GTO is seeking experienced, independent forwarding / logistics companies with the ability to handle the international transport of both air and sea cargo. GTO members frequently depend upon one another to perform such services in an agency capacity. The global success of GTO depends, in part, on the professional performance of each member of GTO.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company claims to have such service capabilities and is unable to perform such services upon request from other members of GTO. The inability of any such company to perform would be quickly discovered within the membership of GTO.

GTO is seeking financially sound forwarding companies with a history of timely fulfilling financial obligations to agents and vendors. GTO members frequently depend upon one another with regard to the collection of funds and / or other agent-to-agent financial matters.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company has a history and / or practive of past due payments to agents and vendors. A company demonstrating such practices to other GTO members, GTO HQ and / or vendors of GTO, would be promptly removed from the membership of GTO.

GTO is seeking forwarding companies with a firm policy in place with regard to promptly responding to inquiries from agents. GTO members depend upon one another to provide urgent quotations and / or address pending matters involved with transports. Efficient communications is vital to the long term success of GTO on a worldwide basis.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company maintains a practice of ignoring inquiries from agents or delays responses for extended periods. GTO HQ staff does not wish to dedicate valuable time to constantly encouraging members to respond to inquiries from other members. Every GTO member has responsibility to promptly and efficiently respond to inquiries from other members of GTO and / or GTO HQ.

GTO is seeking aggressive independent forwarding companies with a very positive interest in establishing new agency relationships with other excellent forwarding companies throughout the world. Companies have joined GTO, in part, to establish new relationships with other qualified, independent forwarding companies on a global basis.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company has interest only in holding membership in a global organization without any desire to establish and develop new agency relationships. GTOdoes not need forwarding companies to simply represent a location or locations as a means to have a worldwide membership. GTO desires only those companies with a firm desire to begin and build new agency relationships on a worldwide basis.

GTO is seeking professional independent forwarding companies that do not hold membership in other global forwarding networks of a nature similar to GTO. The managers of GTO give their full attention and effort tothe global membership. The same degree of support is expected in return.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company is a member of one or more other global forwarding networks of a nature similar to GTO. Some forwarding companies join several networks with the objective of utilizing the best part(s) of each network. In such cases, none of the networks gain any degree of benefit from the participation of such companies.

GTO is seeking professional and honorable forwarding companies with absolutely no history of unsavory or unethical behavior. In all cases, GTO desires the participation only of companies with excellent reputations. The global reputation of GTO, is entirely dependent on the collective individual reputations of its’ members throughout the world.  

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company has a local and / or international reputation as company involved in unethical or illegal practices. Any such company engaging in such activities would quickly be discovered and removed from the membership of GTO. Unethical and / or dishonest conduct shall not be tolerated.

GTO is seeking professional forwarding companies without extensive plans to open offices on a multinational basis. All GTO members are locally-owned forwarding companies and have informed GTO HQ of any future plans for branch office expansion.

GTO does NOT want a company for membership, if the company has extensive plans to open branch offices on a multinational basis. GTO does not want the involvement of a company with plans only to use the GTO network until they open their own branch offices by expansion or acquisition of other forwarding companies in multinational locations. This position is designed protect the market(s) of each member of GTO.

GTO management has presented “ general membership requirements “ in this unusual format for a reason. Membership in GTO should be regarded as a very serious matter. GTO does not accept companies into the membership simply to increase the number of locations worldwide. In every case, GTO is seeking serious forwarding companies with a firm interest in building a truly dynamic global logistics organization.

GTO is seeking excellent forwarding companies with a strong desire, in each case, to build their companies while participating in a global network of companies with the same goals and objectives.

The collective cargo and business volumes of the global membership of GTO equals or exceeds that of the multinational forwarding companies in operation throughout the world. Working together, GTO members have the ability to compete against the huge multinational forwarding companies.

GTO was created, designed and is operated for that purpose. 

These areas represent the general requirements for membership in GTO.