Industries That Rely on Commercial Drayage in Houston

At Canal Cartage, we are proud to be a solution provider and growth partner for commercial businesses importing through Port of Houston.  We provide intermodal and drayage services from Houston, to surrounding States including New Orleans, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico.

According to the Texas Freight Mobility Plan (2017) and statistics, Texas is one of America’s most vital commercial freight hubs.  If you have ever visited Port Houston and looked at the long line of vessels and volume of shipping containers, as well as the line of heavy trucks, you’d have no doubt that Texas is an important commercial link for business growth.

Our commercial customers rely on safe, economical and timely freight handling. Since 1983, Canal Cartage has established itself as a trusted provider of quality drayage and consolidated warehouse storage for palletized materials. From Port Houston, our team helps businesses acquire their goods while making every effort to minimize incidents, with a highly trained and productive team that is focused on getting the job done right for manufacturers, e-commerce owners and distributors.

Port Houston Is a Collaborative Network of Terminals Determined by Type of Freight

How much freight moves through the Port of Houston annually?  According to the Port Authority, more than 247 million tons of cargo, 8,200 vessels and 215,000 seafaring barges.  For waterborne tonnage, Port Houston ranks at the top and is America’s leading breakbulk port with a 52% share of project cargo.

The breakbulk and project cargo shipments from Port Houston are imported and exported through the following terminals:

  • Bulk Materials Handling Plant (Operated by Kinder Morgan)
  • Care Terminal (Operated by Coastal Cargo of Texas)
  • Jacintoport Terminal (Operated by Jacintoport International)
  • Public Elevator No. 2 (Andersons, Inc.)
  • Jacob Sterns and Sons
  • Empire Terminal (Operated by Empire Stevedoring)
  • Old Manchester Terminal (Operated by Westway Terminals)
  • SIMS (Operated by TPC Group)
  • Richardson Steel Terminal (Operated by Richardson Companies)

Container traffic, however, is limited to two large terminals; the Barbours Cut Terminal, and the Bayport Terminal in Houston, Texas.  Did you know that Port Houston handles 2/3 of all containerized cargo that arrives or departs from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico?  Port Houston is an important part of the business growth and success in Texas.

What Industries Rely on Intermodal and Domestic Drayage Services in Houston?

Did you know that the freight volumes in Texas are expected to increase from an average of 2.2 billion tons per year to more than 4 billion tons by the year 2045?  If you are a resident, you already know that ‘Texas Got It Right’ when it comes to legislation, programs and a friendly capital business environment that has investors and workers moving to Texas at increasing rates every year.

The State of Texas is a great place to start a business, and it has the resources and infrastructure to grow a business.  A big part of that growth has to do with our strategically located Ports, that are tooled to efficiently move imports and exports efficiently. In fact, the State has almost doubled its exports in the past 15 years.

While virtually everything you see at a retail store, or around you in terms of construction, healthcare, manufacturing (raw goods and finished products) and agricultural production rely on the efficient management of freight through drayage providers in Texas, there are five industries that lead in terms of freight volume. 

The Top Five Imported Goods and Commodities In Texas  

We know that Texas is an oil and gas state, but did you know that our manufacturing industries are also booming?  It’s apparent when you take a look at the top five commodities categories that are imported for Texas-based businesses, or interstate shipping.

1. Crude oil from petroleum and bituminous minerals.

2. Electric apparatus for telephone lines and parts.

3. Electric machinery (both consumer and commercial grade) including sound, television equipment, and parts for manufacturing.

4. Mineral fuel and wax, oil and alternative bituminous substances.

5. Nuclear reactors, boilers, mechanical parts for nuclear power generation.

Manufacturing of electrical components is big business in Texas and the surrounding states. In addition to our energy production industries like natural gas and oil which also drive a large amount of commercial drayage.

The Top Five Exported Goods from Texas

What types of goods does Texas export in mass volume? The largest export is (you guessed it) petroleum oils and products which went up by an astounding 127% from 2017 to 2018.  Liquified propane as an export also increased by 21.2% within that same period, with a surge in international sales for the product.

1.  Crude petroleum oils including light and miscellaneous petroleum oils.

2. Aircraft, including engines, manufacturing and aftermarket parts.

3. Modems, computer parts, and accessories, including data chip, integrated circuits, and micro storage components.

4. Natural cotton.  This is uncarded and uncombed raw materials that are exported to textile and apparel manufacturers both overseas and in Mexico.

5. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).  Did you know that in 2016, the construction of the Sabine Pass made the history books, and began shipping LNG to Brazil? Liquified Natural Gas is frozen to stabilize during shipping, and then thawed and compressed when it is delivered.  South Korea is a major buyer of LNG, and over 70% of global LNG cargo that is exported, is destined for Asian Pacific countries.

Canal Cartage offers a variety of services, from expert drayage pickup or delivery to Port Houston to intermodal freight (railway).  We also serve commercial businesses that ship LCL (less than container) loads of palletized materials and offer secure warehousing for consolidation in La Porte, Texas.

Make Canal Cartage your first choice for domestic drayage services in Texas.

Share This Article:

CATEGORIES

INSTAGRAM

FOLLOW US

PROUD PARTNER FOR PREVENTION AND AWARENESS

Official TAT Chrome Logo (R) Trans

Leave a Reply

Translate »