The Indian logistics sector is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by accelerating global trade volumes, far-reaching regulatory reforms, and the rapid integration of digital technologies across the supply chain. Freight forwarding, EXIM documentation, and customs clearance collectively constitute the operational backbone of international trade management; yet their interconnected influence on supply chain efficiency remains under-examined in empirical literature, particularly within the South Indian logistics context. This study investigates the operational practices and perceived efficiency of these three functional dimensions among professionals engaged in a Chennai-based private freight forwarding firm. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was administered to 50 respondents from documentation, logistics coordination, operations, and managerial departments. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. Empirical findings reveal that customs clearance operations recorded the highest mean score (3.836), followed by EXIM documentation (3.736) and freight forwarding services (3.488), all surpassing the neutral threshold of 3.0. A strong positive and statistically significant correlation was established between EXIM documentation quality and customs clearance efficiency (r = 0.629, p < 0.001), affirming that documentation accuracy is a critical antecedent of clearance performance. The regression model further confirmed that customs clearance is the dominant operational driver of freight forwarding efficiency. Cargo scheduling, real-time shipment tracking, and digital platform adoption were identified as areas requiring focused improvement. The study contributes an integrated empirical framework and offers actionable implications for logistics practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers engaged with trade facilitation and supply chain optimisation.
ADNAN.G et al. (Fri,) studied this question.