Cross-Docking Services

More shippers and receivers are employing strategies to condense the order delivery cycle and minimize storage dwell times. Cross-docking services is one such solution and refers to the transfer of products from one truck to another or from a rail car to a truck across a staging area within a short amount of time — eliminating the additional handling and storage required in a standard warehousing process.

Shortening not only the length of the journey but also the time consumed from the product’s point of origin to the point of sale allows shippers and receivers to reduce costs associated with double handling, inventory holding, and warehousing.

Colonial and Atlanta Bonded Warehouse have developed the skills and technology and have the dedicated assets and experience to coordinate these transfers from receiving across the staging area to loading the orders in their required drop sequence.

From customers experienced in high-velocity shipping to those who are ready to experiment with new processes to move freight faster with fewer handlings, Colonial Cartage and Atlanta Bonded Warehouse have the solutions to provide customers with streamlined cross-docking logistics services.

We have eleven facilities in Atlanta, GA, and more in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In Georgia, Atlanta Bonded Warehouse’s facilities are equipped with fire protection systems, comprehensive surveillance equipment, and perimeter protection. This campus also has rail access and the ability to cater to broader cross-docking logistics needs.

Contact Us For Our Cross-docking Services

Streamline your supply chain with expert cross-docking services; Colonial Cartage is ready to be your third-party logistics (3PL) partner. Contact us to learn more about our cross-docking or less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services today.


Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does 3PL stand for?

    3PL is the acronym for ‘third-party logistics provider’ and refers to outsourcing all or part of your operational logistics to a professional 3PL service provider.

    3PL companies can provide various services, including warehousing, transportation, co-packaging, co-manufacturing, kitting, ecommerce, and other order fulfillment services to companies needing to outsource these services rather than handle them internally.

    In addition to our local plant shuttle transportation and TL and LTL distribution services, Colonial Cartage works with our sister company Atlanta Bonded Warehouse, to provide public and contract 3PL services for various industries.

  • Does Colonial Cartage offer 3PL warehousing?

    Yes, Colonial Cartage offers warehouse space through our sister company, Atlanta Bonded Warehouse (ABW).

    Colonial’s warehousing options include short-term racked storage to reduce damage to our cross-docking clients’ products. Our transportation management system (TMS) integrates with ABW’s warehouse management system (WMS) for increased visibility of inventory and shipments.

  • What are your LTL plant support services?

    Colonial Cartage’s plant support services include shipping raw materials, work-in-process, and packaging to our clients’ plants/facilities and returning their finished products to their next stop in the supply chain (warehouses, retailers, distributors/wholesalers). Frequently, inbounds to the plants and returns are both serviced by Atlanta Bonded Warehouse distribution facilities.

    Many of our plant support clients also choose to use cross-docking, intermediate storage, co-packaging, and other third-party logistics (3PL) services offered by our sister company, Atlanta Bonded Warehouse.

  • How does Colonial Cartage track shipments and manage order visibility?

    Colonial Cartage’s fleet is supported by a customized transportation management system (TMS) by Tailored Logistics Solutions. Our TMS delivers state-of-the-art routing, shipment visibility, and invoicing and has been integrated into Atlanta Bonded Warehouse’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) for integrated visibility of orders.

    All Colonial trucks are tracked and logged with electronic logging devices (ELDs) by KeepTruckin (KT) and Brickhouse Security. We are also fully staffed to respond rapidly to customer EDI and data translation/interface requests.