Transloading is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transport to another. For example, think of a shipping container being removed from a vessel and then transferred—or transloaded—from the container into the back of a truck.
There are several common reasons why shipments may need to be transloaded, such as:
- If your shipment must travel a long distance from the port via truck to reach its final destination, then transloading onto another vehicle can help avoid per diem charges.
- If a bottleneck in the supply chain is delaying cargo, then transferring a shipment onto a different mode of transportation may help it arrive faster.
- If your shipment is being split up and sent to more than one final location, then transloading by deconsolidating the shipment and loading it onto different trucks for final-mile delivery may be more effective.
Because long-haul shipments often require switching between different modes of transportation to reach their final destination, transloading is an essential part of the vast majority of international trade. Two of the world’s largest and best-known transportation companies, FedEx and UPS, specialize in transloading, as they frequently move shipments from air cargo planes to trucks, and ultimately to the final delivery vehicle.