In recent years, transloading has become an efficient and common way to ship goods. The number of imports has increased due to the increase in e-commerce and international trade. The efficiency that transloading creates lowers the cost of the shipment and other extra charges that may incur, but most importantly, it can increase customer satisfaction. Read on to learn more!
What is transloading?
Transload services relate to the transfer of goods and shipments being moved using one or more modes of transportation. It does not just mean moving shipments overseas, but it can mean that shipments are moved from rail to trucking services to get goods where they need to go. Transloading includes shipping goods from suppliers to warehouses as well as to job sites and customer locations. However, it is still more common for these goods to be shipped internationally. Usually, containers are sent to a port, picked up from the port, loaded at a warehouse, and reloaded on a truck for the final delivery. Typically, there is a transload fee when multiple modes of transportation are involved.
Many industries use transload services to transport various kinds of cargo and materials. The industries can range from aerospace to food, retail, chemical, construction, and even military. The most common materials include:
Oversized items: military vehicles, transformers, heavy machinery
Specialized freight: hazardous chemicals, cryogenic materials
Warehouse Merchandise: equipment, shipping containers, palletized freight
Construction materials: bricks, gravel, stones, metals, lumbar
Liquids and Foods: wine, beer, frozen and packaged goods, seafood
Transloading vs. Intermodal
Some may wonder about the difference between transloading and intermodal. Transloading is similar to intermodal in that they both allow cargo to be shipped between different modes of transportation. But the main difference is that with intermodal, freight or goods are kept inside the container throughout shipment. With transloading, the goods are moved between conveyances throughout the transportation process. This allows loose, bulky, or oddly shaped goods to be placed together or consolidated with other products.
Benefits
Decreased Costs
Fuel and transportation costs go down when shipments can be transported by rail and truck. Rail services save considerable money since they have lower fuel costs than vehicles. Other modes of transportation may be used and chosen as the best energy and cost-efficient option.
Adaptable Supply Chain
Due to no longer being limited on which mode of transportation you can use, you can reach diverse customers and remote locations that were not accessible before with transloading. Shipments can be sent directly to the proper site, saving time and reaching inaccessible places. It allows you to choose which transportation types work best for you or your customers. By deciding the most secure route and transportation type, your shipments will reach their destination with less hassle and more efficiency. To become more efficient, transloading can shrink-wrap or palletize the shipments, creating more value. Overall, this reduces costs
and helps companies perform the same tasks faster.
Combination of Freights
To be the most cost-effective, transloading warehouses consolidate large freights into fewer rail cars. When goods need to be picked up at multiple places, and the shipments have the same destination, the goods can be consolidated on the train as it approaches the desired location. Individual items can be placed in these fewer rail cars where space is open. Instead of hauling more rail cars for unnecessarily large containers, all these goods can be put together.
Faster Delivery
Goods are delivered much faster when transported through a transloading facility rather than shipping to a distribution center. The deliveries are completed at a fraction of the time and the cost. Sometimes when products and goods are shipped to warehouses, terminals, and ports, they sit there waiting for transportation. A transloading facility reduces the amount of time that the shipments are seated at these places.
Northstar Transport Services has served east coast ports and rail hubs since 1985. Our network of terminals strategically located at major east coast ports gives us the ability to handle shipments originating and destined for all points in North America. We specialize in full and reefer containers, hazardous materials, heavy overweight containers, and more. Our goal is always to provide high-quality service to our customers, and we will consistently offer new, economical, and innovative solutions to our customer's logistical needs and requirements. Contact us for more information and receive a quote today!