Terms & Conditions

01 Definitions

• Consignment / Shipment — any goods, cargo, packages, or documents accepted by Forus Freight for transportation.
• Shipper — the individual or entity that tenders a consignment to Forus Freight for delivery.
• Consignee — the individual or entity named as the recipient of a consignment.
• Waybill / Air Waybill (AWB) — the shipping document issued by Forus Freight serving as a contract of carriage.
• Dangerous Goods — items classified as hazardous under IATA, IMDG, or applicable Zambian regulations.
• Force Majeure — events beyond the reasonable control of either party including acts of God, war, strikes, or government action.
• SADC — the Southern African Development Community region.

02 Our Services

Forus Freight provides the following logistics services, subject to these Terms:

• Road freight — domestic and cross-border within Zambia and the SADC region.
• Air freight — international export and import cargo handling.
• Sea freight — full container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) services.
• Customs brokerage and clearance.
• Warehousing and distribution.
• Real-time shipment tracking via our online portal.
• Last-mile delivery within Lusaka and major Zambian cities.

Forus Freight reserves the right to sub-contract any part of the service to reputable carriers while remaining the principal contractor.

02b Eligibility & Accounts

• To register a personal account or book a shipment as an individual, you must be at least 18 years old. Businesses may register through an authorised representative.
• You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account, and to keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account login details and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at info@forusfreight.com if you suspect unauthorised access.
• Forus Freight may decline to open, or may suspend, an account where information provided is inaccurate, incomplete, or where we reasonably suspect misuse — see also Termination.

03 Booking & Acceptance of Orders

• All bookings must be submitted via our online portal, email, or authorised agents. Verbal bookings are not binding.
• A booking is confirmed only upon receipt of a written confirmation or waybill issued by Forus Freight.
• The Shipper warrants that all information provided (description, weight, dimensions, value, and destination) is accurate and complete. Any misrepresentation may result in additional charges, refusal of service, or legal liability.
• Forus Freight may refuse any consignment at its sole discretion without liability.
• Booking confirmation does not guarantee a specific transit time unless expressly stated in writing.

04 Rates, Charges & Payment

• All rates are quoted in Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) unless otherwise stated. Foreign currency quotes are subject to exchange rate fluctuations and will be confirmed at invoice date.
• Quoted rates are valid for 7 calendar days from the date of issue unless otherwise specified.
• Chargeable weight is the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight (L × W × H ÷ 5,000 for air freight; ÷ 3,000 for road).
• Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date for credit-approved clients. All other clients must pay prior to release of goods.
• Late payments attract interest at 5% per month or the prevailing Bank of Zambia lending rate, whichever is higher.
• Forus Freight exercises a lien over all goods in its possession until all outstanding charges are settled.
• Additional charges may apply for re-delivery, failed deliveries, storage beyond 48 hours, or special handling requirements.
• Taxes, customs duties, and port charges are the sole responsibility of the Shipper or Consignee as applicable.

05 Liability & Limitation of Liability

• Forus Freight's maximum liability for loss or damage is limited to ZMW 50 per kilogram of the affected goods, or the declared value if a higher value has been declared in writing and an appropriate surcharge paid.
• Forus Freight is not liable for: loss of income or profit, indirect or consequential losses, delays caused by customs authorities or third parties, or damage resulting from improper packaging by the Shipper.
• Liability for international air shipments is governed by the Warsaw Convention or the Montreal Convention as applicable.
• Liability for road freight within Zambia is governed by the Road Traffic Act (Cap 464) of Zambia.
• Forus Freight is not liable for perishable goods that deteriorate during any delay unless negligence is proven.

06 Prohibited Goods

The following goods are strictly prohibited from being tendered to Forus Freight:

• Illegal narcotics, drugs, and controlled substances.
• Firearms, ammunition, and military equipment (without prior written authorisation).
• Counterfeit currency, forged documents, and contraband.
• Ivory, rhino horn, and any items prohibited under CITES regulations.
• Human remains (without appropriate documentation and prior authorisation).
• Any goods whose import or export is prohibited by Zambian law or the law of the destination country.

If prohibited goods are tendered, Forus Freight reserves the right to dispose of them in accordance with applicable law and to charge the Shipper all costs incurred.

07 Dangerous Goods

• Dangerous goods (chemicals, flammables, explosives, etc.) may only be accepted with prior written approval from Forus Freight.
• The Shipper must provide all required Safety Data Sheets (SDS), proper UN classification, and compliant packaging.
• The Shipper is fully liable for any loss, injury, or regulatory penalty arising from undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods.
• Handling surcharges apply to all accepted dangerous goods shipments.

08 Insurance

• Forus Freight maintains basic carrier liability insurance. This does not replace all-risk cargo insurance.
• Shippers are strongly advised to arrange their own all-risk cargo insurance for the full commercial value of their goods.
• Forus Freight can arrange cargo insurance on behalf of the Shipper upon request, at an additional premium.
• Insurance claims must be submitted in writing within 7 days of the delivery date or expected delivery date for lost cargo.

09 Claims for Loss or Damage

• Any damage visible at delivery must be noted on the delivery receipt and reported to Forus Freight within 24 hours.
• Claims for concealed damage must be submitted in writing within 7 days of delivery.
• Claims for non-delivery must be submitted within 30 days of the scheduled delivery date.
• Claims must be supported by the original waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, and photographic evidence where applicable.
• No claim will be considered for goods accepted without exception noted at delivery, unless concealed damage is proven.
• Payment of an invoice does not constitute a waiver of any claim.

10 Customs & Regulatory Compliance

• The Shipper is responsible for providing accurate and complete customs documentation including commercial invoices, certificates of origin, import/export permits, and any other required documents.
• Forus Freight acts as the Shipper's agent for customs purposes only when expressly instructed to do so in writing.
• Delays, fines, or penalties resulting from incorrect or incomplete documentation are solely the Shipper's responsibility.
• Forus Freight complies with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), and all relevant SADC cross-border regulations.
• Goods may be inspected by customs authorities at any time. Forus Freight will cooperate fully with such inspections.

11 Force Majeure

Forus Freight shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God (floods, earthquakes), war, terrorism, civil unrest, strikes, government embargoes, road closures, border shutdowns, pandemics, or fuel shortages. In such events, Forus Freight will notify affected clients as soon as practicable and will resume services as soon as the force majeure event ceases.

12 Data & Privacy

• Forus Freight collects personal and shipment data solely to provide its logistics services and comply with legal obligations.
• Data will not be sold to third parties. It may be shared with sub-contractors, customs authorities, and regulatory bodies as required.
• We only collect the personal data reasonably necessary to book, process, and deliver your shipment, or to respond to your enquiry — we do not request or store information beyond that purpose.
• By using our services, you consent to the collection, processing, and storage of your data in accordance with the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 of Zambia.
• You have the right to be informed, to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data, to withdraw consent at any time, and to object to or restrict certain processing, by contacting us at info@forusfreight.com.
• Full detail on what we collect, why, how long we retain it, and how cookies are used on this website is set out in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which form part of these Terms.

12b Refunds & Cancellations

Refunds, cancellations, and re-performance of service are governed by our dedicated Refund Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Nothing in these Terms limits, excludes, or purports to waive any refund right or remedy available to you under Zambian law.

12c Website Acceptable Use

When using our website or client portal, you agree not to:

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, system, or data, including by password guessing or bypassing security controls;
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or any code intended to disrupt or damage our systems;
• Use automated means (scraping, crawling, bots) to extract data from the site without our written permission;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive the source code of our website, tracking portal, or any underlying software;
• Interfere with or place an unreasonable load on our infrastructure;
• Impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity; or
• Use the website for any unlawful purpose.

We may suspend or terminate access for any breach of this section — see Termination.

12d Intellectual Property

• The Forus Freight name, logo, website design, and all content we create (excluding information you submit about your own shipments) are owned by Forus Freight Limited or our licensors and are protected under the Copyright and Performance Rights Act, Chapter 406 of the Laws of Zambia and applicable trademark law.
• You may view and print pages from our website for your own personal or internal business use in dealing with us. You may not reproduce, republish, or redistribute our website content for any other purpose without our prior written consent.
• "Forus Freight" and our logo may not be used in connection with any product or service without our prior written permission.

12e Copyright Complaints

If you believe material on our website infringes your copyright under Zambian law, please send a written notice to info@forusfreight.com including: (i) identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed; (ii) identification and location of the material you believe is infringing; (iii) your contact details; and (iv) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorised and that the information provided is accurate. We will review and respond to valid notices within a reasonable time and may remove or restrict access to the material in question pending resolution.

12f Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Forus Freight harmless from any third-party claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal costs) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the website or client portal, or your violation of applicable law — except to the extent such claim, loss, or expense arises from Forus Freight's own negligence or wilful misconduct.

13 Account Suspension & Termination

• Forus Freight may suspend or terminate a client's account without notice if the client breaches these Terms, provides false information, or fails to pay outstanding invoices.
• Upon termination, all outstanding balances become immediately due and payable.
• The client may close their account at any time by contacting support, provided all outstanding shipments have been completed and all charges settled.

14 Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

• These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Zambia.
• Any dispute arising from these Terms or the provision of services shall first be referred to mediation. If unresolved within 30 days, it shall be referred to arbitration under the Zambia Centre for Dispute Resolution (ZCDR) rules.
• The courts of Zambia shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any matter not resolved by arbitration.
• Forus Freight reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Clients will be notified of material changes via email or the online portal. Continued use of services constitutes acceptance of updated Terms.

14b General Provisions

• Entire agreement — these Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, and any waybill or invoice issued to you, form the entire agreement between you and Forus Freight regarding our services, superseding any prior understanding on the same subject.
• Severability — if any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will stay in full effect.
• No waiver — our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
• Assignment — you may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business.
• Third-party links — our website may occasionally link to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the content or practices of any site we do not operate.

15 Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, please contact our legal or compliance team: