TSA Indirect Air Carrier, for faster air freight.
RS Group holds TSA Indirect Air Carrier status — the credential that lets us tender air-eligible freight into the air-cargo security chain directly, under a TSA-approved security program. For time-critical shipments, that means faster processing and one broker across both ground and air.
What is an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC)?
An Indirect Air Carrier is a company authorized by the TSA to arrange air transportation of cargo on a passenger or all-cargo aircraft. It does not fly the freight itself — it tenders cargo to the airlines that do — but to hold the status it must operate under a security program approved and regulated by the Transportation Security Administration.
The credential exists because everything moving as air cargo has to clear security. Rather than every shipper navigating that alone, the TSA authorizes vetted intermediaries — IACs — to prepare and tender freight into the air-cargo chain within a controlled, audited framework. Being an IAC is, in effect, being a trusted, regulated on-ramp to air freight.
RS Group holds that authorization. When a shipment is air-eligible and time demands it, we can move it through the air-cargo system directly, rather than referring you to a third party and adding a hand-off.
Faster processing — and a real security obligation
The benefit of IAC status is speed; the price of it is discipline. Because an IAC prepares freight within a TSA-approved security program, air-eligible shipments it tenders are processed more quickly and predictably than cargo entering the chain cold. Faster security clearance means faster tender to the airline, which means the freight is on its way sooner.
Earning that speed is not automatic. Maintaining IAC status means adopting and following a standardized security program: controls over who handles cargo and how, personnel vetting, secure handling and chain-of-custody practices, record-keeping, and periodic TSA oversight. These obligations are a matter of public regulation (49 CFR Part 1548), and RS Group holds itself to them continuously — the credential is only as good as the program behind it.
Why it matters to shippers
For most freight, ground is the right answer — but not for all of it. When a shipment is truly time-critical and the destination is far, air is sometimes the only mode that meets the deadline. The problem for many shippers is access: getting freight into the air-cargo system means clearing security through an authorized party, and if your broker is not one, that is a hand-off and a delay.
Because RS Group is an IAC, that on-ramp is in-house. Air-eligible freight we handle enters the security chain faster and tenders to the airline sooner, and you deal with one team across the whole shipment — the ground legs and the air leg — instead of coordinating between a broker and a separate air-cargo agent. For a production line waiting on a part or a critical delivery that cannot slip, that difference is the whole point.
Five reasons RS Group holds the credential
Becoming an Indirect Air Carrier was a deliberate investment. Here is what it does for our customers — and why we took on the obligation that comes with it.
Expanded scope
IAC status lets RS Group tender freight into the air-cargo system directly, extending what we can move beyond the road network. For customers, that means one broker covers both the ground and air-eligible sides of a shipment instead of two.
Diverse solutions
Some freight is genuinely time-critical, and the road is not always fast enough. Being an IAC gives us a broader toolkit — we can route a shipment by air when the deadline demands it, not just recommend it and hand you off.
Competitive edge
Air-eligible freight that clears security faster tenders faster and moves faster. Holding the credential ourselves removes a middle layer, so the shipments we handle enter the air-cargo chain more quickly than freight routed through an outside party.
Regulatory compliance
Becoming an IAC means adopting and maintaining a TSA-approved security program — vetting, handling controls and record-keeping held to a federal standard. That discipline reflects how we treat security and compliance across the whole business.
Strategic partnerships
IAC status deepens our standing with air-cargo carriers and the wider network. Stronger partnerships mean better access to capacity and lanes — which flows back to customers as more options and more reliable service.
What our customers say
- Inc. 5000 · #799 America's fastest-growing private companies (2024)
- TSA IAC Indirect Air Carrier status
- 6,200+ Vetted carrier partners
- 18,500+ Shipments moved to date
I have been working with Brent and his team for almost a year and the experience has been nothing but positive.
The best part of working with RS Group is the customer service you can expect to receive.
RS Group, to me, represents the pinnacle in customer service.
Time-critical freight? Ask about air.
Tell us the deadline, the freight and the destination — as a TSA Indirect Air Carrier we can move air-eligible shipments through the air-cargo chain fast, and cover the ground legs on either side.