Benefits of Intermodal Trucking

Intermodal trucking is the best choice to improve the efficiency of a supply chain. It is extremely important to have an efficient supply chain because the worldwide shipment of goods relies upon it. Due to the numerous advantages of intermodal transport, many companies have adopted the practice into their strategy. Intermodal transportation is a process that allows for shipment by plane, rail, road, and sea without repacking the container. Intermodal trucking is ultimately the first or last leg of the transportation process, making it an extremely important aspect. To learn more about the benefits of intermodal trucking, read on!

Benefits

Save Money

Intermodal transportation allows for lower handling costs, increased manageability, and increased flexibility. Through steadily transporting shipments across different elements in the same container, costs are able to be cut. There is no need to incur extra costs for repacking, trailers, new containers, and extra storage space.

One Container

Packing in one standard-sized container over air, train, sea, and road eliminates any extra hassle. One container gets passed seamlessly through each mode of transport without any repacking. This one container method provides a foolproof form of efficiency.

Multiple Transportation Options

The transportation of shipping containers in a standardized size allows for transportation across plane, train, boat, and truck. This is extremely convenient for overseas shipments and provides the most efficiency for an international supply chain.

Increased Safety of Shipment

Since the shipment is in one secure container that never gets repacked or handled, intermodal transport provides the most security and protection. The containers are securely locked and packaged to protect the goods inside. Nothing will be lost because the containers do not have to be repacked in between transportation modes. Intermodal transportation is a guaranteed safety of shipment.

International Advantages

The multitude of transportation systems in the intermodal system allows for ideal international transportation. Due to the ability to ship overseas to international ports, intermodal transportation is the best way to ship internationally. Once shipments are sent overseas by plane or boat, train and trucking gets shipments to their final destination.

Fixed Schedule

Transit times for intermodal transportation are extremely quick, especially for international shipments. In the past, international shipments would take an average of two weeks. Today with intermodal transportation, international shipments can be delivered in at least 8 days. This is because intermodal transport has less delays, no repacking, and no frequent stops.

Less Environmental Footprint

Intermodal transportation significantly reduced the carbon footprint of overseas shipments. One of the leading causes of pollution is overseas shipment of goods. Intermodal transport can move large amounts of product at once, using less fuel throughout the entire process.

Seamless Transportation Process

In all, intermodal transport seamlessly and securely gets goods from point A to point B. This process is essential to keep worldwide supply chains on time and up to scale. Intermodal transport provides the most worry free experience while shipping goods.

Northstar

At Northstar Transport, we specialize in intermodal trucking. Intermodal trucking is the most integral piece of the overall logistics process. Trucking is most often the beginning or ending point of the intermodal transportation process. When shipments arrive from overseas, it is loaded onto a truck and sent to its destination. At Northstar Transport, we have locations across the East Coast of the United States to deliver the best in supply chain transportation services. We have long-term relationships with major ports and know how to get the job done. For more information, visit Northstar Transportation.

What is Freight Tracking and Why is it Important?

As a consumer, it is convenient to track your online purchases and receive them securely. The same thing goes for tracking freight shipments. This technology is essential to the security and efficiency of the overall supply chain. It can be complex to keep up with tracking activity of freights, but not taking the extra time to do so will lead to more costs incurred when issues arise. Not being aware of the location of freight can lead to production setbacks and delays to end consumers. It is important that every link in the supply chain is timely and efficient to deliver the best quality to the end consumer and remain profitable. Important business relationships can be damaged or sacrificed if deliveries are behind schedule.

What Is Freight Tracking & TMS?

Freight tracking is the ability to view the real-time location of a cargo shipment at any given time. Inbound freight tracking is important to prepare for incoming shipments. Outbound freight tracking allows you to track your shipments to consumers. This tracking allows you to track and report estimated shipping time, reroute shipments, and provide a seamless delivery experience. Large companies typically use a transportation management system (TMS) software to track shipments. Having a good TMS established allows large companies to keep track of the freight, evaluate shipping routes, view receipts and audits, analyze how to cut expenses, and improve the supply chain efficiency. Valuable data can be downloaded from the TMS in order to adjust strategies and dominate marketplace competition.

An affordable TMS should be available to any size business to establish a shipping strategy. If you are in supply chain in any way shape or form, you need a TMS. The entire industry is interconnected, and you don't want to be left in the dark on important information. Without a TMS, your business will be unable to operate at peak performance.

Advantages

Freight Status: With a proper software system and efficient team, you should be able to track shipments at all times. If problems arise, this makes it much easier to quickly make adjustments. If there is a delay, the customer and distributor will be alerted immediately. This process keeps all parties up to date with essential information.

Manage Inventory: Having a solid TMS makes managing inventory much easier. With many moving parts in the supply chain, tracking allows warehouse managers to make room for new inventory or shipments. Not having proper storage space or having excess wait times will result in extra costs incurred. Any lost, stolen or damaged goods must be accounted for. Documenting mistakes will help prepare for any future mishaps.

Analyze Data: The analytics recorded by your TMS are a positive byproduct of the software. Though they are not the primary purpose of the interface, the recorded data provides information needed to strategize efficiently. Analytics are a necessity in today's business environment, helping you get a competitive edge and cut costs. Analytics allow you to make concrete decisions that are informed by real-time facts.

Northstar: Truckload Container Tracking

Truckload cargo shipping is an essential part of intermodal transportation. Once a shipment in a container comes in from overseas, trucking companies get the product to its final destination. These large shipments cannot afford to be delayed or lost. Typically, shipping containers will be tracked with GPS devices. GPS devices are fairly easy to use and provide accurate locations in real-time. Having an efficient tracking system is essential to provide the best quality service, grow your business, and remain competitive. At Northstar, our mission is to provide the highest quality transportation service to our customers. We realize that through the implementation of strategic company goals that focus on service, we can do the best job of meeting our customer’s requirements in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. For more information, visit Northstar Transportation.

Everything You Need to Know About Transport and Logistics

Now more than ever, the shipment and delivery of goods requires a worldwide supply chain backed by a strong logistics system. Transportation logistics is just a small portion of the overall supply chain. Though, every link in the supply chain depends on each other for maximum efficiency and timeliness. Here at Northstar Transportation Services, we understand the importance of a strong transportation system. That is why we provide the best intermodal drayage and over the road trucking. We realize that we play an integral role in the entirety of worldwide logistics and we promise the best service possible. To learn more about worldwide delivery logistics, supply chains, and Northstar Transport, read on!

The Difference between Transportation, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management

Transportation and logistics are integral parts of the overall supply chain. The difference between these two terms is their role in the supply chain. Transportation focuses on facilitating the movement of goods, while logistics includes warehouse management, inventory, etc. These two processes fall under the overarching umbrella term of the supply chain. The supply chain consists of all business processes to support raw materials sourcing, transport, manufacture, storage, inventory, scheduling, and more. The supply chain is a much wider lense of business operations related to handling and distribution.

Types of Distribution Logistics

Many processes go into efficient delivery of products to consumers. The three main parts of distribution logistics are order fulfillment, warehousing and transportation. Order fulfillment is supplying the consumer with their delivered product in the most efficient and timely manner. Warehouse management consists of finding a storage location with enough capacity for your inventory, as well as overseeing the inbound and outbound inventory, organization, and safety. Transportation management focuses on finding the most optimal route of moving goods and products. Finding the best mode of transportation will help cut costs and provide a more efficient delivery.

Different Transportation Methods

Forms of transportation include truck, boat, train, and plane. Intermodal transportation is when the product needs one or more forms of transportation to meet the final destination. Each method of transportation provides pros and cons. Trucking transportation has fewer restrictions, costs less than boat and air transport, is more accessible, and allows for many accommodation options and door to door shipment. Boat transportation allows for more space and weight, costs less than air transportation, and provides maximum safety of the shipment. Railway transport also allows for large carrying capacity, fixed schedule speeds, and minimizes environmental impact. Lastly, air transport allows for very quick speeds and enhanced safety measures.

Choosing the Best Logistics Transport Plan & Intermodal Transport

Choosing the best transport plan takes into consideration the scheduling, size, weight, destination, and budget measures for your products. For long duration trips worldwide, intermodal transport is the best choice. Intermodal transport allows for the seamless transition of transport methods through the use of standard size shipping containers. Therefore, the shipment does not have to be repacked or go through any additional labor. The shipment can be easily transferred from air, sea, truck, or railway.

Northstar’s High Quality Services

At Northstar Transport Services, we focus specifically on the transportation pipeline of the supply chain. Through narrowing our focus simply on transport, we are able to offer the best quality services in intermodal trucking. You can rely on our services to support the start or end of your product’s supply chain process. For more information on our services, visit our website: https://www.nstransport.com/