Contamination
Mixing even a small amount of another resin or colour into a load can make it unusable. Bulk trailers need wash records, and dry vans carrying bagged resin need to be clean and dry.
Plastics & Resin
Plastics and resin freight, clean and on time
Resin pellets in bulk trucks, railcars, gaylords and bags, and the plastic parts and film made from them, moved in clean equipment on schedules that keep the moulding lines running.
24/7
Dispatch
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Overview
Resin moves in bulk, and the line it feeds never stops
Most plastic resin made in North America comes from large plants on the US Gulf Coast and in Alberta, and travels to converters by railcar, by bulk truck, or bagged and boxed on pallets. A moulding or extrusion plant runs around the clock, so a late load of resin stops a production line. Contamination is the other risk: a trailer or silo that carried a different material can ruin a batch. We book bulk trucks and dry vans from clean, dedicated equipment, arrange rail-to-truck transloading for resin that arrives by railcar, and move finished plastic parts, film and packaging to customers on both sides of the border.
- Pneumatic bulk trailers
- Railcar-to-truck transloading
- Gaylords and bagged resin
- Wash records on every bulk load
Challenges we solve
What makes resin freight hard
Plants that run 24/7
Converters hold limited inventory. A missed delivery stops a line, which costs far more than the freight, so reliability matters more than the cheapest rate.
Rail arrivals
Much resin arrives in covered hopper railcars. Plants without a rail siding need it transloaded into bulk trucks, and the railcar has limited free time before demurrage starts.
Heavy, dense loads
Bagged resin and gaylords reach the weight limit before the trailer is full, so loads are planned to weight and axle distribution.
Pellet loss
Spilled pellets are an environmental problem and increasingly a regulatory one. Damaged bags and open valves on bulk trailers have to be dealt with at loading, not after.
How we work
How we run resin and plastics loads
Product and equipment
Resin type, packaging (bulk, gaylords, bags) and any food-grade requirement decide the equipment: pneumatic bulk trailer, dry van or container.
Clean equipment
We book carriers who provide wash certificates for bulk trailers and clean, dry vans for packaged resin.
Rail to truck
For railcar arrivals we arrange transloading into bulk trucks and schedule deliveries to the plant's silo capacity.
Cross-border
Resin and plastic products move between Canada and the US daily. We coordinate the customs broker and origin documents for CUSMA treatment.
Finished goods out
Moulded parts, film, bottles and packaging go out to customers by truckload or LTL, palletized to the receiver's requirements.
Rules and regulations
Cleanliness, containment and origin rules
Trailer cleanliness and wash records
Converters and food-contact resin buyers require proof that bulk trailers were washed and what they carried before. Carriers provide wash tickets with each load.
Food-contact requirements
Resin used for food packaging must be handled in equipment that meets the buyer's food-contact requirements, with no prior loads that could contaminate it.
Pellet containment
Industry programs such as Operation Clean Sweep set practices to keep pellets out of the environment, and more buyers now require them from their carriers.
CUSMA rules of origin
Resin and plastic products moving within North America can qualify for duty-free treatment when they meet the CUSMA origin rules for their tariff line.
Equipment
Bulk, gaylord or bag
How resin is packaged decides how it moves. Large converters with silos take resin in bulk, either by railcar or by pneumatic bulk trailer that blows the pellets into the silo with compressed air. It is the cheapest way per pound and needs no packaging.
Mid-size plants often buy gaylords, large boxes on pallets that hold around a thousand pounds or more. Smaller plants and compounders buy bags on pallets. Both travel in dry vans or containers and reach the weight limit before the trailer is full.
Clean equipment matters in every case. A bulk trailer has to be washed between loads, and buyers expect a wash ticket. Dry vans for bagged resin must be dry and free of anything that could puncture bags.
Plants rarely hold more than a few days of resin, so the delivery schedule is part of the production plan. Regular loads on the same lane with the same carriers are what keeps it running.
Rail and cross-border
Transloading and North American flows
Most resin travels long distances by covered hopper railcar. When the converter has no rail siding, the railcar goes to a transload facility where the pellets are moved into bulk trucks for the last leg.
Railcars have limited free time at the transload site. Scheduling truck capacity to empty the car before demurrage starts, and to the plant's silo space, is the main job.
Resin and plastic products cross the Canada-US border constantly. With the right origin documents, most move duty-free under CUSMA, but the entry still has to be filed correctly.
Finished products, such as moulded parts, film and packaging, go the other way: lighter, bulkier freight that fills trailers by cube. They usually move as full truckloads to large customers and LTL to smaller ones.
Frequently asked questions
Plastics & Resin: common questions
Do you ship resin in bulk trucks?
Yes. We book pneumatic bulk trailers that blow resin directly into the customer's silo, with wash certificates showing the trailer is clean.
Can you transload resin from railcars?
Yes. We arrange transloading from covered hopper railcars into bulk trucks for plants without a rail siding, scheduled to their silo capacity.
Do you move bagged resin and gaylords?
Yes. Bagged and boxed resin moves on clean, dry vans or in containers, loaded to weight and secured so bags do not tear.
Can you ship finished plastic products?
Yes. Moulded parts, film, bottles, containers and packaging move by truckload or LTL across Canada and the US.
Do you handle food-grade resin?
Yes, with equipment that meets the buyer's food-contact requirements and documented prior loads.
Do you ship resin across the border?
Yes. We coordinate customs brokers on both sides and the documents that support CUSMA duty-free treatment.
Related industries
Other industries we ship for
Chemicals & Hazmat
All 9 DOT hazmat classes — liquid bulk, ISO tank, IBC, drum and packaged chemicals.
Paper & Packaging
Paper rolls, corrugated, packaging materials — high-density, high-volume freight specialists.
Automotive & New Mobility
JIT/JIS sequencing, inbound milk-runs, aftermarket parts distribution, and EV battery handling.
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