There are nights that don’t just hand out awards: they build stories. Amidst a mix of celebration, recognition, and a kind of collective declaration— “the freight forwarder has stopped operating in the shadows and has stepped into the spotlight” —the first edition of the Top Freight Forwarders®  and Freight Forwarder Awards took place . This initiative, driven by Grupo T21 and the Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga), aims to recognize and highlight the strategic role of freight forwarders in Mexico.

The day began with a cocktail reception that quickly transformed into a networking and networking space for company representatives, partners, and industry leaders. Then came the main event: the awards ceremony, which, for the first time, put the spotlight on an industry that has historically operated behind the scenes in international trade.

During the event, Osiel Cruz, CEO of Grupo T21, explained that the award was created in response to a specific market need: to more clearly distinguish who’s who within the logistics ecosystem.

“Who is behind it? What solidity can I find?” the executive asked, noting that in an environment saturated with information, the intention of the index is to offer more solid references for decision-makers.

Osiel Cruz explained that the initiative took several years to develop and that the goal was not only to create a list, but to generate an exercise that would bring transparency and strengthen decision-making within international trade .

“We want to share information that allows decision-makers to make decisions based on reliable information,” he stated during his message.

The event also provided an opportunity to reflect on the role that freight forwarders have played in the logistics chain for years: indispensable, but often invisible.

Eva María Muñoz, president of Amacarga, summarized it by pointing out that this industry began to be more recognized when the market understood that moving goods was not enough.

“We realized that we weren’t just moving goods or money; we needed to deliver them to the right place at the right time,” he said.

He added that the visibility gained by the sector in recent years should also become an opportunity to promote greater professionalization and capacity building.

“We need to have awards, we need to be recognized, we need the world to see how good we are,” he said during his speech.

With more than 400 companies linked to the organization and a growing demand for higher standards, training and digitalization , the message of the night went beyond the awards given; the freight forwarder seeks to consolidate itself as a strategic player in international trade and stop being just the silent operator behind each shipment.

The first edition of the Freight Forwarder Awards concluded with camaraderie and conversations that all pointed in the same direction: building community, creating role models, and placing at the center an industry that, for years, made it possible for commerce to advance from a less visible place.

Here are the Top Freight Forwarders®:

1st EDITION TOP FREIGHT FORWARDERS® 2026
Pos. #	Company
1	Mexproud Shipping
2	XPD Global
3	Mablo Forwarding
4	RH Shipping
5	Universal Cargo
6	Scan Global Logistics
7	TIBA
8	TM Logistics
9	Valiton Corp & Logistics
10	Racing Cargo
11	KLN Mexico
12	Janjo Shipping
13	TEMPO Transport
14	Trade the World
15	Gallardo Position
16	BSM Forwarding
17	DICUPA
18	HAF Logistics
19	HORSE
20	Logisti-K
21	WePort

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Jennifer Galindo  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo From invisible operators to protagonists: the Top Freight Forwarders is born apareció primero en T21.

In a complex global environment, marked by disruption, cost pressures and increasing regulatory sophistication, the freight forwarder has ceased to be an operational actor and has become a true articulator of the supply chain.

Their role, although often invisible to the end customer, is crucial for foreign trade to function smoothly.

This was explained by Eva María Muñoz, president of the Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga) , who defined the freight forwarder as the businessman in charge of managing the integral movement of merchandise , from its origin to its final destination.

This task involves much more than coordinating a transfer: it involves designing a complete logistics strategy that considers routes, times, costs, regulations and risks.

In practice, the freight forwarder is the one who translates the complexity of international trade into concrete operational solutions. From choosing the mode of transport—air, sea, or land—to defining the appropriate packaging, managing permits and certifications, and coordinating customs clearance, their involvement is integral to the entire operation.

To achieve this, it brings together various actors such as carriers, shipping lines, airlines, customs agents and authorities

“Their goal is to ensure that the customer receives the merchandise from point A to point B without any problems,” Muñoz summarized to T21.

This seemingly simple premise encapsulates one of the greatest challenges of modern logistics: ensuring operational continuity in an environment where any disruption, from a port delay to a regulatory change, can generate significant costs.

Therefore, the value of a freight forwarder lies not only in execution, but also in the ability to anticipate and make decisions . Evaluating alternatives, optimizing routes, negotiating rates, and anticipating risks are tasks that directly impact the competitiveness of companies.

In this sense, their role has evolved into that of a strategic advisor, capable of supporting clients in their logistical and commercial decision-making. Furthermore, their involvement allows companies to focus on their core business.

“The client can focus exclusively on producing, importing or exporting, while the freight forwarder takes care of the entire operation,” Muñoz pointed out.

This delegation not only simplifies processes, but also reduces exposure to errors, non-compliance, or cost overruns

In markets like Mexico, where the dynamism of foreign trade is combined with highly complex regulations, this role becomes even more crucial. The proper management of documents, regulations, and timelines can make the difference between a successful operation and a vulnerable supply chain.

However, in a sector with multiple players and a growing supply of services, identifying the most reliable and efficient freight forwarders can be a challenge.

In this context, Grupo T21 has launched the first freight forwarder index in Mexico , the Top Freight Forwarders Index , in conjunction with Amacarga , an initiative that seeks to bring transparency to an environment where information overload creates noise and makes it difficult to distinguish who’s who within the industry.

This index represents an effort to organize the market, provide greater clarity for users, and recognize companies that are raising industry standards. At the same time, it paves the way for greater professionalization and competitiveness among logistics players.

As part of this initiative, the Freight Forwarder Awards will be held on May 29th , an event that seeks to recognize the country’s most outstanding freight forwarders. Beyond the awards ceremony, the event highlights the importance of these players in the supply chain and reinforces a key message: behind every successful logistics operation lies strategic, coordinated, and often invisible work.

At a time when resilience and efficiency are paramount, freight forwarders are becoming indispensable partners for companies involved in international trade. Their ability to simplify complexity, optimize resources, and ensure the smooth flow of goods positions them as one of the less visible, yet most critical, pillars of the global economy.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Jennifer Galindo / @GrupoT21

El cargo Freight Forwarder Awards recognizes the link that articulates the complexity in the logistics sector apareció primero en T21.

Creating the first index of freight forwarders in Mexico is a new initiative by Grupo T21 that seeks to contribute to transparency in a context where the excess of information generates noise and confusion among users, about who’s who within the universe of actors that participate in this sector.

With the collaboration of the Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga) , the publication specializing in logistics and foreign trade issues and producer of the Top 100 of Motor Transport and 100+ Influential People of Transport and Logistics , will carry out the exercise called Top Freight Forwarders which will be published in the June edition of T21 magazine.

“We had intended to carry out this initiative for several years, but for various reasons it hadn’t materialized. The important thing is that today we are in a position to achieve it thanks to the agreement reached with Amacarga to focus our efforts exclusively on its members,” said Osiel Cruz, CEO of Grupo T21.

Participation in this exercise will be through an open call to the members of the group; and joining will be a voluntary decision of each of the companies interested in being part of the first ranking of freight agents in the country.

It is important to note that participation will be free of charge for freight forwarders who register, only requiring a commitment to respond promptly to the questionnaires that T21 will send to representatives of participating companies to collect comparable information from the firms that register.

The methodology for evaluating and weighting the Top Freight Forwarders ranking is being designed by the T21 team based on the criteria that this type of indicator has at a global or continental level, in addition to having the advice of specialists and recognized professionals in logistics activities such as: Reto Malfatti , with more than 36 years of experience in supply chain ; Eduardo Asperó , with more than 30 years of experience in intermodal transport, and Héctor Landeros , consultant and specialist in foreign trade and customs issues where he has developed professionally for 29 years.

It is important to note that the information provided by the freight forwarders participating in this exercise will be handled with absolute confidentiality , and used exclusively for the purposes of ranking criteria.

The ranking will be revealed to participants at a private gala party called the Freight Forwarder Awards , which will serve as the closing event for the upcoming Amacarga congress on May 29.

Within this framework, recognition will also be given to freight forwarders with the best actions in terms of sustainability, inclusion policies, technological innovation and quality of service to customers , among other areas that will be evaluated.

The deadline for submitting information to participate in the ranking is April 10th ; and April 24th is the deadline to participate in the competition for the Freight Forwarder Awards.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @GrupoT21

El cargo Top Freight Forwarders, leadership in logistics amidst uncertainty apareció primero en T21.