Payment Delays Hurting Your Forwarding Business? How to Use the New Policy on Large Firms Owing SMEs

# Payment Delays Hurting Your Forwarding Business? How to Use the New Policy on Large Firms Owing SMEs

Payment delays happen to freight forwarders mainly because large clients use their bargaining power to stretch payment terms. On 15 September 2026, the General Office of the State Council issued the Notice on Strengthening Governance of Difficulties SMEs Face in Getting Paid, covering 10 measures in 4 areas: improving payment rules by industry, strengthening supervision of large firms' payment behavior, regulating non-cash payment instruments, and strengthening fund transmission and financing support. It explicitly encourages large firms to cap the maximum payment term at 60 days. Freight forwarders should seize this policy window: write precise contract clauses, track receivables with tools, set caps on advance payments, and stand up for your rights with policy backing.

Why do forwarders always get stretched on payment terms, and what does the policy say?

Payment terms are a classic pain point in freight forwarding. The shipper is the big client, the forwarder is the small supplier, and bargaining power is inherently unequal. The cargo ships, the freight gets advanced, the invoice is issued, and the payment term stretches from 30 days to 60 to 90. Big clients sit on plenty of cash yet keep delaying, squeezing the forwarder's working capital.

This policy names the problem precisely. The People's Bank of China pointed out that some large firms carry large accounts payable while holding ample cash, capable of paying but choosing to delay. So it is not "cannot pay"; it is "will not pay on time", treating other people's money as their own working capital pool.

The policy side is explicit: the MIIT said that large firms that deliberately stretch payment terms and refuse to rectify will face joint interviews, credit punishment and public exposure. When your payment is delayed again, it is no longer "just endure it"; you have policy grounds to stand firm.

What does the 60-day cap mean for freight forwarders?

The strongest signal in this policy is encouraging large firms to cap the maximum payment term at 60 days.

For forwarders, this is a key negotiation lever. Previously, when you negotiated terms with a big client and they said "90 days is the industry norm", you had no comeback. Now you can legitimately say: the policy encourages payment within 60 days, let's put the terms in the contract.

The policy also guides commercial banks to support large firms in replacing accounts payable through loans and bond issuance. In plain terms: big firms either pay on time or borrow to pay; stop using forwarders' cash flow as their cushion. The pressure of advancing funds on forwarders will ease from the policy side.

How can forwarders use this policy to take control of collections?

Policy is the external environment; internal management must keep up. Five actions to take now.

First, write precise contract clauses. Payment term, start date, overdue interest, dispute resolution, all in black and white. The finer the clauses, the stronger your basis for claims. Do not just write "pay within 60 days"; specify the date from which the clock starts.

Second, track receivables with AI tools. Which client is overdue, how overdue, how large the amount: an AI daily report pushes this every day. We serve the freight forwarding industry and have seen too many companies discover the hole only when they flip through the books at month end. The AI daily report turns collections from "fix it afterwards" into "warn in advance".

Third, set a cap on advance payments. Before advancing freight for a big client, calculate whether your cash flow can take it. In one client case, after cutting costs with an AI customer service assistant, customer service cost dropped 70%; the cash saved is the safety cushion for risk resistance.

Fourth, collect with rhythm and records. Reminder letters, phone calls, written demands: document every step. The policy supports public exposure of willful defaulters, so proper collection is nothing to be ashamed of.

Fifth, diversify the client base. If one client is too large a share, one delayed payment is a matter of life and death. Diversification matters more than anything else.

Cash flow is tight. What can AI actually do for forwarders?

Policy solves "external transfusion"; AI solves "internal hematopoiesis". Walk on both legs and cash flow stays stable.

The AI employees we build for forwarder clients include four roles that directly improve cash flow. The AI daily report tracks collections and rate changes; the quoting assistant cuts quoting time from 30 minutes to 5 seconds to close deals faster; competitor monitoring tracks market moves; the customer service assistant catches the first layer of inquiries. A cross-border forwarder in Shenzhen: 5 agents handled 200+ inquiries, response time cut from 2 hours to 2 minutes, conversion up from 3% to 8%, customer service cost down 70%, live in 3 days.

Every dollar saved is your confidence when payments are delayed. Our own numbers: we used to process 7,872 inquiries and content items a year with 10 people; now 3 people plus AI handle the same workload. When labor costs drop, cash flow naturally thickens.

Should forwarders wait for the policy to land?

No. Start preparing now. Policy issuance to implementation takes time, but the discipline of payment-term management can be practiced today.

Contract templates can be revised now, receivables lists can be built now, the AI daily report can go live now. When the policy truly lands, the forwarders who prepared will benefit first; those who watched will be left behind. That is how the gap opens.

In one sentence: policy gives you the leverage, management decides the outcome. Write precise contracts, track payment terms closely, put AI to work, and the deadlock of delayed payment can be broken.

FAQ

Q: What does this policy actually do for the freight forwarding industry?

A: It draws a reference line for payment terms, encouraging large firms to pay within 60 days, and applies joint interviews, credit punishment and public exposure to large firms that deliberately delay and refuse to rectify. Forwarders now have policy grounds for negotiation and rights protection.

Q: Can a forwarder report a large client for delayed payment right now?

A: The policy clarifies the supervision path. Start with contract-based collection with full documentation, and report to the competent authority if necessary. Documenting every collection step is the foundation of rights protection.

Q: What if the big client refuses to sign a contract with payment terms?

A: Start insisting on new contracts and renewals. Payment terms are negotiated. Attitudes among large firms are loosening after the policy; now is an easier time to talk than last year.

Q: Besides chasing payment, what else can a forwarder with tight cash flow do?

A: Cut costs and raise efficiency. Tools like AI customer service and AI daily reports directly reduce labor costs; in our client case, customer service cost dropped 70%, and what you save is cash flow.

Q: What can you do for forwarders?

A: We focus on AI implementation for the freight forwarding industry: AI employee building (AI daily report, quoting assistant, competitor monitoring, customer service assistant), knowledge base construction, GEO lead generation and marketing department outsourcing, helping forwarders manage collections, lead generation and cost reduction together.

---

Published: 2026-09-16

Sources: Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Strengthening Governance of Difficulties SMEs Face in Getting Paid (15 September 2026, reported by Yiyihang); statements from MIIT and PBoC; internal operating data (7,872 items/year → 10 people → 3 people; quoting 30 min → 5 sec); Shenzhen cross-border forwarder case (5 agents, 200+ inquiries, 2h → 2min, 3% → 8%, cost −70%, live in 3 days)

TDK (for publishing only, not for body):

• seoTitle: Payment Delays Hurting Your Forwarding Business? How to Use the New Policy on Large Firms Owing SMEs
• seoDescription: The State Council issued a notice to govern large firms delaying SME payments, encouraging a 60-day cap. How forwarders can use it: precise contracts, AI-tracked receivables, caps on advances, standing firm, with a forwarder case and FAQ.
• seoKeywords: freight forwarder payment delays, accounts receivable, freight forwarding payment terms, SME payment difficulties, freight forwarder cash flow, AI for freight forwarders, international logistics policy
• customSlug: freight-forwarder-payment-delays-policy-guide