William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Feb 01, 2012 11:13AM EST
Less-than-truckload operator Old Dominion Freight Line is moving deeper into the drayage business, opening a container drayage facility in the Pacific Northwest.
The opening of the Seattle-Tacoma drayage terminal, housed at ODFL’s Seattle service center, capped a week of expansion at the Thomasville, N.C.-based carrier. As it expanded drayage in the Pacific Northwest, ODFL added 10 Asian ports to its Pacific Promise service, a less-than-containerload service launched in 2009.
ODFL now acts as a non-vessel-operating common carrier with connections to 23 ports in 10 countries throughout Asia, funneling Asian freight to its U.S. network.
“In an average month we move shipments between the U.S. and more than 40 countries,” said Greg Plemmons, vice president of OD-Global, an ODFL division.
A significant amount of that freight moves between Asia and the U.S., he said. The LCL service integrates the U.S. trucker more deeply with shipper supply chains.
In the U.S., ODFL’s drayage volume increased 35 percent in 2010 and then another 19 percent in 2011. The carrier now operates 14 drayage facilities across the U.S.
Last year, ODFL opened drayage facilities in Memphis, Tenn., Mobile, Ala., and Baltimore. The new facility gives it access to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
The sixth-largest LTL carrier also spent $100 million to $120 million on its domestic LTL operation, upgrading or opening new facilities in its 216-terminal network.
Last week, ODFL also launched a household goods moving service, its first service offered directly to individual consumers, rather than shipper customers. OD Household Services delivers trailers to consumers, who then pack them, paying only for the space they use. ODFL then hauls the goods to their destination.
-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @wbcassidy_joc.
