The vast majority of people buying produce don't know where it comes from, or the long journey it takes to get from farm, to truck, to store, to plate, to mouth. It certainly takes many different steps to get produce from the field to the store. What plays a key role in the transportation process?
“The answer is drayage,” says Jack Harmonay with Advanced Logistics, LLC. “Whether familiar with it or not, there’s no doubt drayage will play an important role in everyone’s day-to-day life,” he added. On paper, the process of drayage is fairly simple as it is the method of transporting a container from one place to another via truck, starting from a port and moving inland. These shipments usually involve moving large volumes over shorter distances compared to a regular FTL or LTL shipment.
“Though it isn't the most well-known of services in the logistics industry, it is arguably one of the most important,” commented Harmonay. “At its most efficient, drayage can work wonders in terms of keeping the supply chain working at maximum capacity. It also greatly assists shippers with moving large volumes of material.”
According to Harmonay, Advanced Logistics is instrumental in connecting the shippers with the carriers. The shippers are holding the product that needs to be moved and by connecting them with the carriers that will do the actual moving, a lot of stress can be taken away. “Instead of moving product on their own, we are able to assist by leveraging a wide network of carriers, creating efficiencies in the transportation process and saving valuable time for products with limited shelf-life.” If a refrigerated container malfunctions, or a carrier gets into an accident, that could potentially result in the loss of an entire container of product. “We’ve all seen those containers on while driving on the highway. They’re very big and it’s not a good situation if the contents of one end up in a ditch somewhere.”
“While the importance of the process of drayage often goes unnoticed, is vital to the supply chain, especially when it comes to fresh produce. It plays an invaluable role in ensuring that people across the globe get fresh fruits and vegetables delivered promptly to their local grocery stores,” said Harmonay. “Next time you’re cutting up that banana to put in oatmeal or garnishing a vodka soda with a piece of lime, take a second to think about the steps it took to get to you. That’s what drayage is all about.”
For more information:
Jack Harmonay
Advanced Logistics
Tel: (+1) 973-440-8641
jharmonay@advancedlogistics.us
www.advancedlogistics.us