Richmond trucking company helps customers navigate global shipping backlog

With pandemic restrictions easing and global shipping ramping back up to address the backlog of import items, the Port of Vancouver is busier than ever.

“The congestion at the Port of Vancouver is the worst it’s ever been. In many instances, there is nowhere for us to return empty containers,” Sandhar Trucking manager Aaron Sandhar says. 

“The ports and container yards in Vancouver are full. Shipping lines are asking trucking companies to keep their containers in the truckers’ yards.” 

Importers are increasingly opting to come through Vancouver to avoid using American ports in Seattle and Los Angeles. In addition, the Port of Vancouver is seeing ships larger than they have ever seen before, with some carrying as many as 10,000 TEU’s.

While the business has been a boom for Vancouver, it has presented a logistical challenge too, as many companies scramble to meet the outsized demand. 

“We have more than 150 empty containers sitting in our yard, tying up our trailers,” Sandhar says. 

“We’re calling it a chassis shortage, and it’s resulting in major delays.”

To help customers navigate the new congestion, Sandhar and his team offer proactive services that helps clients stay on top of their cargo and save on storage fees.

“We’re giving our customers a lot of notice about what is happening so they can also better prepare and inform their customers and the shipping lines,” Sandhar says.

They’re also helping arm their customers with a paper trail to assist them when disputing fees for unreturned shipping containers.

“We’ve saved our customers hundreds of thousands of dollars since these problems started occurring,” Sandhar says.

The family-owned, Richmond-based Sandhar Trucking is one of the few companies in Canada that offers seamless import, warehousing, and transport services across the country. 

Its warehouse is bonded by the Canada Border Services Agency, which allows the company to conduct intact container examinations. Its facility is approximately 100,000 square feet, has 12 loading docks and grade doors, as well as seven railcar loading bays.

Sandhar Trucking has the ability to collect freight, bring the goods into its own bonded warehouse, separate and ensure everything is on its way to its final destination, anywhere across Canada. 

To learn more about the services offered by Sandhar Trucking, visit sandhartrucking.com.