Drayage and Port Services
Are you importing ingredients, apparel, or production critical goods and in need of port services? Zipline Logistics can help manage your domestic freight shipping needs for any port located in North America.
We are familiar with the special requirements for each port and our network of drayage service providers makes it easy for you to move goods off ocean liners, onto truck or rail, and to your warehouse, copacker, or other destination.
We can provide you with complete port-to-door delivery solutions that meet scheduling expectations while avoiding costly and unnecessary demurrage charges. This includes drayage transportation, storage coordination, transloading, cross-docking, and warehousing.
Zipline Logistics works with:
- Dry and refrigerated shipments
- 20-foot and 40-foot containers
Call 888-469-4754 to discuss overweight containers or special projects.
The Basics of Port Services and Drayage Services
With more than 25 operating ocean ports in the U.S., businesses can import products with relative ease. After arriving in the U.S., 3PL service providers like Zipline Logistics can help handle the imperative and time-sensitive movement of goods to their destinations.
Containers are first lifted off cargo ships, then moved into a yard for storage or directly onto a truck for transit. Drayage refers to the short-distance moves a container makes between locations. Working with a provider who is familiar with local drayage carriers, port nuances, and appointment requirements is imperative.
Capacity for port and drayage services fluctuates in accordance with holiday and retail surges. As retailers import more products to accommodate for higher periods of consumer spending, ports can become backlogged or timelines can be stretched. A qualified 3PL can help you navigate these shifts and ensure service is upheld and capacity is secured. Our intermodal logistics experts can help you complete your drayage moves as well as avoid additional fines and fees like demurrage.
What is Demurrage?
Demurrage is an additional cost that is applied to a delivered shipment that has not been unloaded from its container. Typically, shippers have a four-day grace period, known as free time, to get their container unloaded following arrival at the port. Following its expiration, shippers will begin incurring costly demurrage charges. Demurrage is common for many shipments; however, it does not have to be.
How to Avoid Demurrage with Zipline Logistics’ Port Services
By working with an expert multimodal 3PL firm like Zipline Logistics, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of receiving costly demurrage charges. We work to arrange transportation with over the road trucking providers to ensure that your freight is picked up in a timely manner for its delivery to its inland destination or storage yard.
Since 2018, Zipline has moved over 8,500 containers for our customers. Of those, 99 percent have been demurrage-free. We continually leverage our vast network of domestic carriers to complete shipments from every major US port and ensure that your freight gets the attention and service it requires.
Our focus on freight visibility and communication with carrier partners allows us to maintain our impeccable demurrage-free performance for our customers. To see the difference Zipline can make, reach out to our multimodal logistics experts today.
