APL Logistics, which co-developed day-definite, less-than-containerload (LCL) cargo delivery, introduced its latest freight transportation breakthrough ' guaranteed delivery of full containerloads from Asia to virtually any destination in the US.
Named APL Guaranteed Continental', the new service connects the ports of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chiwan, and Yantian with virtually any ZIP code in the continental US. The service guarantees delivery of full-containerload cargo on a specified date, or shippers receive a 20% refund.
APL Guaranteed Continental' is the latest innovation from APL Logistics, which pioneered the day-definite ocean freight market little more than a year ago with OceanGuaranteed' ' a guaranteed service for LCL cargo that was designed to provide importers with a cost-effective, expedited surface alternative to airfreight.
'From the moment we introduced day-definite LCL service, customers told us they wanted it for their full-container shipments,' said APL Logistics President Brian Lutt. 'This meets their need for expedited, reliable transportation from a single provider at a time when supply chains are growing longer and more complex.'
APL Logistics said its new service will provide the industry's fastest transit times between key ports in China and customers' US locations. For example, full-containerload shipments from Hong Kong to a consignee's door in Boston will take only 15 days.
Cargo receives priority stowage on the vessels of container carrier APL in Asia.
It's among the first cargo discharged after vessels arrive at APL's marine terminals in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Ocean containers destined for the following metropolitan areas are loaded onto specially designed long-haul chassis: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Carolinas (North and South), Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Michigan, Nashville, New York / New Jersey (including parts of Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania), Ohio Valley, Reno.
Cargo bound for any other US destination is transloaded (or transferred) into domestic highway trailers at a Los Angeles-based APL Logistics facility.
Team drivers then transport the cargo non-stop by truck to the consignee's door. Full in-transit visibility is provided port-to-door, including en-route updates from motor carriers. Customer payment is via one simplified invoice.
APL Guaranteed Continental' offers two crucial advantages that can't be found elsewhere, Lutt said: 'speed that's unmatched in the full-containerload market and reliability normally associated only with airfreight delivery. The combination can result in better-performing supply chains that are also more cost efficient for shippers,' he added.
APL Guaranteed Continental' is expected to provide relief from delays that hamper supply chains in an era of strong global trade growth. For instance, expedited inland truck transport enables shippers to avoid transit variability common to intermodal rail networks. What's more, the service offers guaranteed vessel space and ensures priority handling at marine terminals, even during the crowded peak shipping season.
APL Logistics said its new service can help mitigate the environmental impact of global freight transport, especially when compared to airfreight. According to data from the Network for Transport and the Environment, containerships on average produce 97% less carbon emissions and use only 1.3 percent of the energy of an air freighter to transport one ton of cargo one kilometer. The corresponding figures for highway movement, likewise compared to air cargo, are 91% and nine percent respectively.
According to APL Logistics' analysis, a Hong Kong-to-Indianapolis ocean/truck transit using APL Guaranteed Continental' would result in 318 kilograms of CO2 emissions per metric ton of cargo moved, while the same transit using airfreight would generate 7,093 kilograms per metric ton.
APL Logistics said its day-definite OceanGuaranteed' LCL se
