Freight glossaryWarehousingCargo HandlingContainersFreight
Transloading
Definition
Transloading is moving freight from one type of transport equipment to another on the way to its destination, such as from an ocean container into a domestic 53-ft trailer.
In simple English
The freight changes vehicles. It comes out of a shipping container at a warehouse and goes into a truck trailer, so the container can go back and the freight keeps moving.
What it means
The Federal Highway Administration's freight glossary defines transloading as "transferring bulk shipments from the vehicle/container of one mode to that of another at a terminal interchange point."[1] The word covers bulk commodities moving between railcars and trucks, but in port logistics it most often means container-to-trailer work at a warehouse dock.
- Ocean container arrives on a chassis
- Freight is devanned (unloaded) and palletized if floor-loaded
- Pallets are loaded onto a 53-ft trailer or box trucks
- The empty container returns to the carrier
In a container transload the box is devanned (unloaded), floor-loaded cartons are built onto pallets, and the freight is reloaded onto a dry van or box trucks. The empty container goes back to the ocean carrier while the freight continues by road. When the outbound truck is already waiting, the same job is also a cross-dock.
Why it matters
A domestic trailer is longer and wider inside than a 40-ft container, so freight from several containers can sometimes travel in fewer trailers when weight allows; the pallet math is in container vs. trailer capacity. Emptying the box also lets it go back sooner, which limits container detention. What it costs is driven mostly by labor, as explained in transloading cost.
Example
A 40-ft container of floor-loaded cartons is headed to two regional distribution centers. At the transload dock the cartons are unloaded by hand, built onto 48 x 40 in. pallets by destination and loaded onto two domestic trailers. The empty container is returned the same day.
Related
Related terms
- Cross-DockingCross-docking is moving freight from inbound trucks or containers straight onto outbound trucks at a dock...Glossary
- DevanningDevanning is unloading freight from a shipping container, also called stripping or container unloading.Glossary
- Floor-Loaded FreightFloor-loaded freight is cartons stacked directly on the floor of a container or trailer, without pallets...Glossary
- Shipping ContainerA shipping container is a standardized steel box, most often 20 or 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, built to...Glossary
- Dry VanA dry van is an enclosed, non-refrigerated box trailer for general freight; the 53-ft dry van is the most...Glossary
- DrayageDrayage is the short-distance truck move of ocean or rail freight, such as hauling a container from a marine...Glossary
Related tools
Related freight problems
Related guides
- Transloading Cost Near Port NewarkWhat drives the price of unloading and transloading a container.Guide
- 40-ft Container vs. 53-ft Trailer CapacityPallet counts and cube from published dimensions.Guide
- Floor-Loaded vs. Palletized ContainersCube, unload labor, detention exposure and devanning.Guide
- Cross-Docking vs. Transloading vs. WarehousingThe operational difference, and which one your freight needs.Guide
Sources
- Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, “Freight Glossary,” Government glossary. Accessed September 30, 2026.
General operational information, not legal, customs or regulatory advice. Rules and rates change; confirm current requirements with the agency, carrier or contract that governs your shipment.