Glossary

Transloading

Transloading is the process of moving a shipment from one mode of transport to another. See below for why your shipment might be transloaded.

Flexport

What is transloading?

Transloading is the process of moving a shipment from one mode of transport to another (e.g., from ocean container to truck).

Most often, this means picking up the container from port, bringing it to a warehouse, unloading it, and re-loading the cargo into a truck (for final delivery).

There are a couple of reasons why your cargo might be transloaded:

If your shipment is traveling a long way from the port to the final destination via truck, we may transload it in order to avoid costly per diem charges.
If your shipment is being delivered to more than one location. In this context, the transload fee refers to the labor involved in deconsolidating the shipment at a warehouse, palletizing it, and loading it into the trucks for final delivery.

Example of a transloaded shipment with multiple delivery destinations.

Transloading is especially common for Amazon shipments, which are often sent to more than one Amazon FBA warehouse (which have strict palletization and labeling requirements).

Your shipment will also need to be transloaded if you are shipping FCL to a residence.

If your shipment is transloaded, the fee will appear on your invoice as "Transload," under Destination Charges.