A GRI reaches the forwarder's desk as a carrier customer advisory announcing that base freight rates on a named trade lane move up from a stated effective date, so every open quote, booking, and customer rate sheet that straddles that date has to be re-priced or defended. The standing decisions are whether to pull cargo forward so it ships before the effective date, and whether the increase touches a given service contract or only tariff and spot business, which varies by carrier and advisory. Carriers use varying labels for these base-rate increases, and in US trades, US tariff rules require a thirty-day notice period before a tariff rate increase takes effect. A GRI is not the same as a peak season surcharge (PSS), a temporary surcharge applied on top of the base rate during high-demand periods; a GRI moves the base rate itself, so it cannot be stripped off an invoice the way a disputed surcharge line sometimes can.
Glossary
GRI (General Rate Increase)
A carrier-announced increase to base ocean freight rates on a trade lane, taking effect from a stated date.