ABF has expanded its global offerings to include Ocean LTL, a single-contact, expedited less-than-container-load/less-than-truckload supply chain solution for customers who import from manufacturing centers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.


The new service complements ABF's FCL (full-container-load) business, which has been around since 2006.

A service offered through ABF Global Supply Chain Services division, Ocean LTL features guaranteed weekly departures on a fixed day and schedule, which lets ABF to expedite shipments up to 40% faster than traditional LCL sources, according to the company. Long-term planning is enhanced by advanced scheduling for consolidation and departures. In transit, virtual warehousing and dynamic rerouting enable on-the-water inventory allocation and order fulfillment directly from the container to the end-user or multiple delivery locations.

Ocean LTL shipments may originate as LCL shipments overseas and deliver as LTL shipments in the U.S., but shippers get one customer service contact trained to assist with end-to-end documentation services, seamless visibility via abf.com, and single-source pricing and invoicing.