Bonded Carriers are authorized to receive and transport merchandise from one US port to another. They include:

Common Carrier
Contract Carrier
Freight Forwarder
Private Carrier

Common Carrier – A carrier of merchandise that owns or operates a transportation line or route and is employed by the general public to transport merchandise;

Contract Carrier – A carrier is hired to transport merchandise for a specific person or consignee;

Freight Forwarder -A freight forwarder dispatches shipments on behalf of other persons and handling the formalities incident to such shipments;

Private Carrier – A carrier of one’s own goods or merchandise;

(NOTE: All carriers must have a Type 2 Carrier Bond).
For operations that carry or hold merchandise that has not yet entered the United States’ commerce but will be exported or entered at a future date, a carrier bond is required. The following workers are generally included in this category: cartmen / lightermen, warehouse proprietors, general order warehouses, carriers, container freight stations, and central examination stations.