Drayage provider ContainerPort Group (CPG) has expanded its trucking capacity with the launch of Bristol Transportation, which will provide drayage services in Chicago, Charleston, and Savannah. The expansion addresses rising import volumes along the East and Gulf Coasts, company leaders said.
“Expanding the CPG network with the opening of Bristol Transportation in these strategic locations will help us cater to the shift we are seeing in diverting cargo away from the West Coast and pushing volumes up in the East and Gulf coasts,” CPG President Joey Palmer said in a press release Wednesday. “Investing in solutions that address the supply chain challenges that our customers are facing demonstrates our tireless commitment to ensuring we are bringing solutions to the table that meet the goals of our customers and owner operators alike.” Bristol Transportation has 40 trucks on the road serving customers in Chicago, Charleston, and Savannah. East Coast ports have processed record cargo volumes in the past year, as imports rise. This week, officials at the Port of Virginia said June cargo volume rose by nearly 36,000 units, with the port handling more than 317,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Imports rose 10% during the month. This was the port’s fourth straight month of cargo volumes in excess of 314,000 TEUs, pushing total TEU volume for its fiscal year 2022 to a record-breaking 3.7 million units, a 15% increase over fiscal year 2021. South Carolina Ports posted similar gains for fiscal year 2022. In a press release this week, port officials cited a 12% increase in cargo volume for the year, with more than 164,000 additional containers moving through the Port of Charleston compared to a year ago. Imports were up 22% year-over-year, officials also said. On the West Coast, officials at the Port of Los Angeles reported a record-setting June this week, as the port moved 876,611 TEUs during the month. Half way through 2022, the port has matched last year’s record-setting pace, handling more than 5.4 million TEUs. But imports are down in L.A. compared to a year ago. Loaded imports in June reached 444,680 TEUs, a decrease of 5% compared to June 2021. Loaded exports fell as well, coming in 2% lower than a year ago. Officials said American exports out of the Port of Los Angeles have declined for 39 out of the past 44 months.
