Question 1

I always wondered when truck drivers are on the road how often they have to weigh in and what exactly is this purpose for ?

Also for the other based import/export vehicles like ships , trains ,...etc etc
Is there any weighing stations or protocals or the shipping/recieveing guys just load / unload and the drivers of the vehicles just drive the goods...

Question 2
Is there some internet site that list all the US import/export major drop places before they are shipped to the retailing places (i.e the docking places / the whole saleing drop places in the US )

 

I believe they have to weigh in at all stations. The reasons is for 1 make sure no state to state taxable products are being moved, and 1a to weigh the trucks to make sure legit trucks don't pick up a load of drugs and take it to their destination. Thats why some weight station are equiped with Xray.

Most products are moved by rail, barge, then truck. Barges, boats, and trains weight their loads and track each pound for boyancy and balance. So not sure if their weighed in transit.

Yah just type in ports, and airports in google maps. Every major airport has a cargo section that brings in cargo to transport, otherwise your dealing with a port which may or may not be mob controlled. In the last month they've had 2 shipments stolen at cargo stations in airports of ipad mini's. One was 1.4 million dollars worth and another was for similarly high. One in seattle one in NJ I think.

 

That and overweight truck do damage to the roads. That is the primary focus. Many truckers don't really care, they get paid in many cases by the pound.

 

Ok , but I am also wondering about docks/storeage places after the truck/ships/trains/...import export vehicles reach the drop off.

Is those places owned by a group of wholesalers or just somebody that rents storage space for shipping/recieving products that the wholesalers/retailers use.

For example a major company like walmart do there products come directly to them or get delivered to a storage spaces then shipped off to different walmart stores.

I am just trying to understand for the most part where products are first shipped to all the way down to the last stop.
I am assuming it is like the transmission/distribution grid for electricity to some extent... since we have wholesalers then the retailers
But some companies seem like both wholesalers and retailers...

Confused alittle bit

Have to say if one knew the major storage places / drop offs for products one could completely map out the flow of products over the world or the economic motion of goods
( I call it product transportation analysis )

Wonder if there is such a site yet

 

They arrive via cargo ship from china. They offload to a port in NY, NC, NO, Seattle, CA pretty much all over. Then independent cargo contractors take the products to the multiple distribution warehouses all over the US. The merchandice is then shipped internally to each warehouse so it has most of the products. Its then restocked at the warehouse and then each truck is shipped out to a store(s) by walmart. Once it doesn't sell for a while at wallmart or they get way too much of one thing they blow the excess out at Sams Club, which are also Walmart so they use same dist network.


I'm sure the gov has such a thing or a couple private companies do it that are nearly proxy gov gigs. Thats information is very dangerous in the wrong hands. Truck hijacking and cargo stealing are still really big crimes. I could list you dozens of trucks that have been jacked for everything from Maple Syrup, Gasoline, Phamacuiticals, Electronics, IPADs, etc.....

 

Ok , correct me if I am wrong but once the cargo ships from china drop off the products and offload to a port in NY, NC, NO, Seattle, CA pretty much all over.

Then independent cargo contractors take the products to the multiple distribution warehouses all over the US. The merchandice is then shipped internally to each warehouse so it has most of the products.

multiple distribution warehouses are these owned by a specific company like walmart owns there own stratgically placed storage units so then they can have different walmart trucks/or delivery trucks delivery it to the different walmart stores around the world in the most economical way or way that makes the transportation quick/easier .

Or is the multiple distribution warehouses owned by a specific company different from the wholesalers. IF so then I am confused about what the differences is between wholesaler as opposed to retailer ... since some times people can order directly from the manufacture or wholesaler as well as the retailer?
And if walmart doesn't own the multiple distribution warehouses then they must pay somebody for uses of spaces.
How does that all work?

 

Beginning to sound like your a terrorist, looking for a way to ship things harmful into the country.

 

No walmart, Homedepot, etc own the warehouses they use. I know cause when hurricane Katrina hit NO I was working in a huge warehouse in TN. Home Depot called us asking to rent our warehouse cause they had all their inventory from the gulfcoast in trucks. They ended up filling 3/4 the warehouse and everyone locally basically had brand new workshops. I worked in the front offices but it was obvious how much stuff was flying out the back door. Thats why only in emergencies do big companies rent space like that.

 

Beginning to sound like your a terrorist, looking for a way to ship things harmful into the country

No just information, it can be used for good or bad depends on the person , his believe , and his state of mind.


@maxpower097 so then after the shipment from china gets to the docks trucks drive it to the warehouses owned by big companies like walmarts owned spaces. If that is correct there is really no middle drop usually for big companies. i.e china to US docks then into the warehouses of walmart for example.

Didn't know if walmart and other companies usually own it or rent it though ...
Guess it won't make to big of a difference because a renter is a partially owner at a given time. Although if they rent they have to follow the rules made out in a lease of some sort. ( so thats the only real issue I would imagine)

Question 2
How does the retailer or smaller owned companies / private companies get there supplies from the wholesalers like a walmart. Or do they have there own small warehouses that trucks directly ship to from the docks. ( would see this being less efficient in fuel and routing though I know if it was a couple of items fedex or post office can ship directly to anybody. So maybe the amount of jobs to the efficency out ways the benifit )

Because it would seem the most optimal solution would be to have many different big storage spaces for inventory in stratgic places in the US where the bulk of the US inventory is stored. Then stratgiclly drive it down to each wholesaler / retailer. That would safe time and money in transmitting goods.

I can kind of see why the locations of the inventory is not easilly given out for danger of stealing/terrorism but most of the managers of those companies or many export/import guys would know this.

And I am sure there is security protocals to be followed at the docks as well as lock/key's , cameras , and guards.
Just like an airport because good/inventory at this scale is almost as important as human saftey on air lines
(probably more if your looking at it from another angle some times to some extent )

 

Sams club is the commercial branch of Walmart thats where your supposed to buy your bulk stuff from WM. Also from 7am-9am its business's only. I really don't think your quite grasping the scope of companies like Walmart and HD. These are litterally entire industries that have been monopolized legally. No one could ever compete with WM because of their biz practices, which in hand turn out to be killing our country more then anything. I refuse to shop at any Sams or Walmart off principle. All they do is put smaller biz's out of biz. Then everyone goes and works for them for min wage. Their actual biz model is to pay the employees so little they are forced to shop back at walmart.

 

I disagree