Fried outlines air cargo's challenges as he leaves the AfA
On 3 November, Brandon Fried handed over the baton at the Airforwarders Association after a prolific spell at the helm that lasted over two decades and inexorably linked his name to the air cargo security regime that he helped shape.
Fried first joined the AfA in 2000 and became its chairperson the following year for two consecutive terms before he was appointed as its executive director in 2005.
At that time, the association's agenda had been jerked sideways by the convulsions following the 9/11 terrorist attacks that brought aviation security and the regulatory side squarely into focus.
"Some people in Congress wanted to pull cargo from passenger planes," he recalls. "We had to make sure the security regime would not cripple commerce while trying to make the skies safer."
"Until 9/11 safety and security often times took a back seat. People didn't understand the terrorist threat until then. This changed with the inception of the TSA and the realisation that we're at the front lines. We realised that failure of our imagination is not permissible," he continues.
He spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill, explaining to lawmakers and their staff how air cargo works and what repercussions some of the proposed measures to tighten security would have.
"I learned that a lot of what gets done in Washington is what doesn't get done. A lot of ideas are brought up; many of them are buried in committee and never see the light of day. An important part is to stop bad ideas and shift the thinking in another direction," he says.
Fried did more than just deflect counterproductive ideas. His tireless work turned him into a go-to person on the issue for the industry and one of its main voices in the dialogue with the TSA.
He was one of the architects of the emerging security regime who sat at the table when the legislation was drafted.
Monitor mission
Security was not the only factor that put the regulatory side into a stronger focus for the AfA. One day Fried received a call from a friend at a trucking association drawing his attention to a new highway bill.
Buried in the lengthy document published the previous evening was a clause introducing a bond requirement that had been added at the last minute, which also affected forwarders.
The incident convinced the leadership of the AfA that it needed a lobbyist who is on top of developments in Congress and monitors every piece of legislation that deals with logistics.
Fried likens this to NASA's monitoring of space junk to avert collisions with satellites.
"You can't do it all yourself. You've got to surround yourself with competent people," he says.
Another lesson from Capitol Hill was that there is strength in numbers.
Fried learned that approaching legislators on an issue is more impactful if this is done by several industry groups joining hands on a matter of mutual interest.
This has led to sustained collaboration with the National Retail Federation and other organisations.
"We have divergent interests, but there are also things we have in common," Fried says.
Developing and nurturing collaboration beyond the AfA's proprietary focus has been a key plank in the organisation's evolution over the past decades.
A visible manifestation of this is the annual AirCargo conference, which it holds in partnership with the Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Association, a permanent fixture on the industry calendar.
Within the AfA, this thinking shows in the inclusion of airlines, airports, trucking providers and handling agents.
"We felt we should have them at the table and hear their perspective," Fried says. "This is still a people business. That's one thing that hasn't changed in the past 21 years."
Former Airlink president and chief executive Steve Smith, who takes over from Fried, will have plenty of issues to deal with, Fried says.
"The challenges have changed, but they're still numerous," he remarks, pointing to the global uncertainty that is looming over the industry and its clientele, the situation in the Middle East and its ramifications for air cargo flows, the cost of fuel and insurance, and the heightened threat from crime.
"Cargo theft has always been an issue; now it's in hyperdrive," he says. "The bad guys got smart. They leverage automation, and they've learned how to circumvent GPS tracking devices."
Airport infrastructure issues are another concern for forwarders, he notes.
"We have bottlenecks at the major airports because of a complete lack of cargo infrastructure investment," he says.
Of a more direct concern for forwarders is IATA's white paper on the Direct Air Waybill framework.
"IATA is telling us: 'You're on the air waybill; you've got to take full responsibility.' Freight forwarders should not be expected to assume liability for cargo they neither own, pack, nor control. We're intermediaries," he says.
