b'20American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comDrayage evolving as new business(FUNDAMENTALcontinued from page 18) the surges, port strikes, and issues on water from port of origin. We collaborate with our customers models emerge to create contingency plans and leverage the greater NFI network to provide flexibility.Whileacknowl-Port drayage is evolving fast, and a new business model is emerging. edgingthatdelays andcongestioncan By George Lauriat, AJOT be challenging, Webb said,NFIsexperi-OfallthevariedsectorsthatconstituteUSnership with one of its longtime customers, the Swissenceandrelation-trucking, drayagethe trucking of goods from amega-logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel Group, whoshipsattheports seaport to their destinationis arguably the leastwill acquire 51% of the company, when the deal ishaveallowedusto understood,andthemostcomplexnicheinthefinalized, likely in the first quarter of 2025. navigatechallenges trucking industry. The drayage business of movingStefan Paul, CEO of Kuehne+Nagel Internationalandcreatesolutions marine containers doesnt have the glamour of theAG, in explaining the logic behind buying a control- to minimize delays.tractor trailers pulling their 53-foot vans down theling interest in IMC said, International Sea LogisticsHe said that NFI nations highways emblazoned with big names likeis a highly complex business with many interfaces andisfocusedoncon-Wal-Mart, Target or Amazon.stakeholders, in which US trade flows are of centraltinuous improvementBrian Webb, President of Port Its the ho-hum business of moving marine con- importance. IMCs range of capabilities significantlyandencompassesServices at NFItainers, set on specialized chassis, through jammedexpands our service offering and allows us to developcost reduction, culture, innovation, and more. The highways and congested streets, in and out of con- and offer even more attractive solutions for the valuecompany is also making strides in sustainability, a tainer terminals around the country. And the wordchains of our ocean freight customers. regulatory requirement that could impact the supply itselfisananachronismderivedfromthewordWhat might be classified as an attractive solu- chain in many ways.draft or dray which referred to the large sturdytion is the resilience that adding an in-house drayage horses that carried heavy loadsfor modern refer- company brings to K+Ns US supply chain. IMCsA rer egulAtiOns thes OlutiOn FOrt hed rAyAgeence consider the Budweiser Clydesdales. Theyfleet of trucks and chassis along with 49 terminals,Andc hAssisO PerAtiOnAle FFiciency ?are draft horses.depots and transloading facilities, provides access toA report recently released by the National Acad-virtually all the nations majors ports, railways andemies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated t her esiliencyF ActOr road networks. A quick look at the facilities mapthat policy change would be an impractical solution However, despite an anachronistic appellation,shows a heavy concentration in the Southeast Gulf,to making the drayage and intermodal chassis indus-drayage is a cutting-edge business sector in logis- Midwest and East Coast, along with eight strategictries more efficient.tics. Without the drayage few of the 11 million con- facilities in California. And having this country-wideHowever, according to the report, it would be tainers annually moving through US ports wouldreach is important to supply chain resilience as wasbeneficial if existing regulations were enforced more reach their final destinations. Simply put the drayevidenced in 2024 by the May collapse of the Francistightly,andmoreinformationshared.Thereport, is essential to the nations commerce. And despiteScott Key Bridge following the allision with the con- commissioned by the FMC, recommended that the beingalow-profilebusiness,todaydrayageisatainership MV Dali, September hurricanes of HeleneFMCSA review inspection records to ensure safety hot-commoditytake the recent announcementand Milton, and the abbreviated International Long- standards are met and if the study shows that moni-from IMC as an example. shoremens Association (ILA) strike in October. Withtoring is not stringent enough, the FMC and FMCSA IMC Logistics is one of the largest drayage pro- an ILA strike possible (and many would say likely)shouldworktogethertoincreasechassisquality viders in the US. On November 14th the companywith expiration of the current agreement on Januarymonitoring, and that the FMC should increase its announced that it was entering into a strategic part- (EVOLVINGcontinued page 28) practice of data sharing.PREMIUM-QUALITY INTERMODAL CHASSISEach chassis is produced with high grade robust steel during the construction process for extra strength and increased durability.Jansteel USA Inc. is a manufacturer of high-quality Built in theintermodal chassis products used by Intermodal Equipment Providers (IEPs), chassis pools, truckers, U.S.A. and other transportation companies to carry shipping containers across states and countries.www.jansteel.com [email protected] 10763 NW 123rd St, Miami, Fl. 33178, USA'