Digital Forwarders AllianceEst. Northbrook, IL

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Membership tiers & benefits

Three tiers, transparent pricing, voting rights from day one. Your first month is on us.

Three tiers

Pick the plan that fits your operation.

All tiers include voting rights, the full member library, regional meetup access and our monthly compliance brief. Larger tiers add team seats, certifications and direct advocacy support.

Individual

For licensed brokers and sole-practitioner OTIs.

$290 / year
  • 1 named member seat
  • Full resource library
  • Monthly compliance brief
  • Regional meetup access
  • Member-only forum
  • 15% discount on CFS coursework
Apply

Corporate

For independent forwarders and customs houses.

$1,450 / year
  • Up to 12 named member seats
  • Everything in Individual, plus:
  • Annual rate benchmark report
  • Two complimentary summit passes
  • Quarterly compliance office hours
  • 30% discount on all certifications
Apply

Affiliate

For consultants, attorneys and academic institutions.

$620 / year
  • 3 named seats
  • Resource library (read-only)
  • Listing in the affiliate directory
  • Speaker opportunities
  • Standard meetup access
Apply
Member benefits

What you actually get.

The Resource Library

More than 1,400 documents: model service agreements, NVOCC tariff templates, ACE filing decision trees, ISF cheat sheets, INCOTERMS comparison grids, hazmat declarations, claim letter templates and a searchable archive of every member webinar since 2016.

The Compliance Brief

A short monthly email that summarises every FMC, CBP, FDA, EPA and DOT rulemaking relevant to forwarders — plus the comment deadlines you should actually care about.

Regional Meetups

Six metros, four meetings a year each. Members swap stories about audits, vendor performance, carrier service patterns and the small operational fires no software vendor will fix.

The Annual Summit

Three days every October in Chicago. Practitioner-only panels, working groups on the year's regulatory docket, and one very good dinner at Chicago Athletic Association.

Advocacy Representation

Comment letters on rulemakings that touch member operations. Where members support it, we file friend-of-the-court briefs in matters of broad industry impact.

Certifications

Our CFS and CCF credentials are recognised by major surety providers, lowering OTI bond renewal friction for member firms with certified staff.

Frequently asked

Questions members ask before joining.

Yes. The Alliance is open to any forwarder, broker or NVOCC operating legally in the United States, regardless of ownership. We do verify good standing with the relevant agencies during onboarding.
No. Membership applications ask for proof of OTI/customs broker licensing and an attestation of good standing — not financials.
Each named seat is single-user. Corporate plans include up to twelve seats; additional seats can be added at $80/seat/year.
Limited and disclosed. Our bylaws cap aggregate sponsorship at 5% of operating revenue and prohibit sponsorship of advocacy outputs.
Annual memberships can be cancelled at renewal. Mid-year cancellations are pro-rated for unused months at the member's request.
Working groups are open to any member. Sign up via the member portal after joining and you will be paired with a group lead.

Your first month is on us.

Apply today and we will waive the first month of dues across all three tiers. If the Alliance is not earning its keep for your team in thirty days, walk away with no charge.

Start your application