Pacer Launches Two New US-Mexico Intermodal Freight Options; Will Make Trans-Border Transport Faster and More Secure, Efficient, and Environmentally Friendly
According to Tom Shurstad, president of Pacer Stacktrain, the company has just introduced both a long-haul intermodal service for general merchandise, linking the U.S. Midwest with various destinations in Mexico; and a cross-border intermodal service for freight moving between the U.S. border region and Mexico City.
"By using double-stack technology, both services provide excellent cargo security, eliminating the need for long-haul security escorts that have become increasingly common with highway transport," said Shurstad. "The new services also reduce highway and border congestion, operate more cleanly than trucks, and provide faster transits and a smoother ride, diminishing the incidence of damage.
"For example, the long-haul service, which enables delivery under special in-bond procedures, virtually eliminates delays related to border inspections."
Pacer Stacktrain, which attributes about one-quarter of its annual container volumes to U.S.-Mexico trade, or more than 173,000 loads per year, is already the largest provider of double-stack rail transportation in Mexico. Its principal customers are the intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) that package door-to-door freight transportation for manufacturers and retailers.
"We see strong intermodal growth potential in the North-South trade for general merchandise," said Don Orris, Pacer International's chief executive officer. "The availability of improved service options, including expedited border crossings, is one of the factors that will help stimulate this growth."
The fast, long-haul service: "PacerMex NonStop"
Pacer's new long-haul product between Chicago and points in Mexico, including San Luis Potosi, Queretero, and Mexico City, is known as "PacerMex NonStop," said Shurstad. As with Pacer's long-standing premium product for automotive shipments, this new option for general consumer and industrial merchandise allows customs clearance at final destination, rather than at an already-congested border facility. The service is available on a door-to-door basis through IMCs.
"With cargo available in Mexico City on the sixth morning after departure from Chicago," said Shurstad, "this is the fastest double-stack service in the marketplace." Pacer maintains staff at its rail terminals specifically to monitor and facilitate schedule integrity. Pacer provides 48-foot and 53-foot containers and chassis, and TFM, Pacer's underlying Mexican carrier, provides up to US$100,000 of liability coverage on shipments while in TFM's possession in Mexico.
In addition to IMC business, Pacer Stacktrain expects that it will even attract business directly from long-haul trucking concerns that see PacerMex NonStop as a more efficient mode, allowing them to redeploy truck assets elsewhere.
Intermodal option to/from Laredo: "PacerMex Gateway"
The other new service, known as "PacerMex Gateway," provides intermodal delivery between Laredo, Texas and Mexico City -- a route typically served by truck. Like the long-haul service from the Midwest, this product carries general merchandise originating in or destined for the United States. It also utilizes Pacer's stacktrain services, with a truck transfer across the border.
PacerMex Gateway is especially designed to handle freight located at warehouses and distribution centers within the border region, and destined for final distribution in Mexican markets, said Shurstad. "It means that freight forwarders, customs brokers, truckers, IMCs and other logistics providers serving the border region will be able to offer a door-to-door service to their customers, all the way to or from Mexico City." Pacer Stacktrain maintains customer-support staff at all service points.
"As with the PacerMex NonStop service, increased use of the intermodal option (rail combined with short-haul trucking), rather than using long-haul trucking exclusively, will be a key to making these cross-border movements faster and safer and more efficient," stressed Shurstad.
The two new US-Mexico services are part of the Pacer Stacktrain system, that encompasses more than 50,000 miles of track and serves all major commercial and consumer centers in North America. Pacer operates under contractual relationships with major North American railroads, providing a cohesive, seamless international service.
ABOUT PACER STACKTRAIN - Pacer Stacktrain is part of Pacer International, Inc., a leading North America freight transportation and logistics services provider based in Concord, California. The stacktrain unit offers a highly efficient rail network for the distribution of containerized freight by maintaining long-term contracts with major North American railroads and operating an extensive fleet of special railcars that accommodate containers stacked two-high. The coast-to-coast network spans some 50,000 miles of track, including both Canada and Mexico, making it the most extensive in the marketplace. Transportation services are marketed on a wholesale basis through intermodal marketing companies and other third parties.
Web site: www.pacerstack.com
Note to editors: Issued by Steve Potash and Company, 510/865-0800, steve@potashco.com
KEY WORDS: Mexico, United States, Chicago, Midwest, border, Laredo, Texas, Nuevo Laredo, Queretero, San Luis Potosi, Mexico City, intermodal freight, truck, rail, double-stack, stacktrain, TFM, cargo security, Concord, San Francisco Bay Area, California
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