South Carolina’s Ports set a record for shipping volume in 2022, handling more than 2.8 million TEUs in a single year! According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Port of Charleston, is ranked the sixth largest seaport terminals in the United States, handling over $72bn worth of imports and exports. As one of the busiest ports in the world, The Port of Charleston plays a significant role for shippers large and small who depend on this valuable terminal to connect their products to global markets and consumers. This article calls attention to the Port of Charleston providing companies with information about its overall significance, and what  the future holds for this crucial shipping terminal.

According to the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, in 2022, the Port of Savannah stood as the largest container terminal in the entire Western Hemisphere. Over 5.8 million TEUs passed through the ports, an increase of over 8% volume from the previous year. This whopping total, which represented almost 22% of all container trade along the U.S. East Coast, also equaled 12% of all U.S. containerized shipments in 2022. One of the largest Port of Savannah drayage providers that works the Savannah ports is Port City Logistics, handling over 90,000 containers in 2022 alone, or about 246 containers per day on average. 

The automotive industry has probably one of the most elaborate and complex supply chains on the planet. Just stop and think about all the different components that go into the manufacturing of a vehicle: metals, plastics, semiconductors, tires, batteries, light bulbs, and speakers; brake systems, engine components, safety features, cooling units, gas tanks, exhaust systems, and everything else that goes into a car. All of this is sourced by literally thousands of companies that make up the various tiers within automotive production. Many of these materials are manufactured overseas or cross-border in cities across Mexico and Canada. And when the vehicles are finally assembled, they are transported elsewhere for various consumers across the globe.

In case you didn’t know, we’ve been publishing a lot of articles about the boom in shipping volume and economic developments occurring in east coast ports. You should really check them out. Not only are these articles diving into issues regarding the eastward shift in port volume, but also how Inland Port Greer plays a prominent role in these economic developments. This article takes a closer look at why shippers are turning to South Carolina as their port of choice for all their containerized ocean freight.

The modern logistics landscape is often changing and uncertain. It's important for shippers to stay on top of changes to find the best logistics opportunities and advantages. The latest shift is a volume boom at the North Carolina Port of Wilmington, with fiscal year 2022 (ending in June) having “a record high and 27% year-over-year increase,” with approximately 2.8 million tons coming through.

As shippers continue to search for reliable port capacity in the face of a dynamic logistics environment, many are turning to North Carolina. In the fiscal year 2022, the Port of Wilmington saw a staggering 2.8 million tons of general cargo, breaking previous volume records and showing a 28% YoY increase, according to WilmingtonBiz. 

Did you know that South Carolina Ports are some of the busiest shipping terminals in the United States? In 2022, SC Ports moved almost 2.8 million TEUs, which is a 1.5% increase YOY. The Port of Charleston moved a record 1.5 million containers last year alone. The increased volume of freight moving through this strategic terminal points to a larger boom in South Carolina’s economy, as global retailers and manufacturers are expanding their operations, opening up new facilities, and capitalizing on the state’s economic investment in the ports. The South Carolina Department of Commerce secured more than $10bn in total investment funds last year from companies operating in South Carolina. Currently, there are over 120 new projects being worked on, producing 14,000 new jobs for the region. 

Shipping managers are always looking for means to improve their supply chains. They often consider logistical factors like how to improve route optimization, expedite shipping times and reduce potential supply chain disruptions, and lower their overall transportation costs. Some shippers partner with a fully-integrated, single-source logistics provider to simplify their operations, relying on experienced 3PLs with value-added services to help streamline their supply chain.

If there’s one thing that shipping managers have in common with each other, it’s their unified dislike for supply chain disruptions. Shipping delays are detrimental to customer success and your bottom line, and they can happen at just about every touchpoint along a shipment’s journey. From increased vessel dwell time and demurrage at the port to the drayage provider delayed in picking up the container; understaffed warehouse and transloading facilities taking too much time unloading the truck, and poor route optimization resulted in a missed delivery appointment at the end destination. Most of the time, these delays are caused by a lack of communication, and because most shippers have a tendency to silo their transportation providers with specific roles. The idea is that multiple parties can manage the complexities of logistics and prevent disruptions by sharing the work. The drayage provider does the drayage, the transloading is done by someone else, and the OTR capacity is drawn from some other random service provider. The problem is, none of these companies talk to one another, and tracking and tracing requires communicating with three different reps, and sending a ton of emails in search of a status update.

Drayage may constitute only a small portion of a shipment's journey, but it is a vital element of the transportation industry still the same. Over the past couple of decades, drayage shipping and the drayage market have undergone several changes, with advances in technology driving an evolution in how companies arrange and coordinate drayage for their cargo.