Many, many changes have taken place in the forwarding / international logistics industry from the point GTO was founded in 1997. The GTO Board of Directors conducted an exhaustive review of the history, administrative functions, costs and long term goals of GTO as well as the international logistics industry itself.

 

The GTO Board of Directors determined an urgent need existed to restructure Global Transport Organization (GTO), to ensure longevity and continued long term success. As a result, a number of important changes have taken place with the GTO Membership Rules (formerly the GTO Bylaws).

 

The new GTO Membership Rules have been unanimously approved by the GTO Board of Directors to take effect on September 1, 2020. All changes have been initiated with the firm goal of improving the GTO Network to the benefit of the worldwide membership of GTO. Any future amendments as may take place shall be announced to the GTO membership in appropriate form.  

 

1.1 SERVICE CAPABILITIES 

Each GTO Member company must have the ability to provide a normal range of air, sea, land and related international logistics services as expected or experienced within the industry.

 

1.2  GTO MEMBER TO MEMBER CO-OPERATION

Each GTO Member company shall make every effort to enter into successful co-operation with other GTO Member companies whenever and wherever possible.

 

1.3  GTO MEMBER STAFFING – EXPERIENCE & LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

 

1.4  GTO MEMBER EMAIL CAPABILITIES

Each GTO Member company must have Internet email abilities.​

 

1.5 GTO MEMBER FINANCIAL STABILITY

Each GTO Member company shall have the full responsibility of being and remaining financially sound to allow co-operation with other members of GTO as well as participate in any membership vendor programs of the GTO Network and timely meet financial obligations to GTO Headquarters.  

 

1.6  PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES

Each GTO Member company shall have the full responsibility of performing and otherwise acting in an ethical and professional manner in all matters involving co-operation with other members of GTO, GTO membership program vendors and / or GTO Headquarters.

 

1.7  TIMELY PAYMENT OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

Each GTO Member company shall have the full responsibility, at all times, of timely payment of financial obligations to other members of GTO, GTO membership program vendors and / or GTO Headquarters, in accordance with the terms and conditions of payment as may be agreed upon.

 

1.8  TIMELY RESPONSES TO INQUIRIES & REQUESTS

 

1.9  ATTENDING ANNUAL GTO WORLD CONFERENCES

 

1.10 SHARING SALES LEADS – GTO MEMBER TO MEMBER

Each GTO Member company shall extend every effort to provide bona fide sales leads to other GTO Member companies whenever possible.   

 

1.11  HONEST QUOTE PRACTICES – MEMBER TO MEMBER

 

1.12  REFRAINING FROM BACK SELLING

Each GTO Member company shall respect the customer bases of other GTO Member companies and shall refrain from back selling.

 

1.13  USE OF THE GTO NAME AND LOGO

 

1.14  PROHIBITION AGAINST ENDORSEMENT OF OUTSIDE PARTIES

 

1.15  PROTECTING GTO INFORMATION FROM NON-GTO PARTIES

Each GTO Member company shall refrain from publicly or privately sharing with non-GTO companies or individuals, any data, communications and / or any information originating from GTO Headquarters, without the expressed written consent of GTO Headquarters. 

 

1.16  PROHIBITION AGAINST SHARING GTO PASSWORDS

Each GTO Member company shall refrain from sharing any password to any GTO website with non-GTO companies or individuals. The sharing of passwords to any GTO website to such parties shall be grounds for termination of the GTO membership of the offending GTO Member company by the GTO Board of Directors.

 

1.17 GTO MEMBER “IN-HOUSE" SERVICES

 

1.18  UPDATING GTO MEMBER CONTACT INFORMATION

Each GTO Member company shall have the full responsibility of ensuring all contact information in the GTO database is current at all times. That shall include but not be limited to photos (optional), addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers (if applicable), email addresses, websites, names, titles and email addresses of contacts, bank details, service capabilities and / or any other data designed to allow immediate contact with the GTO Member company.

 

 

1.19  REFRAINING FROM ISSUING “SPAM“ EMAILS

Each GTO member company is fully responsible for paying origin bank wire transfer costs when issuing payment to other GTO Member companies and / or to GTO Headquarters. GTO Member companies and GTO Headquarters receiving payment via wire transfers should not be required to absorb such origin bank wire transfer costs.

 

​1.20 ORIGIN BANK COSTS FOR WIRE TRANSFERS

A huge amount of “spam“ and other unsolicited email is being received by most or many GTO Member companies throughout the world. As result, there has at times been a challenge for many GTO Member companies to identify or recognize legitimate enquiries from other members of the GTO Network.

 

Therefore, it is extremely important for GTO Member companies to include the “GTO“ in the subject line of email messages to other GTO Member companies. AS AN EXAMPLE ONLY, a GTO Member company located in New York, USA, would send a quote request to another GTO Member company and would insert in the subject line of the email the following information, “GTO Houston Quote Request“. The nature of the email may extend to other matters beyond quote. Taking this small step in preparing an email to another GTO Member company would significantly improve communications throughout the GTO Network. Fortunately, a growing number of GTO Member companies are already following this practice but GTO HQ Headquarters is urging all GTO Member companies to follow this practice to improve communications throughout the GTO Network on a global basis.

 

 

2.1 REPORTING GTO MEMBER TO MEMBER DISPUTES

Any GTO member company involved in a dispute with one or more GTO Member company must report details of a dispute (with any supporting documents) to GTO Headquarters (info@gtonet.org) within a maximum of thirty (30) days from the date the incident is discovered.

 

2.2 REVIEW OF DISPUTES BY GTO HEADQUARTERS

GTO Headquarters and / or the GTO Board of Directors shall have the responsibility of evaluating and resolving any and all disputes as may arise between any two or more GTO Member companies. All parties involved in any such disputes shall be provided with fully sufficient opportunities to present all dispute facts to GTO Headquarters and / or the GTO Board of Directors.

 

2.3  ACCEPTANCE OF DISPUTE REVIEW DECISIONS

Each GTO Member company agrees to accept the final decision of GTO Headquarters and / or the GTO Board of Directors in such dispute reviews.

 

 

3.1  FAILING TO MAINTAIN TIMELY COMMUNICATIONS

The GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of any GTO Member company if said GTO Member company has a documented history of failing to timely maintain communications with other GTO Member companies and / or timely maintain communications with GTO Headquarters.

 

3.2  UNPROFESSIONAL AND / OR UNETHICAL CONDUCT

The GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of any GTO Member company if there is undisputed evidence said GTO Member company has engaged in unprofessional or unethical conduct toward one or more other GTO Member company and / or a GTO program vendor and / or GTO Headquarters.

 

3.3  FAILING TO TIMELY RESPOND TO FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

The GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of any GTO Member company if said GTO Member company has failed to timely fulfill financial obligations to one or more other GTO Member companies and / or to GTO Headquarters and / or to any GTO program vendors.

 

3.4 ACQUISITION BY ANOTHER COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL

The GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of any GTO Member company if said GTO Member company is acquired by a non-GTO company or individual(s) and it is determined the acquisition is not in the best interests of the membership of GTO. 

 

3.5  CREATING A COMPETING GLOBAL LOGISTICS NETWORK

The GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of any GTO Member company engaged in founding or co-founding a global logistics network designed to be in competition with Global Transport Organization. That shall include but not be limited to a consulting role in exchange for free membership and / or other consideration(s) with the goal of providing a management role by the offending GTO Member company or an executive of said company with participation in the global logistics network competing with GTO.

 

 

4.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF GTO MEMBERHIP FEES

GTO annual membership fees shall be assessed in an amount to be determined by the GTO Board of Directors.

 

Effective September 1, 2020, all GTO membership fees agreed upon prior to that date shall remain in place with all existing GTO Members of GTO on that date. All agreements reached with GTO Member companies prior to September 1, 2020, with regard to semi-annual billing or quarterly billing, shall remain in place.

 

However, effective September 01, 2020, all companies entering the membership of the GTO Network shall be billed GTO membership fees on an annual basis only without exception.

 

4.2 PAYMENT OF GTO MEMBERSHP FEES

Each GTO Member company agrees to pay GTO membership fee invoices within a maximum of thirty (30) days from date of invoice. Failure to pay GTO membership fees timely may result in lack of access to the GTO website.

 

Continued or repeated failure of the GTO Member company to timely pay GTO membership fee invoices shall result in the membership termination of the GTO Member company from the membership of the GTO Network

 

4.3 SPECIAL WIRE TRANSFER FEE

When the GTO member company is located outside of North America and payment of the GTO membership fee shall take place by wire transfer, GTO Headquarters shall add a fee of USD 23.70 to the GTO membership invoice to cover inbound wire transfer costs.

 

The GTO Member company in such cases is fully responsible for all origin bank wire transfer costs.

 

4.4 FORFEITURE OF MEMERSHIP FEES

In any case where GTO Headquarters or the GTO Board of Directors may terminate the membership of a GTO Member company, said GTO Member company shall not be entitled to a refund of any portion of the annual membership fee for the membership year in which the decision takes place.

 

 

5.1 AUTHORITY TO AMEND GTO MEMBERSHIP RULES

The GTO Board of Directors may amend any provision of the GTO Membership Rules at any time with written notice given to all GTO Member companies in good standing.

 

5.2 HISTORY OF THE GTO MEMBESHIP RULES

The GTO Membership Rules were originally entitled “The GTO Bylaws“ and were created, adopted and unanimously approved by the GTO Board of Directors on September 30, 1997. The GTO Bylaws (now entitled “GTO Membership Rules") were amended on November 19, 2000 and February 5, 2002.

 

The GTO Board of Directors restructured the original “GTO Bylaws“ into the “GTO Membership Rules“ with the effective date of September 1, 2020. The GTO Membership Rules have been unanimously adopted and approved by the GTO Board of Directors with the effective date of September 1, 2020.