From Port to Store to Home: Drayage is a little known but essential transportation service.

• Author: Simonelli, Isaac Stone
• Position: TRANSPORTATION

Truckers in Alaska joke that the only thing here not delivered by truck is a baby. With only one road connecting Alaska to the Lower 48, most goods--with the notable exception of seafood--end up coming across the docks. And one segment of the transportation industry that is crucial to getting those items from port to door is drayage--a logistical service focused on trucking goods a short distance to retail companies or consolidators.

At the Port

The Port of Alaska handles the lion's share of goods arriving in the state. Each year, 3.5 million to 4 million tons of cargo move through the port.

"Half of that cargo stays in the Anchorage area and the other half gets delivered to destinations outside of Anchorage along the road and rail system within the state," Port of Alaska Director Stephen Ribuffo says.

Not all that tonnage relies on drayage services, as pipeline-delivered refined petroleum and cement moved by train car are handled differently. Goods moved through drayage services include most items Alaskans expect to see in retail stores, as well as construction materials and other essentials.

"Without efficient and reliable drayage companies, these important supplies would be stuck at port and not make their way to the grocery stores, construction sites, and other businesses and consumers who rely on them," says Eric Badger, president of Alaska West Express, part of the Lynden family of companies.

As a landlord port, the Port of Alaska is not directly involved in negotiations between shippers, companies removing freight, and companies providing drayage or other transportation solutions. It does lease out property to companies wishing to do business in the area, creating a revenue stream by charging for use of the dock.

"We do not run the dock operations," Ribuffo says. "People that choose to use the dock run those operations all the way from the stevedoring and longshore work to the arrangements for containers and other cargo to get picked up and delivered to final destinations."

Though many companies provide drayage services, there are two that handle the bulk of the shipments coming in on Matson and Tote ships: United Freight & Transport and Weaver Brothers. Both are unionized companies that employ Teamsters Local 959 for accessing the port.

Stocking the Shelves

Of all the goods that end up in stores through drayage, perhaps the most important day-to-day products for Alaskans are groceries.

"Meat, milk, and produce [are] the three things...