bookings and communicates directly with carriers requires more detailed function-specific knowledge.

Chapter 1.3 distinguishes between general awareness/familiarisation training and function-specific training. Safety training and security-related elements must also be addressed as applicable.

The appropriate course should therefore follow the employee’s actual duties.

This is an important point for employers because assigning the same basic awareness course to everybody may appear convenient but does not necessarily satisfy the training needs of employees performing more detailed dangerous goods functions.

Training must come before responsibility

Another important requirement concerns timing.

Personnel must receive the required training before assuming responsibilities involving dangerous goods. Where the necessary training has not yet been provided, an employee may only perform those functions under the direct supervision of a trained person.

This has practical consequences for freight forwarding companies.

A newly recruited logistics employee should not independently begin preparing dangerous goods bookings and declarations simply because the person has previous general forwarding experience. The company should first establish which IMDG-related functions the employee will perform and provide or verify the corresponding training.

Training should also be periodically supplemented with refresher training to take account of changes in regulations and practice.

This is particularly relevant because the IMDG Code follows an amendment cycle. The current mandatory edition is the IMDG Code 2024 Edition incorporating Amendment 42-24, which became mandatory on 1 January 2026.

Road dangerous goods knowledge is not automatically enough

Multimodal freight forwarders frequently deal with ADR road transport as well as maritime transport. This can create another misunderstanding: an employee who understands ADR may assume that the same knowledge is sufficient for IMDG shipments.

There are many similarities between the systems because they are based on the wider United Nations dangerous goods framework. UN numbers, classes, packing groups and many hazard communication principles will therefore look familiar.

But important differences exist.

Maritime transport introduces requirements and concepts relating to matters such as marine pollutants, shipboard stowage, maritime segregation, Cargo Transport Units and sea-specific documentation and operational provisions.

Freight forwarders should therefore not assume that road dangerous goods training automatically provides the knowledge necessary for the maritime functions they perform.

Employers need to identify the functions

The employer has an important role in determining the appropriate training.

Rather than starting with the question “Which employees are freight forwarders?”, a company should map the actual dangerous goods activities performed within the organisation.

Who receives dangerous goods bookings? Who checks the information supplied by customers? Who prepares transport documentation? Who communicates the dangerous goods declaration to the carrier? Who deals with rejected bookings? Who determines whether additional information must be obtained from the shipper?

Those questions reveal which employees actually perform IMDG-related functions.

The organisation can then determine the level of training required for each group.

Training records must also be maintained so that the company can demonstrate which personnel have been trained and what training they have received.

Function-specific training for freight forwarders

For freight forwarders who actively prepare, arrange, check or manage dangerous goods shipments for sea transport, general awareness alone may not provide sufficient depth.

These employees need to understand the relationship between classification information, the Dangerous Goods List, marks and labels, segregation, documentation, Limited Quantities and the requirements encountered when communicating with carriers and terminals.

The E-learning IMDG Code Consignor / Freight Forwarder Course (English) available through IMDG-course.com is designed specifically for personnel performing these types of functions. The course covers the general IMDG framework together with classes, labels, packing groups, segregation, documentation and Limited Quantities.

For employees who only need a general working knowledge of dangerous goods transport by sea, the IMDG Awareness Training may be the more appropriate level.

So, does a freight forwarder need IMDG training?

The answer depends on what the freight forwarder actually does.

If an employee prepares dangerous goods documentation, offers or accepts dangerous goods for transport, processes dangerous goods bookings, checks shipment information or performs another function that affects the maritime transport of dangerous goods, IMDG training appropriate to those responsibilities is required.

For personnel whose involvement is limited to more general administrative activities, a general awareness level may be appropriate depending on their responsibilities.

The most important lesson is that “freight forwarder” is a job title, while the IMDG Code looks at functions.

A freight forwarding company should therefore map the dangerous goods activities performed by its employees and match the level of training to those activities. In international maritime logistics, accurate information is as important as correctly prepared cargo. Freight forwarders sit directly in that information chain, which makes appropriate IMDG knowledge an essential part of professional dangerous goods forwarding.