Transloading is becoming an increasingly valuable approach to use in logistics. Find out what transloading is, how it fits into the larger supply chain, and more in our complete guide.
With the complexities of freight shipping in normal times, businesses are always looking for solutions to get their goods transported faster, more efficiently and at a reasonable rate. During trying times, those same companies need more creative methods to get the same job done. That’s why more and more freight customers are looking toward transloading to help complete this crucial part of the supply chain. But for those who are in the dark, they might ask what transloading is and how it can actually make a positive difference?
Transloading is the process of unloading freight from one mode of transportation to another as a shipment moves through the supply chain. This is often a required step in the shipping process. However, transloading can also be used to reduce storage costs, speed up delivery times, and more.
Our comprehensive and thorough guide below outlines everything there is to know about transloading. In addition to the information provided, we also have logistics and supply chain experts available. They can answer all of your transloading questions and help you identify the next steps that you need to take.
Transloading occurs when a shipment must be moved from one method of transportation to another in order to complete the journey. Specifically, the products themselves are moved, not an entire shipping container. An example of how this happens is when a shipping container begins as a railroad car but can’t make the entire trip via that mode of transport. It would then be offloaded from the shipping container onto a truck to make it to its final destination.
In reality, though, this can be the movement of any transport to another. Such as a plane landing at the airport and the freight being transloaded onto trucks to complete the last leg of the journey. Another scenario could see a shipment from a cargo ship being loaded onto a train, which is then offloaded onto a truck. This might not seem ideal but depending on where the freight needs to end up, it’s often the most efficient and timely solution. Here is an example:
Freight containers unloaded at a port
Freight goes into a separate container, on either a truck or train
That shipment travels to the end point, or
The shipment is transloaded again, from a train to a truck
The truck takes the freight the rest of the way to its destination
At first glance, it might seem counterintuitive to have to move the freight around an extra time but it wouldn’t be done unless it was truly the best option. There are four main modes of transportation and only one of them — trucks — can generally arrive directly at the destination for unloading. So it makes sense for the trucks to go where the trains, planes, or boats are, pick up the freight and make the rest of the trip.
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