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California Intermodal Shipping

California Intermodal Shipping

California Intermodal Shipping

Shippers in California are faced with a choice between direct trucking or intermodal trucking. Intermodal freight transportation involves two or more modes of transportation. This process could be a combination of sea, rail, road, and air. Packages are usually transported in intermodal containers, which are used across each platform, preventing the need to offload and on load at terminals. When inland, the choice is usually between road transportation, using trucks, or a mix of road and rail transportation. Businesses tend to lean towards a decision that limits the disadvantage of a single mode, like road and affords the benefits of another mode, for example, rail. 

Benefits of Intermodal Shipping

The advantages of intermodal transportation can be effective when this method is selected accordingly to your business strategy. We will look at some of these cases later in the article.

Saves Time: 

Intermodal trucking saves time that can be lost to speed limits, mandatory breaks, weighs stations, and unfavorable traffic patterns encountered over long distances.

Cost Effective

The addition of rail transportation into the process cuts down the high costs associated with road trucking. High fuel costs for drayage, personnel, and handling can all be reduced by a flexible intermodal model.

Safe and Secure

The use of GPS trackers in rail cars and the presence of consistent railroad police have made rail transportation a lot safer than others. Integrating it into road transportation will reduce the chances of packaging becoming lost. 

Eco-friendly

Intermodal trucking could reduce up to a third of the road transport CO2 emissions depending on how much road trucking is involved.

The difference with Multimodal Shipping

When you decide to use multiple modes of transportation, there is still a choice to be made between intermodal shipping and multimodal shipping. Both are similar in that your package will be transported using different modes of transportation. However, they differ on the bases of the contract. Multimodal makes use of a single contract with a single carrier who takes liability for all the modes of transportation from source to destination. The key benefit here is that it is easy to track, as it uses a combined transport bill of lading. In case there are any issues, the shipper can hold one carrier responsible. 

Intermodal shipping, on the other hand, will require separate contracts for the carriers at the different points along the supply chain. This is ideal for flexibility because the shipper can decide which carrier, at each point, meets their key criteria regarding cost and services offered. 

When to choose Intermodal Transportation

There are certain moments when Intermodal shipping is best suited for your business. One example is when your shipments need to travel long distances, especially if it takes more than one day to transport by truck. Also, if your business will be shipping in a reoccurring pattern, that is, similar quantities through the same route, Intermodal transportation is ideal.

SHIPPING LTL IN CALIFORNIA

SHIPPING LTL IN CALIFORNIA

SHIPPING LTL IN CALIFORNIA 

Less than truckload (LTL) shipping is a form of transportation of goods and products that don’t require a full truckload, due to the nature and size of the cargo being transported. Shipping of goods and products is done by arranging the goods into small pallets and can range anywhere from one hundred pounds to ten thousand pounds. LTL shipping is the type of shipping that combines several goods from a variety of shippers and puts them together in an efficient manner. Most shippers prefer to use LTL because it is cost-effective and flexible.

LTL shipping in California is quite reliable and offers a safe way of getting your goods to your desired destination without much of a hassle. Before we look into the benefits of shipping your goods with LTL, let’s look into how LTL shipping works.

How LTL Shipping Works

With LTL shipping, partial loads are combined to create full, multi-stop truckloads, which is very efficient. Clients pay for space used, the kind of goods in transit, and pickup and destination locations.

LTL freight can be shipped standard, expedited, or guaranteed. Also, LTL freight can be shipped with special services such as lift gate pickup/delivery, inside pickup/delivery, residential pickup/delivery, and reclassification. All of these additional services come with an extra fee called assessorial fees.

Benefits of LTL Shipping

Now that we all know what LTL shipping is and how it works, let’s talk about the benefits of using LTL shipping.

Cost

Each truckload is made of several smaller shipments which are combined into one truckload. Since your cargo does not occupy the whole space, you don’t have to pay for the entire space – you only pay for the space covered by your cargo. Therefore, your cost will only be a fraction of the whole truckload.

Environmental friendliness

The LTL shipping requires few trucks to carry full loads for several clients rather than more trucks carrying less capacity. Fewer trucks on the road mean fewer emissions which is great for the environment.

Works best for small businesses

Small businesses can benefit from LTL shipping since they ship fewer goods and hence can spend less money on freight as compared to larger businesses. LTL shipping gives small businesses the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits that larger companies get, without paying the high cost for space they are not using.

Benefits of Online Freight Quotes

Benefits of Online Freight Quotes

How can an LTL Freight Quote help your supply chain capabilities?

With an overwhelmingly tight capacity market nowadays, there are lingering challenges with the supply chain. LTL shipping methods help to address some of these problems but can open you up to new challenges that come with booking LTL shipping methods. However, with an online LTL freight quote, you can skip the challenges and experience the full benefits of LTL shipping without picking up a phone. Here are some reasons why online LTL freight quotes are the way to go: 

  • The quotation process is straightforward to manage because you are easily navigated throughout the entire process from start to finish.
  • The streamlined process allows you to find the fastest, cheapest and the most appropriate freight service for your particular needs.
  • Because of the technological process, competitive and full quotes are always readily available.
  • Online LTL freight quotes are available for a range of shipping service from expedited to guaranteed-on-time shipping services, as well as other shipping options such as lift gates, non-commercial shipment modes and even inside pick-up/delivery.

With this new feature, booking your LTL shipping method is easier than ever. An LTL option makes freight managing simple, and an online quote opens up the opportunity for you to have the best, most streamlined experience. You have everything in your hands, and you are in full control that online LTL freight quotes give you a competitive edge. After all, it is your shipment; it should be working the way you want it to be.  

Benefits of Using FTL Options

Benefits of Using FTL Options

Benefits of Using FTL Options

Faster shipments

While transporting a load, speed is of the essence, and this enables the goods to reach their destination promptly. Using a full truckload carrier means that the freight is bound to one destination. This is as opposed to a situation where the goods are delivered to some destinations. Fewer stops mean the freight gets to where it needs to go more quickly. Once loaded, the full truckload carrier will take a shorter time to get to its destination, saving not just time but also on monetary losses incurred or inconveniences brought by delays in the delivery of the cargo.

Less damage

Some goods can be delicate, and when handled by different stops, they could become damaged. However, with full truckload freight, packages are only processed at two points, the pickup or loading point, and the drop off point. This eliminates the unpacking and re-packing as goods are off-loaded at different locations.

Pricing

You will be charged per mile instead of per hundred weight pricing. Per mile pricing is less expensive, meaning that cost of freight shipping will be lower than when you opt for other modes. It’s important to keep the cost of freight as low as possible, and this means that if the goods are for resale, it’s possible to reduce the cost of operations and subsequently pass the savings on to the final customer.

Safety and security

The fact that your goods are handled only at the pick-up and drop-off points means that the safety and security of the cargo are guaranteed. Also, the fact that freight companies have professional drivers assures customers that high standards are maintained throughout the transportation process. Using a means of transportation that ensures you the safety and security of your cargo not only gives you peace of mind but also it’s assurance that they will get to the intended destination intact. Although freight companies do everything possible to ensure they maintain an excellent record, mistakes can still happen but are less likely when using full truckload options.

Overweight Container Drayage

Overweight Container Drayage

Overweight Container Drayage 

By direct definition, drayage refers to the activity of transporting goods short distances. But in the context of the shipping industry, drayage refers to the intermodal transport of overweight cargo installed in heavy containers. Typical modes are port to port (also known as Port Drayage) or from port to rail yard on its way to further the transportation of goods. There are many things to consider and accomplish to successfully transact overweight container drayage. Supply chain service companies usually provide such features and services to ensure your goods get delivered on time and efficiently. This is efficiently performed in partnership with container trucking companies that offer professional drayage services. 

In hiring such companies for your container drayage needs, you will be able to experience the following benefits and solutions:

  • Prompt delivery order confirmation and acknowledgment
  • Real-time updates on status and availability
  • Custom made reporting to suit your requirements
  • Continuous work to expedite release of shipments
  • Consistent help with transacting appropriate fees, customs concerns and other particular equipment challenges
  • Prompt appointment and scheduling coordination
  • On-time pickup and delivery of all containers/cargo
  • Paperless invoicing
  • Streamlined warehouse management system
  • Long term / short term overflow storage options with flexible pricing options
  • Retail routing compliance, barcoding and labeling for accurate traceability
  • Storage rack and bulk options
  • Prompt consolidation
  • Streamlined sorting (i.e., SKU, lot management, FIFO system)
  • Cross-docking

In addition to all of the above, hiring a drayage services provider not only brings streamlined overweight container transport and eventual delivery, but it also provides peace of mind because you are truly confident that your goods will get to where they need to be with ease. This will then provide a positive business approach due to continuous and consistent quality goods transport transactions. The next time you require prompt transport of your bulk goods, you must consider hiring a proven company that specializes in overweight container drayage services.