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What Does “Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder” Mean?

You’ve made an order on AliExpress (or a similar Chinese-based eCommerce platform) and have received a “Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder” status update.

What does this update mean exactly? Where is your package when you receive this alert and far away is it from delivery?

Let’s take a look…

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Summary: Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder

This update means that the line-haul operator (I.e the service that has been responsible for actually transiting the package overseas), has handed the shipment over to another carrier.

Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder – Guide

cargo docks and shipping container

Linehaul operators are the services that own or manage the airlines or cargo ships that transport shipments overseas.

For a package leaving China, it will eventually be in the hands of a line haul operator once cross-border transit is due to take place.

However, once the linehaul service has completed the stage of the shipment journey it is responsible for, the item will be handed over to the “next forwarder”.

This handover normally takes place at the entry point of either a transit country or the destination country.

How long the next forwarder will be responsible for the shipment at this stage will vary.

In some instances, the forwarder will carry out last-mile delivery to the recipient.

In other cases, there will be further to go and another carrier will play a part in the logistics of the shipment.

Essentially, it often depends on the distance remaining before the final delivery takes place.

How do You Find Out Who the “Next Forwarder” Is?

delivery van on road

AliExpress uses carriers such as Yanwen, Sunyou, and 4PX to ship items from China.

The tracking page within your AliExpress account or the carrier responsible for shipping should reveal details of the services that handle your shipment.

In other words, wherever you have seen the “Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder” update, there should be accompanying details on the provider currently responsible for your order.

That being said, these low-budget carriers can be less than reliable in the number of tracking updates that are sent to customers.

parcelsapp

If you can not find the details of the next forwarder, you can try entering the tracking number Into a universal tracker such as 17Track or Parcelsapp.

These free services will scan the databases of hundreds of carriers.

If information exists elsewhere surrounding the progress of your package, you should be able to find it using one of these.

Tracking Stuck on “Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder”

road block

There are no guarantees that the next forwarder will be scanning your package and sending out alerts.

Because of this many days, (sometimes weeks) can pass with no new updates occurring.

This is in no way unusual for an AliExpress delivery where standard delivery times are anywhere between 15 and 45 business days.

My advice is to keep an eye on your buyer’s gurantee period, (60 days for AliExpress), and come back to deal with the situation if the package hasn’t arrived by the time this period is drawing to a close.

At this point, you can open a dispute with AliExpress and/or contact the seller for a refund or replacement.

If you make inquiries too soon in the delivery process, you will be told to wait longer.

What Happens After a “Linehaul Handover to Next Forwarder” Update

delivery van outside home

As mentioned earlier how close to delivery your package is at this point is determined by where the “Next Forwarder” is in the transit chain.

If towards the end of the journey, it is likely that the forwarder will carry out the final delivery, or will be handing it over to the postal service that will do so.

You could be seeing your item within just a few days if this is the case.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, the next forwarder could be a cargo shipping agent.

cargo ship on open water

Your package may now be loaded onto a cargo ship and nowhere near the country of destination.

In this case, delivery would still be multiple weeks away.

Again, I would recommend that you ignore the tracking updates from AliExpress and/or the carrier (assuming you are even receiving any); and wait for more positive news once the shipment has arrived in the destination country.


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