Reliable Transload Logistics

Rail-served storage, timely loading, unloading, and quality assurance leads to transload logistics success. WSI offers rail-to-truck and rail-to-rail transload warehouse operations for companies looking to optimize delivery speeds and reduce demurrage costs.

8M+ sqft rail-served warehouses space
30,000+ carloads handled annually
Responsible Care Certified

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Transload logistics services

Rail-to-truck

Freight arrives by rail and moves directly onto trucks for their next destination. This is the most common path for manufacturers shifting volume off the highway.

Rail-to-rail

Freight transfers between railcars or rail lines, giving you a path to destinations one carrier’s network doesn’t reach directly.

Truck-to-truck (cross-dock)

Freight transfers between trucks with little or no storage in between, so product keeps moving instead of sitting through a full warehousing cycle.

Not sure which one fits your shipment? Talk to a WSI transload logistics expert and we’ll match the method to your freight.

Experienced Transload Logistics Operators

Consistently high performing transload logistics operations require the right mix of assets and expertise. It takes hands-on terminal operating experience, the right equipment for the freight you’re actually moving, transload warehouse labor that can flex to a railcar’s schedule, and real railroad relationships when something needs to get resolved fast.

WSI brings decades of expertise to every transload.

Transloading wood, pulp, and paper

WSI operates across some of the country’s largest paper- and pulp-producing regions, using roll-handling equipment and AAR-compliant loading practices that moves product without damage.

Transloading hazardous materials and chemicals

WSI’s chemical logistics division holds Responsible Care® Partner status with the American Chemistry Council, so every tank car transfer is handled to the standard the commodity actually requires.

Transloading big and bulky freight

Oversized and overweight industrial materials require unique equipment for safe handling. WSI procures and maintains that equipment across its rail-served network.

stat on WSI's rail transload services demurrage dispute rate - 60%

Reduce demurrage exposure with proactive 3PL-railroad coordination

Proactive labor planning, thorough documentation, and direct relationships with Class I railroad reps help you avoid demurrage charges before they hit your invoice, and dispute them when they shouldn’t.

While the average shipper sees a 20- 30% win rate on demurrage disputes, WSI’s rate is more than double. In a recent analysis across the three major Texas rail-served warehouses, WSI’s documentation of every service transaction and carrier communication helped us win 60% of the demurrage disputes filed.

Zacha Transload Terminal

The Zacha Transload Terminal is a strategic hub for multi-commodity transloading operations owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) and operated by WSI. This site is prepared to handle a range of materials, including lumber, steel, palletized goods, dry and liquid bulk, and hazardous materials.

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Transload shipment and inventory visibility

Visibility comes from disciplined documentation of every shipment from the ASN forward. WSI uses a combination of railroad systems and customer integrations and communication to maintain detailed records of all service transactions and carrier communication. Once freight is in a WSI facility, our customer portal gives you real-time inventory visibility.

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Frequently asked questions

Transload forwarding arranges the transfer of goods from one mode of transport to another, ensuring a smooth transition in the supply chain.

A transload operator oversees the process of transferring goods between different modes of transport. They verify that the goods are handled safely and efficiently, keeping track of inventory, and ensuring everything runs on schedule.

Transloading is the process of transferring cargo from one mode of transportation to another, while cross-docking is a type of transloading that specifically refers to the transfer of cargo between inbound and outbound delivery transportation.

A rail-served warehouse is the facility. It’s a site with direct rail siding access. Transload logistics is the service performed there; the actual transfer of freight between rail, truck, and storage. WSI offers both: explore our rail-served warehouse network to see where our facilities are.