Who doesn’t love the ocean, right? But, here at ZMac, we love the ocean ports even more. To us, a port signals the beginning or an end to an on-land journey. Our role in the journey is an essential one – overseeing the transportation logistics of getting ocean-bound, over-dimensional freight from its point of origin in the US to a port delivery. Or, facilitating the pickup of an oversized load from the port and on the road to its final domestic destination. In other words, ZMac provides that critical piece of the on-land port/ocean freight equation – making sure your OD load gets delivered from Point A to the port, or from the port to Point B, in the most secure, streamlined manner.

It might sound simple, but it’s not. Whether we’re transporting an over-dimensional load a short distance from Sacramento to the Port of Los Angeles or a longer haul from the Port of Houston to Minneapolis, it requires an expert touch. The logistics of efficiently and safely transporting ocean freight in and out of congested domestic ports is, in a word, complex. But, it’s all good. Because we thrive on complexity. And our customers reap the rewards.

There are so many details when you’re facilitating the movement of OD freight in or out of a busy port. Good thing mastering the constant barrage of details is our thing. We pride ourselves on keeping abreast of specific port requirements, Homeland Security regulations, necessary carrier certifications, escorts, and customs paperwork. We’ve also spent years cultivating trusted relationships with port operators from coast to coast and holding strong on our commitment to keeping our customers and carriers in the loop on all communication.

To put it bluntly, the big mistake is assuming that all transportation logistics brokers think and act the way we do at ZMac. Because they don’t. You won’t find the innovative problem-solving. You won’t find the open, constant communication, and you won’t find the unwavering commitment to do what’s best for you, the customer.

Here’s one example of how ZMac went the extra mile to do what’s right for our customer.

It’s 2015 and a prolonged labor dispute has brought West Coast ports to a standstill. Ocean freight sat, anchored off the coastline. Trucks were unable to pick up and deliver cargo across the US.

We sprang into action, making sure that we re-routed our carriers to avoid the West Coast mess. We contacted those trusted relationships we’d cultivated with port operators on other coasts, such as Houston, Jacksonville, and Savannah, and worked with them and our customers to seamlessly get their OD ocean freight in and out of other ports. We used our knowledge of all those port/ocean freight details to get the job done as effectively as possible.

Was the West Coast rerouting a challenge? Absolutely. Was it a success? You bet. Was it the right thing to do for our customers? Always. Because that’s what it means to work with ZMac.