Does your business transport goods long distances on a regular basis? Then you know the struggle to maintain high quality, quick delivery, and low expenses. Many modern businesses like yours have discovered the many benefits of using a transloading service to boost all three of these factors. How can such a service help you? Discover a few answers.
What Is Transloading?
Transloading is the act of moving goods from one container to another in order to switch methods of transportation. For instance, a shipment that starts by truck might be emptied from the truck at the rail line and put into a rail container. Then, at the port, it would be removed from the rail car and put into a cargo container on a ship.
Transloading is related to drayage, as they are both forms of moving your cargo from one transport to another. However, most drayage is through-trailer, or simply a matter of moving the filled container. Transloading involves the removal of the cargo from the container — so it can be much more complex.
How Does Transloading Help You?
Transloading offers a flexibility you cannot get if tied to only one form of transport. If you rely on only trucks or trains, for instance, you are at the mercy of their schedules and limitations. Using trucks means you can load things at your business site but face longer travel times and weather delays. Moving by rail means you have added time and cost to get those goods to the train and are limited geographically.
Along with more flexibility, you can also choose travel methods based on cost. Moving goods internationally by cargo ship is often cheaper, but that requires getting them there and loading them onto the barge in the most cost-effective way. A transloader would be able to arrange this — partly due to their ability to work in bulk with multiple shippers. Because they can unload and reload cargo, the options are plentiful.
Why Do You Need a Transloading Service?
The benefits of transloading are at their best when you use an experienced company that specializes in this service and can combine it with other services to maximize the impact. A vendor that will remove your over-the-land cargo and warehouse it until it needs to go onto a cargo ship, for instance, saves time and money by keeping the materials better positioned for a quick delivery.
Removing cargo from a loaded container and reloading it may also put your goods at a higher risk than if they were never unloaded. This is especially true if the goods consist of bulk materials or liquids, as well as oversized or fragile items. To complete this part of the process safely and efficiently, you need a loader with specialized equipment and experience handling and storing your particular type of materials.
Finally, transloading companies understand the logistics and legal issues around shipping cargo internationally. They will be able to correctly strip and stuff cargo containers in the best way to move them through customs and keep everything safe on the voyage. And they create realistic and workable schedules to ensure delivery on time and without hassle to your customers.
Where Should You Begin?
Are you interested in learning more about how transloading can help in your specific business? Start by consulting with a quality service. At Tri Star Freight System, Inc., our network of carriers and services can help make your shipments faster, safer, and more profitable. Call today to schedule an appointment with a transloading expert. We look forward to answering your questions about our services and how they can benefit you.
