There are more than 40,000 McDonald’s restaurants in over 100 countries today. This past December, the company announced plans to have 50,000 more franchises serving Happy Meals by 2027. That will mean some 90,000 outlets relying on inland transport in order to serve those burgers and fries.
These days, it’s not just McDonald’s that is looking for opportunities to grow. The internet has opened new avenues of potential business for companies of all sizes by making it easy to shop and compare prices and quality of goods and services worldwide. Forbes recently wrote about how to diversify and expand your business once you’ve found success in your target market.
The common denominator for all imports, no matter the product, is that international freight arriving at a U.S. port is just the beginning of the inland transport chess game. What mode of transportation is best? Is your drayage secured? Is the paperwork done right to avoid detention and demurrage fees? Is all the equipment, storage space, and all of the transportation planned out, with backup plans?
The bustling ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach can be particularly challenging to maneuver as California lawmakers increase their focus on eliminating the shipping industry’s carbon footprint. When it comes to the Golden State, in addition to the rest of the shipping checklist, shippers must check all of the green requirements that the state mandates.
These issues make partnering with third-party logistics companies that specialize in inland transport from the SoCal ports an invaluable resource to ensure smooth shipping.
There are several reasons why businesses look to expand into markets. While profit is the obvious driver, a new market means more potential buyers and, with increased sales, increased revenue. It can also enhance brand recognition and drive down costs of supplies and goods as bulk buys increase. Also, the price of goods to consumers can typically be higher.
The challenges of expanding a company’s footprint start with how to safely and cost-efficiently transport imports from the SoCal ports to inland markets. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are major players in handling U.S. imports and trans-Pacific trade. Efficient cargo movement through each relies on streamlined inland transportation, as Southern California has become a critical hub for interstate trucking.
When goods do leave the ports, businesses must have reliable partners that can ensure safe inland transport to their final destinations. The less handoffs, the more secure the integrity of goods. GSL offers one-stop shopping, handling freight from start to finish so the need for multiple providers is eliminated.
Some key points to look for in an inland transport logistics provider are:
Successfully expanding into new markets takes planning and strategy development.
Market research is essential to providing a market’s potential for growth and potential, as well as the challenges that established competitors in the market will offer.
And if your goods or supplies are dependent on inland transport because they are imported, companies need to consider how the freight will be moved the most efficiently: by truck, train, or inland waterways, or a combination of any or all?
Choosing the right strategy can depend on numerous factors, such as how quickly the cargo needs to reach its destination and available resources such as chassis, and reefer trucks, as well as transloading or intermodal transport equipment.
Other factors that need to be planned are:
There are many options to consider when mapping out the right inland transportation strategy for your company, including the cargo type, destination, and timing requirements.
Not every company wants to supersize its growth like McDonald’s, but if you’re considering expanding into new markets and taking advantage of imported goods and supplies that pass through the SoCal ports, partnering with an in-state logistics company like Golden State Logistics will erase shipping concerns for inland transportation.
At Golden State Logistics, we not only comply with the state’s growing amount of green regulations, we exceed them. We’re a green company with more than 500 private chassis available, and we’ve run electric trucks at both the LA and Long Beach ports since 2019.
We embrace and utilize the latest technological innovations to simplify billing, monitor perishable freight temperatures, and track each piece of cargo throughout the delivery process. We use artificial intelligence to help distinguish the most cost-efficient shipping lanes for any cargo and to anticipate any possible changes. We stay in contact with customers around the clock so there are no surprises.
With our proven track record of reliability and expertise, when your company needs delivery beyond the ports, trust GSL to deliver your goods safely inland.
Click here to connect with Golden State Logistics.
As businesses saw during the pandemic the inefficiencies of the long-established way of handling port drayage, they began to realize that they needed to ratchet up their investments in technology.
Companies like Golden State Logistics are taking drayage operations to the next level, using technological innovation to improve drayage operations significantly and reduce shippers' environmental footprint.
