Profession surveyor. Who is an “independent surveyor”. Features of the specialist’s work

Independence and competence
Survey service of the transport process
Source: V.I. Snopkov; Magazine “Dangerous Goods and Containers” No. 5-6 2008

Supervision, technical supervision, confirmation, compliance, certification, classification, inspection, certification, expert services, survey services - all these terms refer to assessing the compliance of a particular object with the requirements of laws, conventions, technical regulations, standards or simply customer requirements. Such work is performed by various categories of officials, experts and simply specialists. In accordance with the Russian law on technical regulation, supervision can only be carried out by representatives of federal authorities, and free of charge, and all other types of work are performed by companies, organizations and individuals in the form of a service that is provided to the client. From the list of works presented above, survey services are distinguished, which are based on an assessment of the technical condition of a particular object, independent of the state and the direct influence of business, and, first of all, the assessment of vehicles, transport equipment and cargo related to the maritime industry.

V.I. Snopkov
President of the Association of Independent Surveyors

The activities of survey companies differ from the activities of classification societies primarily in that classification societies carry out technical supervision (survey of an object) for compliance with their rules or for compliance with the international Convention on behalf of the governments of the contracting parties. Survey companies carry out surveys of objects in order to confirm its compliance with the stated requirements of the customer or ascertain the fact of technical condition at the time of inspection. At the same time, the surveyor often draws conclusions based on his personal experience and practice.

The activities of professional surveyors are not only useful, but in practice they become an integral part of the transport process. It is independent surveyors who can evaluate this or that equipment, vehicle or object, and can give an opinion or recommendations to the cargo owner or shipowner, which in the future can serve to reduce the risk of possible accidents or incidents.

There is fierce competition in the field of survey services, so a survey company that calls itself an independent organization must not only provide services professionally and competently, but also adhere to ethical conduct in business.

This article, authored by one of the founders of survey activity in Russia, professor, doctor of technical sciences, president of the Association of Independent Surveyors, author of books and scientific works devoted to the operation of the fleet, Vasily Ilyich Snopkov, talks about the origins of survey activity, its formation, development and the basic principles of work of surveyors.

This year is an anniversary for Vasily Ilyich, and the editors of the magazine sincerely congratulate him on this significant event. We wish him all the best and hope that Vasily Ilyich will continue to continue his activities for the benefit of safety and pass on his valuable experience to the new generation of surveyors.

In the early 90s, a new form of services arose and became widespread in Russia and the CIS countries - independent examination, which in International Maritime Shipping is called “independent survey activity”.

The emergence of a market for survey services is due to the very nature of maritime shipping. The maritime fleet serves mainly international trade, in the daily activities of whose participants there are constantly clashes of various interests, therefore it is in this area of ​​human activity that there is an urgent need for surveyor (expert) services. Survey activity was widely developed in connection with the organization of classification maritime registers (Lloyd, 1688) and insurance companies, and then at the end of the 19th century another direction of this activity began to develop - control of the quality and quantity of transported cargo.

Currently, there are several types of controls in the field of international maritime shipping:

• international;
• departmental;
• independent;

The activities of each type of control are based on the appropriate regulatory framework adopted respectively at the international, state or departmental level and the corresponding higher levels. Thus, in international maritime transport, control is carried out on the basis of International Conventions and IMO resolutions, international standards and international law. Examples include the SOLAS Convention and the MARPOL Convention. The requirements of these conventions in ports are mandatory for ships of all countries, and control is carried out by inspectors of the Paris and Tokyo memorandums and the services of the Harbor Master.

State inspectorates exercise control on behalf of the state. This control is carried out by officials of various departments: bailiffs, prosecutorial supervision, emigration authorities, sanitary and veterinary supervision services, port captain services, etc. However, they are obliged to take into account all international requirements in their activities.

Considering that where there is movement between states of a large number of vehicles and goods, and therefore there is always scope for such negative phenomena as smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal movement of people, these types of control are of great importance for any state.

Departmental control is carried out by the apparatus of the Ministry of Transport or shipping services on the basis of departmental orders, instructions and regulations, taking into account all international and national laws and conventions.

Independent control is carried out by surveyors of independent companies engaged in survey activities in transport and other areas of production. The emergence and existence of independent expertise is explained by the specifics of the relationship between individuals and legal entities entering into contractual relations. This is of great importance in transport and international trade, where about six billion tons of cargo are currently transported in difficult climatic conditions per year.

Transport in the economy plays the role of a transit gear in a gearbox - it produces nothing, while consuming resources, but the mechanism cannot work without it. The production of any product makes sense only if it can be delivered to the consumer. And the problem is not only that the manufactured products increase the cost, but also that the quality and quantity of products at the end of transportation do not always remain unchanged compared to its beginning, which entails losses and extra costs . And since the transport process is a multifactorial process, the question becomes particularly relevant: which factor influences the product, to what extent and why? In other words, at what stage of transportation and for what reason does the quality of the goods decrease and their quantity is lost? And this is where the institute of independent surveyors comes into the picture.

The Soviet Union never had the institution of independent surveyors, since the state ideology did not allow any form of independence; this was impossible by definition. At the present stage of development and establishment of market relations in Russia, in a number of cases there is a need to clarify the term.

The word "surveyor" comes from the English word survey - observation; review; inspection; examination; examination; examination; inspection; shooting; measurement; filming service; inspect; examine, examine; check; inspect; take photographs (measurements); measuring; hydrographic;

Carry out (conduct) ... - take a survey (measurement); control ... - bind measuring lines; execute (run)… - take a survey (measurement); … for classification – classification survey (of a ship); ... of repairs - examination after repair; supervision of repairs; acceptance…-inspection before acceptance; annual... - annual survey; basic hydrographic... - systematic sounding; bottom ... - inspection (survey) of the underwater part (vessel hull).

Therefore, a surveyor is a person who does this job. The surveyor establishes the fact itself, the nature and condition of the object at the time of inspection, as well as the extent of damage, guided by the principle: “What I see is what I write. I won’t write what I don’t see.” In Russian, the equivalent concept is the word “expert”.

The Institute of Surveyors operates in the system of transporting goods from the sender to the recipient through all links of the transport process. Generally speaking, the surveyor's routine functions come down to establishing the fact, extent and nature of damage to anything, or its absence, as well as determining the quality and quantity of goods, their compliance with contractual and transportation conditions and providing written evidence of all this signed by him . In some cases, it is necessary to establish the cause of an incident and restore the picture of events. This is another, higher level, which is in the nature of scientific research or design development and is called examination. For this purpose, highly qualified specialists are needed.

Since the transport process consists of separate links: sender - recipient carrier and related structures involved at different stages: charterers-forwarders, insurer, transshipment systems and storage facilities, hydraulic structures, then at different stages there is a need to evaluate the cargo transportation process as a whole or individual its aspects by an independent party.

Since on sea vessels cargo is collected in one place in large quantities (thousands of tons) in a limited space (for example, in the hold) and under conditions of alternating mechanical (vibration, pitching) and thermodynamic (temperature and humidity changes) loads, it behaves differently, than under other circumstances. For example, ore can separate moisture and seem to float on it (thixotropy), coal, cake, cotton, scrap metal can ignite spontaneously, liquid cargo accumulate kilovolts of static electricity, peas develop pressure sufficient to rupture a ship, etc. Taking these circumstances into account You can imagine not only the probability of financial losses, but also their size.

This is why international judicial and arbitration practice, as well as Western insurance companies, have long and necessarily used the services of independent surveyors, since surveyors are not interested in either exaggerating or minimizing possible losses due to their independence.

Unfortunately, in Soviet times, the absence of private property gave rise to a specific mentality of society in general and cargo producers in particular, which boils down to an indifferent attitude towards production extra costs. Private entrepreneurship, which has recently emerged, unfortunately, has not yet grasped all the nuances of market business and often suffers losses that could have been avoided or, at least, significantly reduced. And although this happens not out of conviction, but simply out of ignorance of this process, this does not change the essence of the matter. And it happens that often the blame for the resulting losses is placed not on the one who is really guilty, but on the one who was found to have a decrease in the quality of the goods. This is, as a rule, the carrier, who incurs significant losses, although the real reason for the decline in the quality of the goods may be located in a completely different place: in contractual conditions, force majeure, production technology, cargo transportability, etc. Participation of an independent surveyor allows us to significantly reduce the burden of responsibility of the carrier and establish not only the source of financial losses, but also the stage at which they occurred.

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Maintenance and supply quality assurance. Many of the world's manufacturing companies provide a full range of services related to technical maintenance and quality assurance. The interests of clients are very diverse - automation, electronics, computer technology, communications and consumer goods.

The opinion of an independent surveyor plays a particularly important role during consideration in court or arbitration in the West and in Western insurance companies. Without such an independent conclusion, no arguments from the outside will simply have evidence, and the case is lost. It is very important to correctly understand the concept of “independence”. A surveyor or survey company is considered independent if it does not belong to any state organization or enterprise, and also if the state does not have a stake in the authorized capital of the company.

Currently, due to a misconception about this concept, the practice of forming survey organizations in government institutions, for example, in research institutes and other institutions, has developed in Russia. And if arbitration or a court in Russia can still accept the conclusions of such surveyors for consideration, then foreign claims practice does not consider such surveyors to be independent due to their state affiliation and, therefore, their lobbying of state or national interests. The loss of independence is also the work in the same transport process for more than one of the parties to this process or trade transaction. This is only possible with the knowledge and consent of the participants during a general inspection. For example, on the same flight you cannot work for the sender and the recipient, or for the carrier and the sender, etc., since in the event of a conflict of interests, the surveyor will have to sacrifice the interests of one of the parties. It is a very common practice in our country when, for example, an agency or forwarding company is also a surveyor, or an insurance company sends a surveyor who is on the staff of this company. In world practice this is not accepted. Foreign insurance companies, for example, each engage in only one type of insurance out of all possible, in contrast to domestic ones, which simultaneously insure liability, risks, and property. For example, P&I Clubs only insure liability to third parties.

In the process of settling claims, the image of the survey company plays a very important role, which consists of the accuracy of calculations, the weight of the argumentation of the evidence, the sufficiency of the information presented, compliance with the principle of independence, and compliance with business ethics.

According to the International Quality Standards ISO 900I-9004, the personnel of any Company must, first of all, be professionally competent. In global judicial and arbitration practice, professional competence is understood as the presence of knowledge, skill, discipline and integrity. In this case, knowledge is understood as having a basic education in the field of merchant shipping and the cargo transportation process.

Since nature abhors a vacuum, the unoccupied niche at the beginning of the formation of the market began to be immediately filled by foreign survey companies, since the market consciousness of young Russian entrepreneurship did not feel the usefulness of the surveyor institute for itself, and command and administrative stereotypes in the thinking of government structures did not understand the usefulness of this institution for the state . In order to support domestic survey companies, the Association of Independent Marine and River Surveyors was created, later renamed the Association of Independent Surveyors (ANS). Members of the Association are survey companies that have the status of legal entities. Members of the Association carry out work in the CIS countries. Over the nine-year period of activity, the members of the ANS have fully mastered the methods of foreign survey companies and developed their own national rules for conducting examinations, which take into account national legislation and the national characteristics of the countries where they operate. Currently, the network of laboratories that work according to ISO, ASTM, IP, DIN standards and cooperate with ANS is expanding.

Entering the market in the CIS was not easy, since Ingosstrakh and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, being state-owned enterprises, tried to be monopolists in the domestic market, which contributed to the promotion or creation of favorable conditions for foreign survey companies, and, consequently, the drain of national resources abroad .

For this reason, it is necessary to introduce the activities of independent survey (inspection) companies into the legislative field of Russia, as the State Duma did in the Regulation on Valuation Activities No. 135-FZ of July 29, 1998 and defined the status of an independent appraiser: “The assessment of the object of assessment cannot be carried out by an appraiser if he is a founder, owner, shareholder or official of a legal entity, or a customer or an individual who has a property interest in the object of assessment, or is closely related or related to these persons.”

The image of any survey company is formed in the process of work and settlement of claims from knowledge of the regulatory framework, security of calculations, weight of arguments and evidence, a sufficient number of evidence presented, compliance with the principles of independence and business ethics.

The main regulatory framework and requirements for surveyors used by ANS were developed on the basis of documents adopted in international trade and multimodal transport. This is explained by the fact that surveyor activity first originated in these structures and over time established itself as an integral link in the system of market relations.

In addition to the above regulatory framework, in the field of multimodal transportation there are Instructions and Rules inherent in various types of transport and also used by independent surveyors. The basic principles for the work of surveyors were developed within the Association of Independent Surveyors and published in the Code of Independent Surveyors. Currently at the State Maritime Academy named after. Admiral S. O. Makarov annually trains special groups of surveyors according to programs approved by the Ministry of Higher Education of the Russian Federation and published the “Guide to conducting survey work in transport”, which is an official textbook for training specialists, author V. I. Snopkov, publishing house “ Professional".

In order to correctly assess the situation and determine the degree of guilt of a person, the institute of surveyors operates in the West. Independent surveyor. Who is he? Who is better to involve in the transportation process: a lawyer, an insurance company or a surveyor? The answers to these questions are in our article.

During the Soviet era, the functions of surveyors in the country were performed by Soyuzexpertiza (after corporatization it became one of the private enterprises), the Institute of Emergency Commissioners (long ceased to exist) and expert councils at chambers of commerce and industry. The latter often did not satisfy the needs of clients, so survey companies quickly filled the niche.

The first services of independent surveyors appeared in our country at the end of 2000 in large port cities. Initially, their specialists were involved in the investigation of insurance claims in the field of maritime transport. Now such services provide legal assistance in any area of ​​insurance. There are surveyor specialists in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and other cities of Russia.

Abroad, judicial and arbitration practice, as well as insurance companies, have long and necessarily used the services of independent surveyors who, due to their independence, are not interested in either exaggerating or minimizing possible losses. It is not surprising that it was foreign partners who demanded surveyor services from us when our and foreign interests collided at the maritime borders. Nevertheless, the first registered domestic survey organization spent several years proving its right to exist: Russian manufacturers and trading enterprises for a long time did not want to objectively assess the significance of these services. Understanding of the importance of the opinion of an independent surveyor came later, when precedents appeared for the consideration of cases in court, especially in foreign countries, where without such a conclusion, no arguments of the parties simply have evidence and the case is lost.

Surveyor (from English surveyor) is a word little known to Russian entrepreneurs. In Russian, the word “expert” can be considered to some extent synonymous with it. A surveyor is one who, being independent, is engaged in a thorough and detailed inspection, research, verification, establishing the presence or absence of any fact, as well as issuing recommendations in the licensed area at the request of individuals or legal entities.

A surveyor's declaration of independence is not a guarantee of objectivity. Only that survey organization can be considered truly independent, not a single share of which belongs to the state. In our country, survey organizations are sometimes formed under various research institutes, the Ministry of Transport, the Shipping Register, etc., and if the Russian arbitration or court can still accept the conclusion of such surveyors for consideration, then foreign claims practice does not consider them independent precisely because of their nationality and, consequently, their inevitable lobbying of state, national or departmental interests.

Working on more than one side of a transport process or trade transaction is also considered a loss of independence. It is impossible, for example, to simultaneously work for the sender and the recipient, since in the event of a conflict of interests, the surveyor will inevitably have to sacrifice the interests of one of the parties. A common case for us is when an agency or forwarding company is also a surveyor, or when an insurance company sends a surveyor who is on the staff of this company. There is no such practice anywhere in the world.

Surveyor is a specialist in studying the circumstances of insured events (causing harm to health, damage or loss of property, cargo as a result of fire, accident, flood, accident, etc.). The surveyor advises shipowners and the captain, coordinates inspection procedures (calling specialists, organizing rescues, identifying damage that will need to be repaired during repairs), inspects (collects evidence to establish the causes of the accident), examines ship records, checks facts, certificates of experts and crew members , weather reports and divers’ reports, interviews the crew and witnesses, establishes contacts with port authorities, analyzes the facts (this is called “checking the vineyard” - first of all, the “history” of the ship is found out, similar precedents are compared, etc.).

And only after that a report is drawn up. Moreover, it contains information for public statements, and confidential information is indicated, at the request of the shipowner, in a separate comment.

One of the many services of the survey service is certification. When determining the condition of the ship or cargo, the surveyor issues a certificate signed by him, which certifies, for example, that the cargo in the holds is stowed and secured in accordance with applicable international or national requirements and, therefore, is safe for the ship and will not be damaged during sea transportation. This is done both in the interests of the carrier, in order to be freed from liability for damage to the cargo, and in the interests of the cargo owner or insurer in order to avoid extra expenses.

The suitability of cargo spaces for receiving cargo is also certified: the absence of foreign odors and residues of previous cargo, the tightness of holds, the presence of devices insulating from metal, etc. It is legally important to have an independent party document the fact that the vessel has been completely unloaded and that there are no remaining cargo in the holds.

Naturally, when transporting bulk cargo, everyone involved in this process is interested in confirming the fulfillment of their obligations: the sender and the recipient that the goods were delivered of the exact quality specified in the contract, and the carrier that the quality of the goods did not change during the journey . To this end, at various stages of transportation, usually during loading, transhipment and unloading, samples are taken by an independent party using accepted or agreed upon technology, followed by storage of these samples for up to one year, as well as analysis of the contents to determine quality and compliance with contractual conditions.

Enterprises, organizations, as well as citizens, having an insurance policy in their hands, often face a number of problems due to which insurance companies cannot pay them insurance compensation or make payments in the amount of the stated claims. For example, one policyholder did not consider it necessary to immediately notify the insurance company about the damage caused to the insurance object, thereby depriving it of the opportunity to timely record the circumstances of the insured event and give an objective assessment of what happened. Therefore, the payment of insurance compensation was refused.

The reasons for such refusals are that policyholders often make mistakes in registering ownership of the insurance object, do not provide complete information about the insurance object, and the like. Many firms and organizations have legal departments or experienced lawyers who, if necessary, handle insurance claims. Unfortunately, they cannot always successfully solve these problems, since they do not specialize specifically in insurance law. Therefore, it is more advisable in this case to invite a surveyor. The role of the surveyor is that he makes a diagnosis, and the lawyer prescribes pills.

In the West, the status of a surveyor follows from contractual practice: his services are necessarily resorted to when an insured event occurs or in controversial situations when an independent assessment of the quantity and quality of cargo is required. In fact, a surveyor is a witness who must confirm or refute certain facts.

In Russia, the legislation on surveyor activities is vague. The work of surveyors is regulated mainly by departmental instructions. This is where problems arise: the law does not oblige Russian companies in the domestic market to resort to the services of a surveyor. This is voluntary. The owner of the cargo or vehicle usually resolves conflicts related to cargo transportation himself. After all, the insurance market in the field of cargo transportation in the Russian Federation is not developed.

Nobody trusts anyone. Therefore, insurance companies come up with various systems of procedures that make it difficult to obtain insurance, and contain a cumbersome apparatus for assessing the reputation of potential clients. Well, to support arbitration processes, enterprise management believes that it is enough to hire a good lawyer.

So it turns out that a surveyor on the Russian market is kind of like an intermediary, who often performs functions that are not typical for him. And often turns into essentially a broker offering a package of services: insurer, consultant, provider, tour operator and appraiser.

In the latter case, numerous “pocket” survey companies emerge, ready to confirm anything, as long as the client pays in full for the so-called comprehensive service.

Nevertheless, in Russia, as the market develops, survey services are increasingly in demand. Russian arbitration courts are increasingly listening to the opinions of surveyors. Russian customs takes into account the opinion of well-known survey companies on the market. All these are signs that the attitude towards the surveyor services market is changing. The prerequisites are emerging for its further development - as the domestic economy grows and the financial environment in which Russian business operates becomes transparent.

ABOUT department of law "TR".

In modern practice, Russian entrepreneurs have increasingly begun to use survey services. However, many of our businessmen have the vaguest idea of ​​what exactly the people who provide them do. Let's look at this question in more detail.

Who is a surveyor

If we turn to our “great and mighty”, then the word expert will be close in meaning. So, a surveyor is a person who can understand something professionally? Yes, that's true.

Representatives of this profession conduct a detailed, objective, and most importantly, independent analysis of all the circumstances of the case, so that they can subsequently determine whether this or that fact actually occurred. Also, at the initiative of individuals and legal entities, they prepare recommendations in licensed areas of activity.

A little history

During the era of the dominance of the communist system, the following structures were vested with the powers of surveyors: Institute of Expert Councils at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Soyuzexpertiza.

With the collapse of the USSR, the above institutions gradually ceased to perform an expert function.

The first survey organizations after the “victory of democracy” in the country were formed at the end of the 2000s. Moreover, this happened in large cities with seaports. At that time, the competence of experts was limited to the investigation of insurance claims in water transport. Currently, a surveyor is a professional in all areas of insurance.

Often, expert institutions today are created under various ministries, departments, and research institutes.

It should be noted that today survey organizations successfully operate in many large cities of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and others.

The principle of independence is paramount

In his work, a surveyor must be guided by the principle of independence. In other words, no expert institution should be controlled by government agencies. Unfortunately, in Russian practice the opposite happens, which is why foreign courts sometimes do not accept reports prepared by our surveyors as evidence.

Responsibilities

First of all, a surveyor is an expert in analyzing and verifying the circumstances of insured events, such as loss, personal injury, flood, fire, and so on. He coordinates the process (organizes the rescue of people, calls specialists, records existing damage). In addition, the surveyor is the main consultant, whose opinion should be listened to by the owners of sea vessels and those who manage them. However, this is not the entire list of job responsibilities that an expert performs. He collects evidence to establish the causes of disasters and accidents, studies ship records, examines divers' reports, interviews witnesses, and checks weather reports. And at the final stage of the work, the expert sits down to write a report.

Surveyor services also include the issuance of cargo certificates. This is a document that confirms that the cargo is stowed and secured in the holds properly, which means that it will reach its destination safe and sound, without causing any harm to the vehicle.

The legislative framework needs serious improvement

Unfortunately, the activities of survey organizations are not fully regulated at the legislative level. Subjects of civil rights are guided exclusively by departmental regulations.

Of course, an insurance surveyor creates some competition, but in the domestic market there is no rule that would oblige market participants to resort to the services of the above experts. If you want, invite him, but if you want, not. As they say, the matter is voluntary. In case of problems with cargo transportation, ship owners often do not need any expert. Insurance in our country is still poorly developed, so they prefer to resolve the conflict on their own.

Unfortunately, in practice, a surveyor acts as an ordinary intermediary who performs work that is not typical for him: he is a consultant, a provider, an appraiser, an insurer, and a tour operator.

However, this is gradually developing in our country, and surveyor services are in increasing demand in the business environment.

The cargo transportation process is a fairly long and complex chain, which consists of the sender, carrier and recipient of the cargo, as well as a considerable number of related structures involved in this process, which include: commodity producers, charterers, forwarders, insurers and others.

Participants in the modern market undergo intense competition, which motivates them to satisfy customer needs to the maximum. One of the effective solutions to promote your company is strict control over the quality of the services provided and the fulfillment of all obligations specified in the contract. Moreover, the wider the range of offers, the more competitive the company. Currently, persons interested in cargo transportation are especially interested in surveyor services and moving services.

The need to evaluate the cargo transportation process may arise at various stages, and very often the blame for the resulting losses is placed on someone other than who is actually at fault.

Often, losses are assigned to the carrier, although the real reason for the occurrence of losses may lie elsewhere, for example, in conditions, force majeure, the transportability of the cargo, the peculiarities of production technology, etc. And only the participation of an independent surveyor in assessing the losses that have arisen can help establish the stage at which they arose, as well as the culprit of the financial losses.

Survey services: a feature of this offer

Surveyor (from the English surveyor) is a little-familiar word for Russian entrepreneurs. To some extent, the word “expert” can be considered a synonym for it in Russian. An independent surveyor is a specialist engaged in detailed and thorough inspection, verification, research, establishing the absence or presence of any fact, issuing recommendations in licensed areas at the request of legal entities or individuals.

Surveyor operates in the field of commodity production, foreign and domestic trade, and transportation of various goods. The main functions of the surveyor are to establish the fact of the nature and extent of damage to goods or their absence, determine compliance with the transportation and contractual conditions of the goods, their quantity and quality and provide a written certificate of the above with his signature. In addition, the surveyor in some cases can establish the cause of the incident, as well as restore the picture of the event.

Survey services involve performing an assessment operation on products, which allows us to understand in detail the complexity of its transportation.

When starting work, specialists produce:

• assessment of cargo characteristics (volumes and type);
• labeling;
• loading;
• placement and fixation;
• unloading

All procedures are performed by an expert from an independent regulatory body. The key objective of this service is to prevent controversial situations between cargo carriers and customers, which facilitates quick resolution when such cases arise.

All participants in a trade transaction and cargo transportation understand how important actions are to determine the number of cargoes, and if piece cargo can be easily counted, then certain counting technologies are required to account for bulk cargo. For example, weighing cargo in wagons, containers, and vehicles on special scales requires a lot of labor and a lot of time.

At the same time, in accordance with the theory of errors, a completely accurate measurement is impossible, and therefore with each weighing there will be a certain error, which will increase proportionally with the increase in the number of weighings. This means there will be a possibility of deception. In order to ensure the accuracy and integrity of such operations, an independent party is needed, which is an independent surveyor.

Another serious problem in cargo transportation is the safety of cargo. Therefore, in order to prevent unauthorized access to it, seals are installed on containers, cargo holds, individual cargo spaces, trailers, etc. But what is more important is not the presence of fillings, but the correctness of their installation. As practice shows, this very moment is very often not taken into account at all.

Also, to preserve the quality and quantity of goods during transportation, it is very important to follow the handling technologies. This requirement is not always met and the reasons may be different: ordinary irresponsibility, low qualifications of workers, backwardness of technology. One way or another, failure to comply with these requirements leads to one result - losses for cargo owners. Therefore, it is best to entrust these operations to an independent party - an independent surveyor, who will impartially verify compliance with cargo handling technologies and the safety of seals.

It has already been said above that there are many participants involved in cargo transportation, and at some stages of transportation, some participants are tempted to exaggerate the extent of damage to the cargo. To prevent this form of fraud, it is best to engage an independent surveyor. He will record the fact of theft, its size and nature, and, if necessary, establish the cause of the damage.

One of the many services surveyors provide is certification. When determining the condition of the cargo or vehicle, the surveyor issues a special certificate signed by him, which certifies, for example, that the cargo in the holds is secured and stowed in accordance with national and current international requirements, and will not be damaged during transportation and is safe for the ship. Cargo spaces are also certified for suitability: the absence of residues from previous cargo, foreign odors, the presence of insulating materials, tightness, etc.

Previously, the contract for the provision of survey services was concluded when transporting products by water. Currently, it is considered as a viable solution for delivery by any means.

Survey services involve assessments used by insurance companies when drawing up insurance contracts. In this regard, in most cases, insurance companies initiate the hiring of controllers - surveyors.

Talking about the competence of survey services is a separate topic. For some, priority is given to management, for others - industrial safety and consulting. It is worth noting that there are no general requirements for these services. Moreover, in 2006, the need to obtain a license to operate in this industry was abolished.

Key advantages of hiring surveyors

The advantages of contacting a survey company are:

• exercising control over products and interested parties at any stage of transportation;
• the ability to quickly obtain information on the condition of the goods;
• guarantee of an optimal product transportation process for both performers and customers;
• the opportunity to improve the discipline of employees preparing goods for transportation, as well as during transportation;
• the ability to monitor products for the presence/absence of hidden defects;
• providing professional assistance and facilitating the resolution of disputes;
• the ability to reduce possible losses;
• ensuring safe transportation.

Services of a moving company: what they are, relevance for cargo transportation

The services of a moving company provide the opportunity to transport the property of a company or individual customer, during which professional services are taken into account. In other words, clients of such organizations receive a set of offers, thanks to which they will be able to solve a number of problems related to:

• with packaging/unpacking;
• with loading/unloading;
• with descent/ascent;
• with markings;
• with installation and connection of lighting fixtures, equipment and interior furnishings.

Moving services from professionals allow clients to receive high-quality service. Initially, an expert visits the site to estimate the cost of the work. The specialist performs a thorough inspection of the cargo, noting its weight and volume. He pays no less attention to the conditions, after which he announces the cost of services to the customer. Once a compromise is reached, the parties begin to agree on a schedule.

The services of a moving company involve removal of garbage upon completion of all major activities, which allows customers to make a clean, turnkey move.

When deciding to take advantage of the offer of surveyors, you should carefully select a company, focusing on professionalism and reputation. Why is this so important? Professional firms that value their reputation have:

• a staffed staff, including trained movers who know exactly the specifics of working with property of various types and sizes;
• special tools for transfer, disassembly - assembly, etc.;
• warehouse premises. Often the customer has a need to preserve property for some time, when, for example, having left the old place, the new one has not yet been prepared. In such cases, moving companies provide an additional service - insurance is issued.

Moving services provided by professionals are a turnkey move without any hassle.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that when transporting bulk cargo, all parties involved in this process are interested in fulfilling their obligations: the recipient and the sender that the cargo will be delivered of the quality and quantity specified in the contract, and the carrier that the quantity and quality of the cargo will not change during transportation.

For this purpose, at intermediate stages of transportation, as a rule, during loading, unloading and transshipment, an independent party carries out sampling with subsequent storage of these samples for a period agreed upon with the parties, as well as analysis to determine whether the quality of the product meets the contractual conditions.

Video: Rental of special equipment and cargo transportation services without intermediaries!

A cargo transportation surveyor is a specialized inspector whose main task is to compile the most accurate and objective assessment of the quality of transport services at each stage of their provision. The term surveyor translates as control, as well as inspection of the actual condition of the cargo or the process of moving goods. Initially, this direction appeared in the implementation of maritime transportation, and later moved to other areas of activity that are related to logistics.

Every day more and more people and specialized companies take part in freight transportation. Some are responsible for forwarding and transporting goods, providing various types of storage facilities, others are responsible for customs clearance or insurance. This principle of separation at each stage of cargo transportation ensures maximum efficiency of all processes and helps to significantly reduce the time required for product delivery. Despite the utmost coherence and quality of work organization, this area is characterized by difficulties in identifying responsible persons in the event of emergency situations. In such a situation, independent surveyors come to the rescue.

What tasks should a surveyor solve?

The main task of each surveyor is to ensure control of the quantitative, technical, and qualitative parameters of cargo during each stage of the product journey. We are talking about each of the operating aspects of the transport process, which include warehouses, logistics complexes, the implementation of loading activities and other manipulations with goods.

The basis of a surveyor's activity in transport is directly related to insurance. This is due to the fact that insurance companies make decisions on the amount of compensation payments based on the expert’s opinion. In practice, a surveyor helps to identify the real causes and circumstances of damage, damage or loss of transported materials. Even taking into account the fact that this type of activity appeared in Russia in the 90s, to this day only a few companies seek the services of specialized specialists.

It is noteworthy that the majority of cargo carriers, recipients and senders consider the costs of hiring an independent surveyor to be an unjustified expense. The trend towards integration of the Russian transport system with other countries is gradually stimulating the development of the surveyor specialty and the attraction of specialized specialists. One of the main reasons is the high probability of a number of foreign companies refusing to accept claims without a preliminary conclusion from a surveyor.

What is a surveyor responsible for?

A surveyor is a professional with a high level of qualifications, whose main task is the most accurate classification of activities at all stages of cargo delivery. On the territory of Russia, the legal regulation of the work of a surveyor is inferior to European practice. In practice, the activities of a surveyor are classified in the classifier as “Provision of other commercial services.”

We are talking about examination within the framework of economic activity, which is in no way related to examination services in cases of real estate, insurance, and other engineering services. The services of forensic medical, psychiatric examinations, and other options for carrying out examinations are additionally taken into account.

The main requirement for the implementation of charter documentation for companies providing surveyor services is the mandatory addition in the charter of the main types of activities that are directly related to similar services. At the moment, compulsory licensing of these services is not enshrined in law. The standard staffing schedule assumes the presence of the necessary positions, heads of specialized groups. The surveyor is responsible for professional expert assessment and provides comprehensive transport services at all stages of activity.

Job responsibilities of surveyors

The peculiarity of the work and responsibilities of a surveyor is the need to strictly adhere to the regulations for the provision of services, and any mistakes can cause the specialist to be held liable. A traditional list of services provided by a surveyor has been developed. These include:

• identifying the actual suitability of vehicles and full compliance with cargo transportation regulations when servicing different types of goods;
• conducting investigations related to insurance situations, the main causes of poor preservation of materials, damage as a result of transportation of goods by different types of vehicles, with subsequent assessment of the damage caused;
• implementation of a comprehensive inspection of cargo before loading and transmission of the necessary information regarding transportation, preparation and transmission of the necessary accompanying documents;
• ensuring control over specialized cargo operations, providing supercargo services, implementing key plans for loading vehicles and ships, this also includes providing recommendations on the supervision of the loading process, stowage and fixing of goods;
• maintaining a tally account of goods during unloading and loading, servicing containers and transport units;
• identification of the physical condition and technical characteristics of cargo, the number of products with load calculation;
• when working with ships, the surveyor identifies the total amount of bunker on the ship, takes the main samples of the bunker or cargo, carries out the necessary list of analyzes by specialized laboratories that have received preliminary certificates;
• determination of the current state of the process of closing cargo holds, assessment of reliability and water tightness;
• audit of the technical condition of a vehicle or vessel, head mechanisms, hull, their actual compliance with the classification regulations before the sale or insurance procedure;
• conducting investigations related to emergency situations, analyzing the damage caused, comprehensive monitoring of work during the implementation of repair work;
• resolution of any of the available claims related to injuries or illnesses of participants in the carriage of goods.

How to get a surveyor profession in Russia?

At the moment, secondary vocational or higher educational institutions in Russia do not train specialists in this profile. To obtain such a profession, applicants must have a specialized technical and/or legal education; it is also possible to undergo training in specialties related to the field of logistics and transport management.

Applicants are required to have significant experience working in transport companies, an understanding of the main stages of cargo transportation, and resistance to stress. A cargo surveyor must be able to make the most effective decisions as quickly as possible, approach each issue carefully, and find compromises in controversial situations.