NVOCC ocean freight software that holds the bond, the tariff and the house bill together
NVOCC ocean freight is the business of issuing your own house bills of lading and buying ocean carriage underneath them, as a non vessel operating common carrier. The Federal Maritime Commission requires evidence of financial responsibility of $75,000 for an NVOCC, or $150,000 for a registered NVOCC, under 46 CFR 515.21. Neurobird keeps the licence, the bond, the tariff and every house bill on one record.
Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight in short
- Hold licence and bond evidence with their renewal dates, visible before a booking is accepted
- Tie every house bill to the master bill underneath it and the tariff rule that priced it
- Keep the tariff current and referenced, so a quoted rate can be shown to match what is on file
- $75,000 Evidence of financial responsibility any person acting as an NVOCC in the United States must furnish under the Commission's rules. eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21
- $150,000 The higher amount required of a registered NVOCC, which is also strictly responsible for the acts and omissions of its employees and agents wherever located. eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21
- Pricing runs 249 to 1600 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What ocean transport intermediaries actually deal with
Why it stays broken
An NVOCC is a carrier on paper and a customer in practice, so it needs a carrier's tariff discipline and a forwarder's booking speed at the same time. Forwarding software handles the shipment, accounting handles the invoice, and the regulatory layer sits in a folder. Nothing joins them, so it stays a folder.
A registered NVOCC must furnish evidence of financial responsibility of $150,000 and is strictly responsible for the acts of its employees and agents.
The shipper party (NVOCC) must certify on the signature page its shipper status.
Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight Compliance Platform
One record per shipment tied to the regulatory position behind it: house bill, master bill, the tariff rule that priced it, and the bond and licence that make issuing it lawful.
- 1Hold licence and bond evidence with their renewal dates, visible before a booking is accepted
- 2Tie every house bill to the master bill underneath it and the tariff rule that priced it
- 3Keep the tariff current and referenced, so a quoted rate can be shown to match what is on file
- 4Produce the shipment file a claim or an FMC enquiry asks for without assembling it
What changes with Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight |
|---|---|
| The house bill, the master bill and the tariff rule that priced them live in three different places | Hold licence and bond evidence with their renewal dates, visible before a booking is accepted |
| Bond and licence renewal dates sit in one person's calendar rather than in the system that would stop a booking | Tie every house bill to the master bill underneath it and the tariff rule that priced it |
| A rate quoted from memory turns out not to match the tariff on file when a claim tests it | Keep the tariff current and referenced, so a quoted rate can be shown to match what is on file |
Who is this for?
The same house bill, three different operations.
You issue a few hundred house bills
You need the bond, the tariff and the bill in one place so nothing regulatory depends on memory.
You do both
Forwarding and carriage have different obligations. You need the record to know which hat a shipment was moved under.
You are foreign based and registered
The higher financial responsibility and strict liability for agents mean the evidence has to be current and findable.
How does Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight work?
Book against the tariff
A rate is quoted from a tariff rule that is recorded, so the quote and the filing agree at the moment the booking is taken.
Issue the house bill
The house bill is issued against the master bill it rides on, and both stay attached to the same shipment record.
Keep the licence live
Licence and bond evidence carry their own expiry, and the system says so before a booking rather than after a renewal lapses.
The shipment file, as your desk would keep it
Tick a booking to issue its house bill and watch the tariff and bond checks resolve.
| Requirement | Status | Next due | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ningbo to Houston, 4 x 40HC | current | in 42d | |
| Rotterdam to Savannah, 1 x 20GP | due soon | in 9d | |
| Shanghai to Long Beach, 2 x 40HC | current | in 120d | |
| Busan to Seattle, LCL 14 cbm | overdue | 3d late | |
| Ningbo to Houston, 4 x 40HC | current | in 64d |
Tick a requirement to file evidence against it.
What the FMC rules require of an NVOCC
The financial responsibility and liability provisions that define the licence.
Evidence of financial responsibility any person acting as an NVOCC in the United States must furnish under the Commission's rules.
eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21The higher amount required of a registered NVOCC, which is also strictly responsible for the acts and omissions of its employees and agents wherever located.
eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21The ceiling for a group or association establishing financial responsibility collectively, the lesser of the per member total or this figure.
eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21The definitions that separate an ocean freight forwarder from an NVOCC, which decides which obligations attach to a given shipment.
eCFR, 46 CFR 515.2Where more than one person operates under a common trade name, separate proof of financial responsibility is required for each corporation or person.
eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21Nvocc ocean freight software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is an NVOCC?
- A non vessel operating common carrier holds itself out as a carrier and issues its own house bills of lading, but buys the actual ocean carriage from a vessel operator. It is a carrier to its customer and a shipper to the vessel operator, which is why it carries its own bonding and tariff duties.
- What is the difference between an NVOCC and a freight forwarder?
- A forwarder arranges carriage as an agent. An NVOCC contracts as a carrier in its own name. The Commission defines both at 46 CFR 515.2, and the financial responsibility required differs: $75,000 for an NVOCC against a lower figure for a forwarder.
Does this replace our forwarding system?
No. It sits beside it. The forwarding system moves the shipment. This holds the regulatory position: the licence, the bond, the tariff rule and the house bill that together make the movement lawful.
How does it handle bond renewal?
Bond and licence evidence carry their expiry in the record, and the booking screen shows the status. A lapse should stop a booking rather than surface in an enquiry months later.
Why we are building this
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Where the requirement comes from
Primary sources, straight from the regulators.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 515.21, financial responsibility The bond amounts for forwarders, NVOCCs and registered NVOCCs, and the strict liability provision.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 515.2, definitions How the rules distinguish an ocean freight forwarder from a non vessel operating common carrier.
- Federal Maritime Commission, ocean transport intermediaries The Commission's own guidance on licensing, bonding and tariff obligations.
- eCFR, 46 CFR Part 520, tariffs The tariff publication requirements a rate quotation has to agree with.
How much does Neurobird NVOCC Ocean Freight cost?
Priced per licensed entity because the licence, the bond and the tariff belong to the entity. Shipments, house bills and users scale with the tier.
- Up to 3 users
- Unlimited house bills
- Tariff rule library
- Bond and licence calendar
- Unlimited users
- Master to house bill linking
- Claim file assembly
- Rate to tariff check
- Multiple licensed entities
- Separate proof per trade name
- Agent network view
- Priority support
Get free early access
Early access means we load your tariff structure and licence details before you issue anything, and you keep the account free while we do it.
Straight answer on where this is: The software is in development. Nothing is purchasable today. Early access means you shape it and pay nothing while we build.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.