SVG Sit-Down: Rock-It Cargo's Brian Roberts on Challenges and the Future in Freight-Forwarding Regulations on transporting lithium batteries raise issues in shipping broadcast gear By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, July 17, 2017 - 11:07 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
With a lineage that stretches back nearly four decades, Rock-It Cargo has plenty of experience in freight-forwarding and logistics for events. The industry has faced a number of challenges lately, and Brian Roberts, VP, business development, recently discussed Rock-It Cargo's role in the business, its aspirations, and its plans.
Your team serves a variety of industries and offers a number of services. What do you see as some of your strengths in the marketplace?
Rock-it Cargo is not a traditional freight-forwarder. In fact, we do zero supply-chain freight shipments and [have specialized] solely in live-event freight for 39 years, so our services are uniquely tailored to live-event needs. Our services that specifically address the needs of the sports-broadcasting industry are logistics planning, specialized customs brokerage, a global network, and single point of contact.
For logistics planning, we determine the most cost-effective shipping option that meets the time-sensitive schedules of sports teams, equipment vendors, sponsors, and broadcasters. And we have customs-brokerage and carnet teams internal to our organization. We don't depend on outside resources to handle clearances, so we can control and expedite shipments as needed.
With respect to our global network, with owned offices in Australia, Japan, China, Europe, and South and Central America and over 100 agents around the globe, we can service freight going literally anywhere. This network is live-event-experienced, so they know how to handle sports shipments.
Lastly, unlike many logistics companies that pass their customers from department to department, Rock-It Cargo assigns one account manager that knows exactly where the customer's freight is at all times.
There are a number of challenges facing those looking to ship broadcast equipment, most notably issues around the shipment of lithium batteries. What are your thoughts on the current state of regulations with respect to shipping batteries, and are you concerned that legislation might adversely impact the industry?
While we have concerns regarding upcoming changes, we also understand the need for safe air travel and, in turn, the safe travel of the equipment we transport worldwide. Companies who specialize solely in the transportation of lithium batteries will feel the regulatory changes more acutely. We are a solution-based company and will always find a way to transport for our clients in the safest and most effective manner. One of our priorities here at Rock-It is to keep ourselves well-informed on the current and projected legislative actions considered regarding the movement of lithium batteries. We actually have staff on hand whose main focus is to meet this need for our clients. The key factor is to keep informed and plan.
Some people still believe they can handle shipping themselves. What do you see as the advantage of working with a company like Rock-It Cargo?
It's understandable for a company to think they can do it themselves, particularly for small shipments between major cities. But it only takes one failure in the time-sensitive sports industry to demonstrate how complex shipping can be. Rock-it Cargo is experienced and knows where the pitfalls are.
For example, each country has its own specifications on how freight manifests and customs documents need to be prepared. If they are filled out incorrectly, the freight will get delayed. And, unknown to customers, many shipments are transshipped through an intermediate point, and this adds additional risk of failure. RIC chooses direct lanes and monitors shipments every step of the way. And, because we do not own the trucks, planes, vessels we ship on, we aren't limited to our own assets and can choose the ones that are best-suited for the shipment, saving time and money for our customers.
Are there any trends that you see among your clients in terms of the kind of things they are shipping (for example, more flypacks) and the size and scale of the gear they are moving from point A to point B?
We wouldn't quantify industry trends so much in terms of the product they are shipping but more as service expectations of the logistics chain. Although technology has allowed broadcasters to ship lighter and smaller equipment, event requirements are still the same (RF, LitON, scenic, hospitality product, etc.). Hence, locational influences remain a core part of the shipping requirements.
What we have started to see more of is how our clients start to work around the supply chain to find creative and economical ways to bring freight in. We already see companies shipping assets from country to country in advance of an event to help offset rush airfreight costs by conversion to advance ocean bookings. We see some planning with broadcasters to try to get shipments in via ocean (USA-Europe, for example) as transit times for shorter leg segments decrease significantly on ocean freight moves.
What we still have not seen from most of our clients is the ability to manage a lot of the processes when it comes to packing, classification, and document-processing. The ability to assist clients in these is key.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
SVG Sit-Down: Rock-It Cargo's Brian Roberts on Challenges and the Future in Freight-Forwarding Regulations on transporting lithium batteries raise issues in shipping broadcast gear By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
