Shipping from Houston
Houston, Texas freight rates Whether by sea, highway or rail, a major portion of the country’s freight passes in and out of the Houston region. The region is home to the ports of Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the U.S. in foreign tonnage and is the largest container port in the Gulf Coast, handling 66 percent of Gulf Coast container traffic in 2013. A recent expansion of the Panama Canal to allow larger ocean freighters should increase port traffic. As one of the nation’s busiest rail centers, the Houston region has a rail network of more than 800 miles of rail line and 21 miles of railroad bridges. Additionally, 10 major rail companies serve the Houston region and 150 trucking lines connect the Port of Houston to the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. Houston is the crossroads for Interstate Highways 10 and 45, as well as several state highways.
Shipping to Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL freight rates The northeast Florida city of Jacksonville is the self-proclaimed “America’s Logistics Center.” The city boasts 10 airports, four ports, a strong network of railways and convenient access to major highways and interstates. The region’s deep water port, JAXPORT, has three marine terminals that handle 8 million tons of cargo annually, including more than 515,000 vehicles. Jacksonville is intersected by three major interstate highways (I-10, I-95, and I-75) and a back-door road to I-295 provides expedited access in and out of the city. Three commercial trade railroads also provide service to the region. A local Foreign Trade Zone encompasses six counties and the region has a well-established Latin American trade lane and expanding shipping business to and from Asia and Europe. Like with other Florida markets, Jacksonville freight rates will change with the seasons because of the tourist and citrus industries. LTL freight shipping is usually affordable due to the volume of goods moving through the state by truck and rail.
