Port of Savannah Services

Port Of Savannah Services

At Project Freight, we work in and out of the Port of Savannah on a regular basis, ensuring that we can handle all of your container, ro/ro, breakbulk, and project cargo transportation needs. Over the years we have become very familiar with the port, and stay closely connected as they've grown. We've put together a little overview of the capabilities at the Port of Savannah, if you have any more questions check out our Contact page and give us a call!

Container

The Port of Savannah is North America’s largest container terminal at 1,200 acres! Speaking of numbers, there are some other big ones- 36 container cranes, 158 rubber tiered gantry cranes, and nearly 2 full miles of uninterrupted berthing space. At the Port of Savannah, you won’t run into any issues with speed or efficiency. Their specialized equipment allows a lot of containers to move- 8 million TEUs per year, to be exact. And they aren’t slowing down their growth either. In the works are additions of 8 more ship to shore cranes, 64 gantry cranes, and of course storage and berth expansions to accommodate the heavy volume.

Ro/Ro

Even though the real hub for ro/ro is the Port of Brunswick about 60 miles south of Savannah, the Port of Savannah still holds its own. In Savannah, ro/ro is handled at Ocean Terminal, which features five deepwater berths, and of course ample storage for vehicles and equipment. Customs and Border Protection is on site, the infrastructure is second to none (and growing), and the facilities are as secure as it gets. Pair that with Interstate and Rail access, and you’ve got a perfect port for your ro/ro needs

Breakbulk

For project cargo, forest products, and iron and steel products, the Port of Savannah has you covered. With 1.4 million square feet of covered storage and extensive material handling equipment, there is no shortage of the necessary equipment to handle your breakbulk cargo. Here at Project Freight we have the necessary experience and connections to get your break bulk cargo out fo the port and to its destination efficiently and safely.

Project Cargo

This is the fun stuff. The Port of Savannah’s barge mounted cranes, container cranes, and 22 forklifts allow them to handle the biggest and heaviest, and so can we. The port makes it easy, offering an in house engineering team, a flexible loading schedule, and interstate access. They take it off the ship, we haul it to you. The combination of the Port of Savannah and Project Freight is one of experience, know-how, and a track record of success.

For an in-depth overview of the Port of Savannah, head over to Georgia Ports!

To learn more about how Project Freight is serving Savannah’s ports, check out our Blog

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Highway Funding Road Trucking Transportation Infrastructure

COVID-19 Fallout Proves Necessity for Long-Term Infrastructure Funding

Commentary / projectfreightllc

COVID-19 Proves Necessity for Infrastructure Funding

Earlier this year, a battle was being waged in Washington D.C. about the future of our infrastructure. On one side, representatives were concerned about the state of our national infrastructure, and on the other, raising national spending (in an election year no less). Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the ENO Center for Transportation, doubted that reauthorizing the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act before it expires at the end of September was in the cards because of the reluctance in Congress to raise the gas tax to pay for it. Davis contends that a long-term infrastructure bill is the wrong solution to a recession in which there is a short-term collapse of retail demand “where you can’t get money into the economy fast enough” to make a significant difference within the next few months. That's a fair judgment; when our government is already pouring out trillions in order to simply sustain the American economy, is it really a time to concern ourselves with long term, expensive projects in the distant future?

Well... Kind of. Yeah.

Depending on how you look at it, this could be a very fortunate time to argue for increased spending on our infrastructure. With social media blowing up with posts about the importance of needed supplies during the crisis (we'll all remember the toilet paper issue) and the willingness of essential American truck drivers to stay on the road and brave the dangerous conditions in order to keep stores stocked and our citizens safe, what better industry to enable? The point is this; not only has the transportation industry shown it's willingness and capability to act as support during a national crisis, they have not yet been supported, and our roads are neither safe or as modern as is required for our economy to heal. Carriers are going out of business left and right, not able to survive the decreased demand earlier this year. Highway projects are underfunded if not put on hold indefinitely. Who better for congress to help than those who have worked hard, suffered greatly, and shown their importance to our national economy? What better to support than the backbone of our economy?

Why Fund Transportation?

Congress has seen the importance of healthy roads and a secure transportation industry, and heard our calls to action. In a March 19 letter to Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, early into this crisis when as a whole we were starting to realize the gravity of this situation, the Transportation Construction Coalition, a group of 31 associations and labor unions, asserted that the COVID-19 crisis provides incentive for Congress to move ahead with a $300 Billion FAST Act reauthorization, passed by the Senate’s Environment & Public Works Committee last year. According to their statement, “The Committee’s unanimous approval of a five-year reauthorization of the federal highway program offers a proactive and meaningful path forward for Congress to deliver an urgently needed economic boost,” the coalition wrote. “In the near-term, additional resources would create and sustain new construction and related industry jobs and tax revenue. In the long-term, the capital assets constructed would enhance economic productivity for many decades to come by providing access to jobs, services, materials and markets.” That really says it all- what's good for our infrastructure is good for our country, and an investment that provides jobs for Americans, stable tax income for our government's depleted reserves, and long-term stability for an essential industry couldn't be better timed than now.

"We agree that our infrastructure needs attention, and our country will be better for the improvements, now and in the future. It makes sense. But why the extra contribution? Why can't they support themselves with the funding they already have?!"... Well, it's not there. The federal Highway Trust Fund is having a tough time maintaining income from taxes on use. Lockdowns and travel restrictions have created a huge decline in road usage, which means less fuel taxes in months that are usually relatively heavy on road travel. The HTF, which uses revenue collected from gasoline, diesel fuel and the retail sale of trucks to pay for roads and bridges, has been relying on transfers from the U.S. Treasury’s general fund to stay above water for years. Those transfers have so far totaled roughly $144 billion. As it stands as of today, the highway account will run out by next year. “The federal highway trust fund was already essentially going broke before this pandemic, between more efficient vehicles and just the loss to inflation over the last 25 years,” said Matthew Chase, executive director for the National Association of Counties during a press conference on April 15. Combined with the impacts from Coronavirus, federal funding for our roads and bridges is in a crisis. That fuel tax money is what's currently funding repairs and renovations to our highways, and it simply isn't there.

Where's the money coming from?

Let's touch on that number. $300 Billion is a big f**kin number. But we have to start somewhere. The HTF isn't capable of providing enough funding, partly due to Coronavirus, partly because it's simply outdated. Not to mention, this situation has exposed it's fragility. When the fund was established, I think it's fair to assume that they didn't plan on road transport dropping in a such a massive way over a period of months on end. Establishing a new highway funding plan takes time and billions, but congress is making slight progress with the resources we have available now. In Washington, many groups have pushed for a one year extension on current funding, with a little bump up in spending to account for the setbacks and losses we've faced so far this year. The organizations lobbying for the extension – which include the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, American Association of Port Authorities, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the American Road & Transportation Builders Association – warned that state and local entities have already delayed or canceled $8 billion in surface transportation projects due to revenue declines related to COVID-19, on top of projects that were outstanding at the beginning of the year. Our infrastructure needs improvement immediately in order for our economy to heal.

Today, we've gotten a start. On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed legislation that injects $13.6 billion into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) while extending the FAST Act by one year at current funding levels. It's not the ~$70 Billion that the transportation lobbyists were looking for, but it's movement towards that end goal. The legislation was part of a continuing resolution to keep much of the federal government running through Dec. 11 and avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. The resolution, which passed with bipartisan support Tuesday, is expected to be taken up and passed by the U.S. Senate before the end of the month. The FAST — Fixing America’s Surface Transportation — Act, which was scheduled to expire Oct. 1, will now run through Oct. 1, 2021. The legislation appropriates $10.4 billion from the U.S. Treasury into the highway account and $3.2 billion into the mass transit account, the two accounts that make up the HTF. If you're like me, you're kind of disappointed. While it's a relief to have funding injected immediately, it's really just a band-aid for a larger problem. It's understandable, America has a lot on its plate right now and considering the struggles of the last few months it feels good to at least not be moving backwards. But in this moment, when our industry is battling as hard as any, providing for others in an uncertain world, when our infrastructure desperately needs repair and safety, and the American economy needs a foothold, congress has decided that our transportation industry should increase our tire budget and keep toughing it out.

To conclude...

We can't be sure what the future holds, but we can be sure that our reliance on a healthy infrastructure and the industries that utilize it are what will lead us to that future. Safe and efficient movement of goods is a foundation of the goal of creating a healthy, sustainable economy out of the other side of the Coronavirus crisis. Even the highest quality American made goods are useless if they aren't in the hands of consumers, and the obstacles the transportation industry is facing today are not solely of their own making. It's time for the government to step up, and support our industry the way we've supported this country.

By Lee Mobley - Project Freight LLC

For more Trucking and Transportation News and Commentary, Check out our Blog!

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Effects of Coronavirus COVID-19 on Specialized/Heavy Haul Machine Transport

Commentary / projectfreightllc

Effects of COVID on Heavy Haul Transport

The Coronavirus Covid-19 has industries across the board concerned and curious. We’ve received numerous inquiries from colleagues, friends, family, and industry partners all seeking perspective. No matter what industry they’re involved with, they want to know how the economic impacts are affecting various professions. Rightfully so, many are especially interested in how COVID-19 has affected transportation. After all, trucking and transportation is the backbone of the economy. If you eat it or need it, it’s been on a truck at least once. Market analysts often monitor the activities of transportation companies and specifically when gauging development trends, follow companies like Caterpillar, John Deere, Komatsu, JCB, and other heavy construction companies.

Before diving into our own thoughts and experience, I’d like to present a few facts that reflect trucking and transportation numbers across the board. This includes data from major carriers representing both dry van , flatbed, consumer goods, and commercial products alike. According to the Commercial Carrier Journal, “More than 70% of the 270 fleets surveyed last week by CCJ reported that the Coronavirus crisis has caused freight to sink, with 41% reporting a significant decline”. Fleets surveyed range in size from those with 10 trucks to those with more than 1,000. On a scale 1-10, respondents were asked to rate current business conditions, with an average response of “4,” with 1 being the worst possible. That said, 20% of respondents reported some of their “worst weeks ever” for business. The initial shock of Coronavirus worries spiked truck orders dramatically over a 2 week period, with Americans scrambling to stockpile essential home goods, but has since taken a sharp turn downward, with truck orders at desperate lows.

It’s noteworthy to point out that, one of the most consistently reported metrics of trucking company difficulties, and one of the biggest complaints of management, is the inability to hire qualified drivers. The “driver shortage” as it is often referred, has been an ongoing hot topic for the last decade. The worrisome part of that is, even with this labor shortage, carriers have already begun reducing their driver capacity by an average of 24% as of week-end April 11, 2020. It says a lot for an industry who, as a whole, proclaims to have an already understaffed workforce, slash what it currently has by a quarter.

Our Experience

It’s tough out there. In normal operations, we link together routes for our drivers with a priority on servicing our regular customers. Filling in the gaps, we rely on spot-bid shipments, surplus shipments, and the needs of our transportation partners (brokers, freight forwarders, and load boards). While we remain committed to being available and at-the-ready for our trusted clients, the lack of surplus freight makes difficult the ability to piece together these routes. This means a lot of wasted “deadhead” miles, or “empty” miles, with no freight on the truck. Trucking margins are often small (especially when not properly managed), and the slightest disruptions can have profound impacts on the bottom line. We are in between the proverbial “rock and a hard place” because availability is so high, and truck demand so low, we cannot pass those losses onto the shipper.

Truck orders are significantly down, and those that are determined to press forward, are constantly being challenged by the variables in which they have no control. Shippers and receivers are working scattered hours, some working from home, some working not at all, it’s difficult to make a shipment a success if all of the supporting elements are not in sync.

I will say this about the supply chain, from our experience; the nation’s Ocean Ports have been doing a fantastic job mitigating the challenging barriers to trade. Specifically, the Port of Savannah in Savannah, GA and the Port of Brunswick in Brunswick, GA have thus far not missed a beat from our perspective. We’ve made deliveries and/or pickups to the Port of Charleston, Port of Jacksonville, and Port of Baltimore within the last week and have not been deterred in the slightest. We’d like to tip our hats to those fine organizations for navigating some really challenging times. Although I have heard of significant delays around the country, we have not had any real problems to speak of.

Specific to our primary line of work, oversized and overweight trucking, we’ve generally seen the oversized permitting departments of each state reflect what they are typically known for. Some states are business friendly with fast, efficient, and sensible permitting practices. Other states are known for slow, inefficient, and unreasonable burdens when it comes to the processing and submission of movement approvals. Generally, those who’ve been stellar in the good times, continue to be efficient. Those who’ve lacked, are lacking even more in these hard times. We’ve had a fair share of unique challenges in dealing with oversized movement permits. To give one example, the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association has provided a list of states with significant procedural changes, here is their report for our home state of Georgia “Beginning Monday, March 23 GAPROS Office will be closed until further notice We will be working from home and have limited phone access…” We appreciate the good work the State of Georgia has done for our state in navigating these challenges.

Safety of drivers has been of concern to us and to themselves and their families as well. It seems some of the best spot-bid opportunities have been lanes going into the New York area or surrounding region. It’s no surprise that the drivers are reluctant to want to go there. It seems simple enough, stay in your truck, deliver the load, and get out of there. The problem and the risk elements are the en-route support facilities. Truck stops, rest areas, bathrooms, and supply stores. They are heavy traffic, heavy germ environments and moving to or from a hot-spot, it’s an extra caution that needs to be considered.

Overall, we are pessimistic about the next several months. I think we share that prerogative with many others within our line or work. However, we aren’t the lay down and die type. We are adaptive, challenge-seeking, solution oriented people whose job it is daily to make harmony out of chaos. The scenarios change regularly and we never back down from solving the next problem. We know that these challenging times are unprecedented and never before seen in our lifetime, but as they say, the only thing guaranteed in life is change (and death and taxes). We are committed to being forward thinking and a part of the solution. See you on the other side.

By Stephen Floyd - Project Freight LLC

Works Cited:

Commercial Carrier Journal “Fall off in freight rates prompts layoffs as trucks sit idle”

https://www.ccjdigital.com/fall-off-in-freight-and-rates-prompts-truck-driver-layoffs/

Specialized Carriers & Rigging Assocation “ SC&RA OS/OW Permit Alerts”

https://www.scranet.org/SCRA/Content/advocacy/2020-OSOW-Permit-Alerts.aspx

To Read More About Current Events and our Experience in Trucking & Transportation, Check Out our Blog!

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Project Freight Heavy Haul Job Communication

Trucking & Transportation: Clearing the clutter to arrive at the solution

Commentary / projectfreightllc

Clearing the Clutter to Arrive at the Solution

Day to day life comes at you quickly and the way we react to the problems we face, either from our personal or professional lives, becomes a direct indicator of whether we are focusing on the problem or the solution. I remember early on when I was just getting started in my career field, how it seemed like the most minor problems were that of a CEO of a fortune 500 company. In reality, they were very simple fixes so long as I followed procedures laid out by my predecessors. Today, with a little bit of time in the industry and after hundreds of solved-problems later, I can, for the most part, navigate day to day problems with a focus on the solution, rather than the problem.

Part of the job in transportation and trucking, with emphasis on the project-type jobs we commonly service, is being a good leader to guide the participating parties in the right direction. Tempers flare, varying opinions are voiced, and the clarity of things becomes muddled. Helping all parties move in the direction of solution is my responsibility. Throughout my childhood, I was raised in a way that demanded finding solutions to the problems life served. I can thank my Father for that. More times than not, that early experience has helped supplement my ability to navigate the problems we so commonly see in transportation.

I believe to be successful in life and in business, I need to be able to step away from the problem for enough time to improvise, adapt, and overcome, knowing that whatever the problem THERE IS A SOLUTION. Passing this type of mindset along to customers, drivers, and other members can sometimes be challenging. This is where positive leadership, clear communication, and explicit action becomes fundamental to calming the storm. It's a prideful moment when all of those dynamics become simpatico and I can look back and know that I did the right things in creating harmony to yesterdays problems.

Sometimes I chuckle— the long hours at the office, pushing to meet schedules, and the weeks-long jobs that feel like an eternity. Bringing the work home with me is unavoidable. It's often said by psychology-minded people that this is not ideal, however, I disagree. I believe this gives me an edge in the industry and strengthens the relationships I have with drivers, customers, and other key players. I take it home with me because I have to. I am commited to the problem, but even more so, to the solution. I live and breathe it. As the days pass, my experience grows, and the size of the problem shrinks, I've got to keep my eye on the prize and heart connected to my brain, knowing what I am doing here is making a difference and that possibly my input can ease an unsettled mind.

We often refer to ourselves as the "cleanup crew." It's a joking name, with a serious connotation. We have dubbed ourselves in relation to the very essence of this BLOG. Countless times we receive calls from a customer in a panic worried that their very important job or delivery will not get made. With a smirk, we gladly accept the challenge and head back to the proverbial battlefield. It's not nice, neat, and pretty every time, but the job always gets done with favorable results. Sometimes, it's only because we have seasoned ourselves to see through the clutter and focus on the solution.

10/31/2018

Author: Benjamin Whaley- Operations Manager, Project Freight LLC

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Brunswick Port Project Freight Heavy Haul

Brunswick Port Services

Services / projectfreightllc

Brunswick Port Services

We are constantly growing our services to meet the demands of our local customers as well as our clients throughout the U.S. and abroad. Strategically located near the Brunswick Port in Brunswick, GA, we have the relative capacity to service your heavy machinery needs. Our Brunswick Port services include machine washing, heavy equipment repair, RORO prep, heavy equipment dismantling, onsite port inspection, heavy equipment storage outside of the port, and delivery services into the Port of Brunswick. We are familiar with the people, processes, and geographic location with full TWIC and Georgia Ports credentialing to access the Port of Brunswick.

Many of our clients will hire us for machinery storage outside the gates of the Brunswick Port as decisions await, work is done, and/or processes are complete. Many times we will “port prep” machines before they enter for export. This could include partial dismantlement, hydraulic repair, leak fixes, component protection, wrapping, and more. On the other hand, it’s not uncommon for clients to ask us to remove their imported machines from the Port of Brunswick and taken to an off-site storage location for temporary storage while final destinations are established. Brunswick Port machine washing is a major component of our offered service, as they are somewhat particular about the cleanliness they require for ship loading.

As always, if you believe there is a Brunswick Port service not listed here, please always do not hesitate to reach out. We truly value our commitment to go above and beyond, our relationships are extremely important to us, and we feel the best form of advertisement is positive word of mouth. It will be our commitment to make each client feel like they were exceptionally well taken care of. For more information or special requests, give us a call at the office 912-689-1230 or contact us by email at [email protected] Thanks to everyone for their continued support, it is appreciated more than you know and we try to express that in the attention to detail we give to each and every situation.

Take care. – Steve

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Causes of Inefficiency in Specialized Transportation

Commentary / projectfreightllc

Causes of Inefficiency in Specialized Transportation

Our line of work involves a lot of people doing their job to successfully move a product from Point A to Point B, C, and sometimes D. Depending on the type of commodity, industry, transaction arrangement, age of product, trans-loading points, method of travel, and other associated factors, the number of people involved with a particular movement can be staggering. A problem we often encounter in specialized transportation projects is, what actually defines someone "doing their job?" It's a relative question that depends on who they report to and what they've interpreted as their role. The point is, each party or vendor operates to maximize their own efficiency- often times with little to no accountability to the end user. What one party may consider a job-well-done could be a costly mistake for another player along the supply chain, or ultimately, the end user.

I understand this isn't some novel discovery. It's a problem that takes on many shapes and angles across a plethora of industries. It does, however, have unique characteristics in transportation. To illustrate a specialized scenario in a second-hand transaction, envision a plant, heavy mining equipment, crane, or industrial parts. The first phase might be to remove it from an existing facility. It gets broken down from unreasonably large dimensions into divisions that make oversized road transportation feasible. From there, it goes to the next shipping point. Sometimes there is only one movement, sometimes there are several depending on whether it enters the rail or ocean corridor and whether it is being exported internationally. Another point of relevance in this type of project is the money trail. Each party, vendor, or collaborator gets paid by, and thus is responsible to, different actors. It's not uncommon for the downline to look something like this: origin location property owner, vendor operating on the grounds, owner/seller of the actual commodity, equipment sale broker, equipment sale co-broker, and ultimately- the buyer or end user. Now, you add service players to the mix: riggers, crane company, transportation broker, trucking company, trans-loading provider, rail or ocean broker, rail/ocean operators, customs brokers, storage facility, and the list can go on ad infinitum. The process can be equally convoluted, regardless of the sale type.

The takeaway from this is, many customers don't think of this logistics process as they would, say, a construction job. In construction, a developer (the customer) introduces a plan of action to build something. From there, a general contractor is hired to oversee all aspects of the building operation. Everyone ultimately answers to "one guy." There are, of course, challenges in regulating performances and trickle down effects at play there, but at the end of the day, the contractor has to answer back to the customer for all aspects of the operation. Specialized transportation doesn't always have that same level of clarity as to who is in charge. The process often relies on the communication channel (or lack thereof) and flow of money between unassociated parties to guide a successful outcome. Bob the site owner hired Joe the crane operator. Ted the buyer hired Franky the the rigger. Francis the sales broker hired Mr. Rodgers the truck driver. Mr. Rodgers gets a flat tire from the loose metal the site operator left out. The downtime of the truck costs downtime for the crane, the downtime of the crane costs downtime for the rigger, etc, etc, etc. It is a process that, everyone hopes gets worked out in the best way possible, but because each party is responsible to someone different, the interpretation of a positive outcome is different. The reality often is, each player will naturally make decisions that offer the most favorable outcome to themselves- not the end user.

As a financial player in these situations, it's important to understand the potential affects of this. Often times, mechanisms that seem to be cost-saving strategies, turn out to be expensive back-end mistakes. Sometimes, companies paying the bills for this type of work have little to no knowledge of the logistics processes associated with a particular shipment. Letting a seasoned consultant or all-inclusive solution provider analyze and/or perform the job can put the responsibility of success in the hands of one, rather than in the hope of many. To casually expand on this when selecting a qualified logistics professional, I've found a popular LinkedIn meme that is so very relevant to this process as well, "Pick 2 out of the 3 options: Cheap, Fast, Good. If you choose cheap and fast, it won't be good. If you pick fast and good, it won't be cheap. If you choose good and cheap, it won't be fast!

Feedback and discussion from industry professionals and/or those inquiring with curiosity are always welcome to comment and/or expand on this.

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