When a company is trying to ship items from point A to point B, the goal is obviously to do it as quickly and as efficiently as possible. There are a number of services that they can use when moving products from the factories in which they were created to their final destinations. Cross docking and transloading services are two options that might work for your company, depending on your specific shipping and storage needs. Learn about what sets the two apart below.
Cross docking services
When companies use cross docking services, the products that they’re shipping are unloaded off one form of transportation, processed, and then loaded right onto another form of transportation without being stored at all. Some companies use these services when they’re switching up the type of transportation that they’re going to be using, such as placing products from a truck onto a rail car. Other companies use it when they have products going to different final destinations. Those sending less than truckload shipments will also turn to cross docking services a lot.
Transloading services
Transloading services are often utilized by those companies that need to use more than one kind of transportation to ship their products. These companies usually turn to transloading services when they’re shipping products by some combination of trucks, boats, and/or airplanes. Unlike with cross docking services, products shipped using transloading services are put into storage in between the time when they’re unloaded off of one type of transportation and loaded onto another.
Which of these services would be best for you?
There are pros and cons that come along with both cross docking services and transloading services. Cross docking services are ideal for those companies that don’t want to have to worry about putting products into warehouses for storage. Transloading services, meanwhile, help companies to keep products safe and sound in storage facilities as they make their way across the country or even across the world.
Affiliated Warehouse Companies can provide you with cross docking services as well as transloading services. Call us at 732-739-2323 today to find out which option would be better for your business.
