When it comes to transloading freight at Southern California’s busiest ports, to paraphrase a line from Tom Cruise and “Top Gun,” shippers really do “feel the need, the need for speed.”
Smooth cargo transfers and minimal delays allow companies in the supply chain to take advantage of consumer spending habits, such as replenishing supplies around increased holiday demand.
At the ultra-busy ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, if you don’t have the right connections for transloading, that needed seamless cargo transfer is easier said than done. And it is needed.
Healthy amounts of cargo are flowing through both ports. The Port of LA handled 781,434 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in February, a 60% jump from February 2023. The Port of Long Beach moved 674,723 TEUs in February, up 24.1% year over year.
The increased traffic puts increased strain on supply chain logistics. Add California’s ever-tightening regulations to increase sustainability and it’s easy to see why more companies are relying on third-party logistics companies that specialize in international trade from SoCal’s largest ports.
Depending on the coordination and execution, transloading will either save shippers money and time because the process allows for a more efficient transfer of cargo or it can increase costs if the short transfer of goods from truck to rail – or any other means of transportation – isn’t adequately planned for or doesn’t have the correct paperwork so demurrage and detention fees kick in.
Where cross-docking involves unloading freight at a logistics facility and moving it to different vehicles for outgoing shipments, requiring little or no storage time, transloading allows for shipments to be separated and transferred to different modes of transportation via forklift, crane, or other means.
The fact that cargo is separated at the port to be transferred to different modes of transportation for different destinations simply adds increased risk for the cargo. While it offers better efficiency, streamlined service to the end customer, as well as increased flexibility, it also increases the need for efficient real-time tracking, maintaining cargo integrity, coordinating between multiple transportation modes, and ensuring the safety of goods from the first mile to the last.
Transloading has made it easier for companies in the supply chain to expand into new markets and take advantage of cost-effective suppliers. The art of seamless transfer saves on fuel costs, improves flexibility when routes need to be changed or other problems arise, and also offers quicker delivery times by combining rail with trucks and other modes of transportation.
Companies that specialize in transloading, such as GSL, use the latest technologies and innovations to increase transloading efficiency.
Some key components to GSL’s transloading success are:
At Golden State Logistics, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve in the transportation industry.
That includes keeping up with California’s stringent and ever-changing sustainability regulations and the latest technologies, as well as providing solid relationships with everyone from terminal officials to drivers, employees, and local and state government officials.
Shipping cargo from SoCal’s largest ports? Get in touch with Golden State Logistics.
There is no market that is more focused on going green and aware of the transportation industry’s impact on the environment than Southern California. Intermodal transportation not only helps the environment but is also cost-effective.
Capacity planning in drayage correctly identifies the volume of incoming cargo. It allocates resources to ensure that the cargo is immediately transported to the next step of the supply chain.
