Is anyone aware of a source that would show the final destination (U.S. point) for containers being imported into the U.S. (i.e. is there a publicly available document from US Customs or the like showing where the boxes are headed when they clear customs?
I’m working on a project showing import distribution flows and can’t find much on the web.
Thx,
Stack
1% Waybill samples – can be purchased from the STB.
If you are trying to get a handle on where the stuff inside the box terminates you are going to need a proxy. You can get close on a regional basis if you look at retail sales. Tying retail sales back to a port of entry would require the large steamship lines to open their books. Assuming Land Bridge waybills, that will give you a handle on movement from manufacture to the first distribution center in the US. Of course a lot of stuff comes into LA/Long Beach and goes to a distribution center in the LA Basin. Out of the distribution center it can go to San Bernadino or Peoria.
Destination is seldom known by the seamen who bring the cargo here. Hazmat to be sure, but not the general cargo in the cans.
kurt
The stevedores at the steamship terminal or at the rail destination terminal can tell you as most delivery orders contain the name/address of the final destination that the trucker will be delivering the container to. The US Custom clearence forms usually only show the name of the of the company paying the duty on the cargo & not the final destination.
I think this has deviated from you original question of what happens to the containers. I would try to find some information on US import vs. export $ value and goods. Obviously exporting companies need containers to ship overseas. That should take care of a large portion of them. I suspect they make round the world trips going west to east since here in Chicago I rarely see containers heading west. Some may be scrapped or wind up in steel mills to be remelted but I have never seen that either. Since there are not vast stacks of containers sitting around they must be going somehwere. After unloading here they might head for Europe for reloading continuing the trip back to the orient.
There’s train loads of containers going west. Quite a few seem to be empty, judging by the lack of a seal or locking device on the container doors.
Jeff
I believe he was talking about import containers cause everyone knows we have annual shortfall of what we import vs what we export