10 Best Transload Service Companies in 2024: Expert Reviews and Insights
On the hunt for a reliable transloading company?
Choosing a transload shipping service involves considering several variables.
Without the right fit, transloading can go easily wrong, potentially leading to damaged goods, lost shipments, and compliance violations.
A study by Insurance Shield revealed that 92% of businesses experienced cargo damage or loss in 2022. With a great transload partner, these incidents would have been much fewer.
So we’ll review the best transload service companies, diving into intricate details to help you make an informed decision that ultimately benefits your supply chain.
If you are running a transloading warehouse and need assistance taking operational efficiency to the next level, consider our excellent transload management solution. It can help you manage logistics better and accelerate facility throughput.
In this article, I’ll take you through the best transload service companies to help you find the right supply chain partner and get the best ROI out of transloading.
Quick summary:
1. Marion Industrial Center – Best for transloading hazardous cargo.
2. Transload Services USA – Best for its nationwide networks.
3. American Transloading Services – Best for railcar loading & unloading.
4. Transload Partners USA – Best for transloading regular-sized cargo.
5. Shadow – Best for transloading extremely oversized cargo.
Let’s get started.
1. Marion Industrial Center
Need to transload hazardous materials?
If so, Marion Industrial Center is an excellent choice. They provide services and equipment that can improve transloading ROI especially when you’re shipping hazardous or dangerous cargo.
Notably, this facility is certified for food-grade storage and transloading so they’re a great option if you’re looking to transload food items safely.
What’s more, they offer transloading from rail to truck-to-rail, and can handle weight limits of up to 300 tons. Therefore, I rate it as one of the best transload service companies if you’re looking to transload heavy cargo.
Main services:
- The company provides various modes of transfer, including truck to truck, truck to rail, rail to truck, truck to warehouse, and rail to warehouse. It can therefore accommodate your business’s versatile transloading needs and preferences.
- Marion Industrial Center is equipped with state-of-the-art transloading equipment. They have conveyor technologies for transloading bulk goods with minimum material spillage and a crane that can transload up to 35 tons at a time easily.
- It’s also specially equipped for automobile handling, and they can rearrange the vehicles you’ve shipped and organize them according to your needs. This makes them an excellent option if you’re looking to transload vehicles more efficiently.
Pricing:
- Contact Marion Industrial Center for pricing.
Verdict
Marion Industrial Center is a great choice if you’re looking to transload hazardous materials because they have the equipment and expertise to handle this safely. However, I’ve noticed that they have just four locations, all of which are in Ohio, so they may not be the best option if you’re shipping goods over a wider geographical area.
2. Transload Services USA
This company has strategically located facilities.
Highly experienced in the transload business industry, they offer transload facilities and distribution locations all around major transport hubs in North America. This allows you to diversify your supply chain and target new markets.
Transload Services USA also offers freight consolidation to help you save time and money and ensure optimal supply chain efficiency for your business.
What’s more, they provide basic transloading shipping and intermodal shipping services. So you can use them when you need to transload goods in intermodal containers or when moving cargo that you’ll deconsolidate at some point.
Main services:
- They also provide freight rework services, whereby in case a pallet broke or the cargo got damaged during transportation, they can mend it for you. In turn, this can help you reduce the risk of cargo rejection by the client you’re shipping to.
- Transload Services USA also carries out cross-docking, which entails the efficient switching of cargo between inbound & outbound vehicles without storage. This way, they can reduce transitional delays & accelerate shipping.
- They complement their transloading services with inventory management & warehousing to help you store goods and accommodate lengthy shipment timelines. They can even link you with reliable drivers to ensure timely deliveries.
Pricing:
- Contact Transload Services USA for pricing.
Verdict
Transload Services USA gives you access to a nationwide network of transloading and transportation facilities, so it’s a great choice if you have a very large supply chain. That being said, I’ve noticed that they don’t have a lot of experience and specialized equipment for handling hazardous materials, so they may be unideal for this purpose.
3. American Transloading Services
Looking for an experienced transloading partner?
American Transloading Services (ATS) is highly experienced in railcar loading & unloading. They combine this expertise with top transload management systems to give you real-time shipment visibility for peace of mind.
Notably, ATS specializes in lumber transloading, making them a great option to help you efficiently reload and transport this type of commodity.
You also get other key transload management features with access to their systems like inventory control, which lets you track cargo as it is being loaded or unloaded. This helps you ascertain that proper freight handling procedures are followed.
Main features:
- The company provides strategic transload consulting services to help you find the right way to ship and transload your commodities depending on unique variables. This can help you to significantly improve your transloading ROI.
- ATS also provides freight brokerage services, making it a great option if you’re a new business with limited industry connections. These services can lower logistical work for your business while also minimizing deadhead miles.
- They also offer computerized inventory control with direct links to their transload management systems. This provides comprehensive information about your shipments as they are being transloaded at the facility to enable easy follow-up.
Pricing:
- Contact American Transloading Services for pricing.
Verdict
If you need to to transload between truck and rail or the other way around, ATS provides expert railcar transloading services to help you minimize delays and save money. However, I’ve noticed they lack a high-capacity warehouse so you may need to subcontract a third party if you need to store goods long-term in-between reloads.
4. Transload Partners USA
Transload Partners USA has an impeccable track record.
They carry out yard location management across four locations, namely Atlanta, Dallas, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. So it’s one of the best transload service companies if your supply chain’s start and end points are within these locations.
Moreover, Transload Partners USA also complements their transload services with drayage to help ease last-mile shipment deliveries for your business.
They also provide premium transload support services such as helping you set up a transloading warehouse for your business to reduce handling expenses and ensure better cost-efficiency for your supply chain.
Main services:
- You get very versatile transloading services covering a whole range of cargo including food items, construction equipment, and consumer and household freight. So it’s a great option if your business ships a diverse range of cargo.
- Transload Partners Partners USA can also reinforce fragile cargo like boxes with special plastic and packaging for added protection. So they can help you transport and transload fragile cargo better by reducing the risk of damage.
- They also provide cross-docking for palletized cargo, and also the offloading of floor-loaded containers. Moreover, Transload Partners USA can also sort and deconsolidate pallets on your behalf when shipping to multiple consignees.
Pricing:
- Contact Transload Partners USA for pricing.
Verdict
Transload Partners USA makes the transloading and cross-decking of regular-size items like furniture, pallets, and construction equipment very simple and efficient. Nevertheless, it’s a small-scale facility that mostly specializes in transloading pallets & other smaller freight so it may not be a great choice if you need to ship oversized cargo.
5. Shadow
Need to transload oversized cargo effectively?
Shadow offers basic transload shipping and transportation services that can handle the heaviest of jobs. This makes them one of the best transload service companies if you regularly deal with oversized cargo like over-dimensional construction equipment. `
Furthermore, you also get specialized bulk transloading services which ensure the careful hauling and transloading of dry products like lime, cement & fly ash.
They can also handle and improve transloading logistics work for you, thanks to their in-house project management services that take over your logistics burden so you can focus on your business.
Main services:
- In addition to special transload machinery for handling oversized cargo, they also provide transportation by way of heavy-duty quad-axle flat trailers. This gives you an end-to-end solution for transloading and shipping these types of freight.
- Shadow also provides ship-to-shore transloading, making it a great option when you’re shipping goods from overseas by ocean vessel. They facilitate the quick reload of shipping containers to help you avoid container demurrage charges.
- The company’s pneumatic transloading services can also come in handy when you need to transload liquid bulk like vegetable oil and petroleum, for example. They work to minimize spillage and enable the seamless transloading of fluids.
Pricing:
- Contact Shadow for pricing.
Verdict
If you need to move oversized cargo like turbine blades, for example, Shadow is an excellent choice because of the expertise and equipment they have to handle these types of jobs safely. However, I’ve realized that leveraging their line haul services constricts your options, confining you to a single carrier and their freight charges.
6. Savage
Savage is great if you run complex supply chains.
It has more than 50 facilities in its transload business industry networks in addition to connections with 400 shippers across North America. This enables you to connect to markets across the country and beyond.
What’s more, Savage also provides drum and container filling services, which is essential when you need to deconsolidate liquid cargo more efficiently.
With its excellent transload management systems, you also get certified truck scales and weight-measurement technologies. This helps ensure that trucks and containers are loaded in accordance with weight restrictions across relevant jurisdictions.
Main features:
- Savage delivers HAZMAT-capable transloading services for your business and can handle bulk chemical dilutions. So they can transload toxic and hazardous cargo like acids to help you safely transition between rail & truck transportation.
- In addition to their primary transloading operations, they also provide a trucking service for your transloaded cargo. This enables you to work with fewer shippers during the transloading shipping process to simplify logistics and save money.
- The company offers a huge railcar yard that accommodates up to 100 railcar spots to help minimize the risk of congestion during peak periods. This increases transloading throughput and minimizes shipment delays for your business.
Pricing:
- Contact Savage for pricing.
Verdict
In light of its comprehensive drum and container-filling services, I strongly recommend Savage if you want to transport and transload liquid bulk freights more efficiently. That being said, I’ve noticed that they transload quite a limited range of cargo, which can be a deal-breaker if your business has multi-commodity transloading shipping needs.
7. Transflo
Searching for rail transload experts for your business?
Transflo is one of the best transload service companies because they have over 50 years of truck to rail-to-truck transloading experience and connect to over 47 rail terminals to help get your cargo to far-flung locations.
Additionally, it has special equipment, heating capabilities, and filtration devices to ensure food-grade products are transloaded as per regulatory standards.
Translfo’s terminals are uniquely located to serve the energy markets, which also makes them a great option if you want to improve transload ROI for operations encompassing diesel exhaust fluid and renewable fuels.
Main services:
- Their transfer services can also involve double-checking whether the trucks and railcars have the proper setup if you require it. So they can help ensure rail and truck safety and efficiency, while also minimizing the risk of freight damage.
- Transflo also moves and transloads lube oils, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), corrosives, oxidizers, and petrochemicals. They can help you ship and reload these types of cargo in line with various safety and environmental regulations.
- Upon request, they can also place seals on trucks and railcars after the transloading process is complete. This is particularly important when you’re transporting high-value cargo as it can help reduce theft and vandalism.
Pricing:
- Contact Transflo for pricing.
Verdict
If your business’s need of the hour primarily involves rail transloading, Transflow has the experience, expertise, and equipment to help you enhance the efficacy of your operations. On the flip side, this may rule them out if you have more diverse transloading needs such as needing to transload between ocean vessels and trucks.
8. PSC Group
PSC Group offers all-around transload management.
Beyond truck and rail transloading, you also get transload support services such as logistics and inventory management, just to name a few. This reduces the number of routine shipping tasks on your plate.
Furthermore, PSC Group can also palletize or drum cargo before shipping to enable efficient stacking and safer cargo handling across other transload points.
Want to keep an eye on transloading as it unfolds?
The company leverages top-notch transloading management systems with customer portals that provide real-time shipping analytics and dashboards to let you monitor transloading activities as they happen.
Main services:
- PSC Group also provides experienced tankerman services to help you specifically transload chemicals and refined products like black oils and poisons to achieve safer and more efficient barge transfers for your business.
- The company provides truck and rail loading and unloading services that ensure cargo is loaded correctly and also braced accordingly to minimize movements during transit. This helps to reduce the risk of cargo damage and rejection.
- They also offer railroad switching services, whereby dedicated crew coordinate the movement of inbound and outbound railcars in the transload facility. This streamlines loading and unloading operations so you can ship cargo much faster.
Pricing:
- Contact PSC Group for pricing.
Verdict
If your business frequently transports materials by barge, you should consider PSC Group because they’re highly experienced when it comes to barge transfers. Nevertheless, their services are priced way above market averages so they may not be the most suitable partners for your business if you’re working with a tight budget.
9. InTek Freight & Logistics
Need to transload bonded freight?
InTek provides bonded freight transloading services, which enable you to keep your freight moving and get around the red tape of international shipping to minimize supply chain disruptions.
You also get container transloading services that enable you to consolidate cargo into larger containers to help your business save time and money.
When you choose an excellent transloading solution like InTek, you get access to special freight transloading services as well. These entail special arrangements for handling Hazmat, liquid, and fragile cargo to ensure safer transloading and shipping.
Main services:
- InTek Freight & Logistics provides door-to-door transloading services, starting right at the point of origin and all the way to the destination. As a result, you get an end-to-end transloading solution that can massively accelerate transit times.
- The company also provides transloading services for both less-than-truckload (LTL) and full-truckload (FTL) shipping. So they enable you to join forces with multiple consignees to share the costs of both shipping and transloading as well.
- They also have a large transloading network incorporating trusted shipping partners and carriers across the US. So you can leverage their connections to not only ensure efficient transloading but also efficient shipping in general.
Pricing:
- Contact InTek Freight & Logistics for pricing.
Verdict
If you need to ship in-bond with goods that are yet to be cleared by the US CBP, InTek offers excellent bonded transloading services to make shipping faster & less complex. However, I’ve noticed that it prices its value-added services like logistics management separately from its transloading service and therefore the expenses can really stack up.
10. Unicargo
Unicargo is a top cross-border transloading solution.
With immense experience in the international transloading business industry, they are a great fit to help your business to compliantly move cargo across state and international borders and strategically transload between different modes of transportation.
Furthermore, Unicargo provides end-to-end transloading services, which enables you to centralize logistics and streamline supply chain management processes.
They also offer a digital platform with vital transload management features to help you simplify and manage important documents in one place. This unearths the data you need to optimize shipping routes in real time and respond to supply chain events.
Main services:
- Unicargo’s transloading services accommodate both full-container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) needs. So it can help you save money when you’re looking to perform transload shipping for a lower volume of freight.
- You can transload just about any cargo with this company but their expertise mostly revolves around overweight cargo, refrigerated items, hazardous materials and dry goods. So they are a great fit for multi-commodity transloading.
- Unicargo provides both in-house domestic and rail transloading and shipping, which ensures quicker turnaround times than traditional transloading solutions. In addition to faster service, this also allows you to negotiate better rates.
Pricing:
- Contact Unicargo for pricing.
Verdict
Unicargo is one of the best transload service companies if you need to ship and transload cargo more effectively between the USA and Mexico, among other borders. However, I’ve established that the company specializes in international shipping and transloading so they may not be the best match for you if you mostly ship domestically.
Conclusion
Your supply chain is your business’s beating heart.
Its efficiency determines how fast you can acquire raw materials or deliver products to new markets.
A single decision like choosing the wrong transloading company can compromise your entire supply chain and cause huge business disruptions.
In fact, supply chain disruptions cost US businesses $228 million annually, according to a study by Statista. These losses stem from lost sales, reputational damages, and the increased cost of doing business.
It’s, therefore, crucial to get a great transloading partner to minimize supply chain risks. But just as important as the best transload service companies is an excellent transload management solution like transloads.co.
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