Con-Way, Tropical team up to simplify Caribbean service

   Highway carrier Con-Way Freight said it has been selected as the preferred motor carrier by Tropical Shipping for delivering less-than-containerload exports destined for the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Tropical’s outbound consolidation centers.
   The companies have started a new service, called TropicalDirect, to provide shippers the convenience of a single point of contact to arrange their inland and ocean transport, rather than having to separately engage a trucking company and ocean carrier. Under the new through-routing, Tropical will book cargo pickup with Con-way, a large multiregional piece shipment carrier based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and provide all-inclusive pricing and a single invoice. Customers can track and trace shipments on either company’s Web site.
   The collaboration also expands Con-Way’s service area to the Caribbean. Spokesman Joe DeLuca said the companies would combine their sales forces, meaning Con-Way can also sell the service and originate transactions with Tropical.
   TropicalDirect differs from the Con-way partnership launched eight months ago with container line APL, which provides time-definite, guaranteed LCL service for imports from seven Asian ports. But it marks another effort by Con-Way to expand its service area to take advantage of growth in ocean trade rather than simply handle domestic and cross-border moves.