Achieving a synergistic supply chain requires the providers of multiple modes of transportation to work in harmony, with orchestration provided by an overseeing conductor. Seamless transloading and intermodal transport are key parts of that harmonious supply chain.
Shippers can realize significant efficiency gains by partnering with one provider to handle both transloading and intermodal transportation. The synergies achieved make for the seamless – and worry-free – movement of freight. These days, shippers have plenty to worry about. Transloading and intermodal transportation shouldn’t be among the headaches keeping them up at night.
Transloading involves short-distance moves with the use of such equipment as forklifts, conveyors, front-end loaders, or heavy-duty cranes. Typically, goods are offloaded from one mode of transportation, such as a containership, trucked a short distance to a transload facility, and loaded onto another mode of transportation, such as a railcar.
Just about anything can be transloaded – agricultural products, beverages, building materials, consumer goods, and vehicles, for instance. According to Union Pacific Railroad, the benefits of transloading include reduced costs, increased flexibility, market reach, and the ability to ship greater volumes of products.
Of course, the more freight is touched, the more complex the shipping process becomes. Transloading requires careful planning, real-time tracking, and constant communication to avoid damage and delays. The best transloading providers are experts at streamlined coordination across modes, offer advanced technology integration, and have strong partner networks.
Intermodal transportation involves the movement of freight by more than one mode, typically truck and train. Intermodal basically helps create an interconnected supply chain by linking those different modes of transport.
The process usually begins with products being loaded into an intermodal container, which is placed on a truck chassis. The truck transports the container a short distance to an intermodal ramp, where the container is lifted off the truck chassis and placed on a railcar. At the train’s destination, the container is transferred back to a truck for final delivery.
One railcar can hold up to three truckloads of cargo, and rail transportation uses significantly less fuel than shipping by truck. Thus, moving goods by rail can help shippers achieve emissions-reduction goals. Cost-effectiveness, available capacity, and consistent service also are counted as the benefits of intermodal shipping.
There are more than 180 intermodal transportation facilities in the United States, many of which are in freight rail hubs like Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Kansas City, Missouri, which receive goods moved inland from ports on the East, West, and Gulf coasts as well as cross-border from Mexico and Canada.
By combining transloading and intermodal transportation, shippers get the flexibility of short-haul trucking and the affordability of long-haul rail shipping. Still, partnering with a transportation and logistics provider that understands the complexity and challenges of coordinating multiple modes is essential to achieving synergies.
At VCPB Transportation, we provide:
At VCPB Transportation, we’re experts in transloading and intermodal services. Our strong partnerships with all Class I railroads as well as motor carriers enable us to bundle services, saving our customers from worry – and saving them time and money.
Our 40-foot intermodal container repositioning program helps ocean carriers fill empty containers with revenue-producing freight, and our 53-foot domestic container program provides customers with access to more than 100,000 intermodal containers. Surge, spot, and committed pricing programs provide intermodal trucking capacity no matter the need, including temperature-controlled and hazmat.
In addition, our extensive network and expertise in port drayage management ensure containers are efficiently moved off terminals to continue their journey to the final destination. We ensure trucks arrive on time every time to reduce shippers’ exposure to unnecessary detention and demurrage fees.
At VCPB, we are dedicated to providing exceptional service, deep experience, and creative thinking to every load, regardless of the move or the mode of transportation. In addition to drayage, transloading, and intermodal shipping, we’re experts at delivering produce and perishables and hauling over-the-road, overweight and oversized, temperature-controlled, and expedited freight.
Start shipping with VCPB Transportation today to achieve a synergistic supply chain.
VCPB Transportation
600 Meadowlands Pkwy Secaucus, NJ 07094
(201) 770-0111
