Join the UFO Network

Our friendly but professional ISO 9001:2000 certified group of companies was established in January 2000 and now cover over 110 countries in the world, offering far greater global coverage than other similar organisations.

 

One of the most important ingredients to our success is that we do not allow more than one Member per country. Please email admin@universalfreightorg.com to find out if the exclusive representation of your country is available.

 

Exclusive representation of your country Invitation to our Annual Network Meeting Online Payment Monitoring System UFO Freight Hotline and eQuote system Exclusive listing in UFO Traders Directory Bi-Annual Quality Control Survey Email Communication Service Monthly ‘Inside UFO’ Newsletter

Access to World Trade Database Full time network administration support  Code of Conduct compliance and neutral arbitration Customised marketing brochure Inclusion in UFO World Maps Participation in E-Pulse and Online Groups Access to UFO Mailing List (500+ workstations) MyUFO.org rate request system

Please only apply for membership if you intend to become a fully active member. Attending our Annual Network Meetings, contacting fellow offices and being visible is essential – the saying "out of sight is out of mind" holds very true when it comes to freight networking organisations. It is essential that each member makes every effort to do business with their fellow UFO partners. Hence our rule that requests when new business comes into the office, it must be offered for quoting to the UFO Member in the relevant country.

 

All UFO Members are given access to our password-protected Members Area, which boasts many exciting features: 

 

As our organisation is predominantly about acquiring, building and maintaining business relationships, we have recently introduced ‘E-Pulse, The Heart of UFO’. E-Pulse includes a company profile for each Member with their full company and contact details, which can be amended with automatic updates. Each profile also includes a ‘Wall’, which allows members to post messages, photographs and useful website links. Each profile can also display a Company Status Message, so members can announce new staff, company anniversaries, their ‘quote of the day’ or just how they are doing in the World Cup! Not only does E-Pulse provide excellent promotion for each Member but also enables everyone to keep up-to-date with news from their overseas partners.

 

Networking has long proven to be a major role in business marketing and UFO has supplied its Members with a superb online tool enabling them to maximise the benefits of the latest in online social technology.

 

The homepage of our Members Area features the UFO News Feed, which displays the latest entries to any of the company profile walls – allowing Members to keep up-to-date, in real-time. The password protected area also provides easy navigation to a large database of information, including our World Trade Database (launched in June 2010).

 

Established over a decade ago, the UFO network has been built on a foundation of mutual trust, sharing knowledge, experiences and resources to help Members grow their businesses.

 

Our Online Groups section enables Members to subscribe to different groups of interest. They are then able to add comments and get involved in discussions on the group wall. Although Members come from many different countries with varied cultural backgrounds, the issues and subjects that they face on a daily basis will often be very similar. The current groups are: Net net rates; Low profit shipments; Asian Air Cargo Market; Freight Trends; Excess Baggage; Road Transport Solutions; Service standards from airlines; Live Animals. Members can also start a new group topic by clicking Create New Group.

 

To be viewed as an extension to our Annual Network Meetings, the Online Groups section allows our Members to share information from around the globe, as well as gain knowledge of specialist services that they may be considering expanding within their company. It is the perfect place to discuss new ways of making profitable business in privacy and without outside interference. 

 

The biggest advantage of UFO is that we do not offer group liability insurance!  As UFO is one of the largest independent freight organisations in the world, we feel it is our responsibility to encourage healthy cash flow within our network and to help avoid any financial losses.

 

In the past, we have made investigations and consulted both specialist lawyers and insurance companies into the best options in which to protect our Member’s assets, including bond systems and group liability insurance programs. The outcome is that they can in fact be highly illegal, have complicated tax implications but more importantly, be open to fraud.

 

Therefore, in 2009 we launched the UFO Online Payment Monitoring System designed to encourage smooth cash flow between Members and to prevent late payments. The system has proven to be a great success with a ‘Statement of Accounts’ sent to Members every 2 weeks with the details of any outstanding invoices due to their fellow offices so that prompt and timely payments are made. Read more.

 

The Online Payment Monitoring System and our strict Code of Conduct together with our sense of family, the fact that we meet one another on an annual basis, means that our Members behave in a decent manner towards their fellow UFO partners.  Our Members understand that paying on time and operating in a professional manner results in repeat business and excellent relations with their overseas offices.

 

The UFO Head Office distributes a monthly newsletter to all Members. Each issue includes articles on Member’s projects, staff changes, changes in customs procedures, the latest companies to join, reminders of membership tools, official updates, features on useful websites and programs, etc. Combined with the Network News section of our website, we offer our Members pro-active management and up-to-date information.

 

If your application is successful, you will be invoiced a one-off Joining Fee (GB £400) and the Annual Membership Fee (GB £650-£800 depending on your location). Once payment is received, you will receive exclusive representation of your country with full membership benefits.

 

For further details, please email admin@universalfreightorg.com