Gulf Winds International – Redefining expectations for intermodal trucking through innovation, people, and purpose

A third-party logistics provider (3PL) can help you reach your logistics goals and increase the overall efficiency of your organization in the process. Whether your business is big, small, new or old, a 3PL is well worth considering if shipping is a high priority for your business. At the most basic level, 3PLs offer logistics services to support certain aspects—sometimes all aspects—of shipping operations. Typically, 3PL providers are integrated into a company’s warehousing and transportation procedures. By scaling and customizing services, 3PLs can best meet your specific needs. You can choose the level of involvement one has based on your needs and goals. They can provide a single service or deliver a bundle of services that extend across multiple aspects of your supply chain. These services work with your processes to increase your supply chain visibility. Additionally, leading 3PLs create value in ways that enhance your operational, financial, and end customer performance. Partnering with a third party logistics company can help shippers cut down on costs, make the transportation process more efficient, and improve customer satisfaction. This is made possible by a 3PL’s industry expertise and vast resource network. Therefore, if shipping is a high priority for your business, it is worthwhile to start looking to outsource logistics services to a third party logistics company.

Gulf Winds is one such third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering industry-leading container drayage, transloading, warehousing, as well as local and long-haul transportation. It is a second-generation family-owned business that was founded in April 1996 near Port Houston. With a mission to glorify God by providing world-class logistics services through continual investment in people, clients, community and the world Gulf Winds continues to have a clear direction and a broad horizon.Its strategic locations adjacent to port and rail facilities in Houston, Dallas, Mobile & Memphis, combined with state-of-the-art information systems provide real cost savings opportunities for the clients. Because of its commitment to continuous investment in technology, people, and supply chain infrastructure, Gulf Winds stands alone as the largest and most robust transportation provider for Port Houston – with locations in Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Mobile, and Memphis.

Making Transportation More Efficient Through Reliable Logistics Services

Container Drayage: Container drayage is the transportation of cargo containers across short distances on trucks, often in between intermodal shipping. The distance could be from a shipping port to a warehouse or a rail hub to a shipping port. Essentially, it connects the cargo from one stage of transportation to another. Drayage plays a massive role in intermodal shipping, as it connects those significant means of transportation. Gulf Winds provides simple drayage solutions that offer significant savings. With over 440 trucks in the Gulf region and over 1,400 owned chassis, Gulf Winds has the container drayage capacity & flexibility to deliver. Regardless of where you want to ship your cargo from and to, Gulf Winds has got you covered. The company even has warehouses where you can store your shipment temporarily and safely.

Transloading: The use of transloading services has become increasingly common in recent years. This is due to the growth of international trade and e-commerce, which has increased the number of imports. The advantage of transloading in today's supply chain cannot be limited to singular form. In fact, the benefits of transloading - put simply, the transfer of goods from one transportation mode to another (and often from one container to another) - can include cost savings, improved flexibility, faster shipping and more. Gulf Winds’ unique port-side locations allow you to ship heavy and leverage one-way van rates to reduce your ocean and inland transportation costs. Save time and money by thinking outside the box. Gulf Winds' transloading services are a cost-effective way to bring ocean containers inland efficiently. They help shippers reduce empty transportation costs, such as returning containers to ports. All of these work together to provide shippers with significant transportation cost savings. Their transloading services can help shippers save on overall shipping costs by removing the need to use ocean containers for inland shipping. When these containers are used inland, shippers pay to utilize them, which increase the cost of shipping.

Truckload Service: Truckload shipping method is best suited for commodities that can be palletized and sent together but do not fill a full trailer. It provides a solution for shipments of varying sizes and weights, it is a more cost-effective option for freight that is too large for a package but too small for a full truckload. This form of shipping allows you to deliver your cargo to their destinations faster and more efficiently than other modes of transportation. When one ship the product with an LTL carrier, you can rest assured that your product will arrive at the final destination in good condition. Gulf Winds truckload services make it easy. Simplify life with one point of contact from port to door. The company manages the details to the final mile, so you can stay focused on the bigger picture. Leverage the buying power of one of the largest shipper’s in the region to secure the reliable and affordable capacity you need. While standard truckload trailers have GPS tracking and provide exclusive use, Gulf Winds high-value shipments may need enhanced security measures. It offers premium services like geo-fencing and temperature-controlled equipment that fits for shipments that require more protection.  Gulf Winds has the services you need. With a network of more than 440 pre-qualified carriers and own assets to provide additional capacity, they can get your truckload freight moving — day or night.

Visibility: Supply chain visibility is the ability to track different goods and/or products in transit, giving a clear view of the inventory and activity. It enables shippers to improve customer service and cost controls through management of inventory in motion, proactive status updates, limiting disruptions and risk mitigation. As a result, the supply chain will become stronger and more agile in the process of having good visibility. When you make data-backed decisions about your supply chain, you don’t need to sit back and wait for anything to point you towards your next move. You can move faster when you know what’s coming. That is an evergreen piece of advice, and it applies directly to supply chain visibility. This goes hand in hand with enabling agility. The goal of Gulf Winds' visibility service is to gain advanced insights on how your supply chain works, while reducing risk. The firm pairs those insights with collections of user data, and you are left with a supply chain that can be optimized to be as efficient as possible. The company allows you to get out in front of everything that comes with managing a supply chain, and making the appropriate changes in order to boost your productivity regardless of the circumstances. Its full visibility into supply chain processes, plus the help of a supply chain consultant who has seen countless examples of this in action, helps you determine what you need to do to align your supply chain to meet customer demands.

BJ Tarver | CEO

BJ Tarver started his transportation and logistics career in 1994, holding various roles with a large intermodal carrier until joining Gulf Winds International in 1999. BJ has held many positions at Gulf Winds, which include Dispatcher, Operations Manager, Director of Safety & Compliance, and General Manager. In his current role as Chief Executive Officer, BJ supports all areas of the business and is primarily responsible for working with key stakeholders to establish and maintain a culture that reflects the mission, values and overall strategic “world-class” vision for the organization. BJ also serves the transportation industry on both the TXTA & ATA Intermodal Committees. BJ enjoys spending quality time with family and friends in the great outdoors in his spare time.

"Providing world-class logistics services through continual investment in people, clients, community and the world."