Industrial / Industry

Automotive Ocean Freight Forwarder for OEM and Tier-1 Supply Chains

FCL, OOG, flat rack, and breakbulk on the auto lanes — paired with JIT lane engineering, bonded FTZ, and USMCA / Section 232 compliance. One NVOCC platform from supplier to plant.

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Common lanes

Lanes we run for automotive

Yokohama to Long Beach in 14 days. Direct contracts on the corridors your cargo actually moves on.

14 days
Yokohama (JPYOK)
to
Long Beach (USLGB)
JIT weekly service
28 days
Pusan (KRPUS)
to
Jacksonville (USJAX)
Hyundai/Kia parts lane
16 days
Hamburg (DEHAM)
to
Charleston (USCHS)
European OEM parts
6 days
Veracruz (MXVER)
to
Houston (USHOU)
USMCA Mexico hub
18 days
Shanghai (CNSHA)
to
Los Angeles (USLAX)
EV components surge
32 days
Nagoya (JPNGO)
to
Savannah (USSAV)
Japanese OEM Southeast
Services

Built for automotive

FCL, OOG, flat rack, breakbulk, JIT lane engineering, bonded FTZ.

JIT lane engineering

Buffer-stock programs, reserved weekly sailings, and same-day drayage so tier-1 and tier-2 parts arrive when the line calls for them.

OOG, flat rack, breakbulk

Engines, transmissions, pressed panels, and complete vehicles. Project cargo handling with engineering sign-off on every load.

Bonded FTZ warehousing

Foreign Trade Zone and bonded facilities near every major auto cluster. Duty is paid only on what gets released to the line.

Auto customs specialists

HTS classification for auto parts, USMCA certificates, EPA compliance, Section 232 steel/aluminum, and Section 301 China mitigation.

Rail and drayage

Direct rail moves into Detroit, Greenville, San Antonio, and other auto hubs. Same-day chassis and drayage for emergency line-side delivery.

Vehicle and parts consolidation

Multi-supplier LCL consolidation at origin and de-consolidation at destination FTZ. One container per program, not one per supplier.

Product Sonar · PO management

Run your automotive POs from one screen

Product Sonar tracks the lifecycle of every PO — search by SKU, see stock counts, trace shipment status, and check duty exposure live.

Product Sonar
Product Sonar — Search view of SKU lifecycle
  1. Search
    Find any SKU in seconds
    Search your full catalog by SKU, HS code, supplier, factory, or origin country. One bar, no spreadsheets.
  2. Stock
    Live stock counts per SKU
    How many you ordered, how many are on the water, how many landed. One number per SKU at a glance.
  3. Trace
    PO lifecycle, end to end
    Trace every PO from cut to delivery. Container, vessel, customs, FTZ, final-mile — every stage timestamped.
  4. Duties
    Live duty exposure
    MFN, Section 301, AD/CVD per SKU. See landed cost before the container leaves origin.
JIT discipline

Just-in-time freight, engineered to your production schedule

Most ocean forwarders book a vessel and email the ETA. That is not enough for automotive — your line schedule was set six months ago, and a missed container can shut a plant down at $50,000 an hour.

Gateway runs JIT lane engineering as a discipline: buffer-stock programs, reserved weekly sailings, same-day drayage on demand, and proactive escalation the moment any leg of the journey threatens the line-side date.

Plant managers, supply planners, and tier-1 suppliers all watch the same Gateway dashboard, with every container plotted against your production calendar. No late-night phone calls. No surprise rolls.

Integrations

Connect your plant systems — Gateway integrates

Plug Gateway into the ERPs your OEM and supplier base already run on. POs, ASNs, ETAs, and customs status stay in sync with your production schedule.

SAP logo
SAP
Two-way sync for POs, ASNs, ETAs, and customs. Built for SAP-native OEMs and tier-1 suppliers.
Oracle logo
Oracle
Two-way sync for purchase orders, shipment milestones, and landed cost. JD Edwards and Fusion supported.
NetSuite logo
NetSuite
Two-way sync for inbound POs, vendor bills, and inventory. Mid-market suppliers and aftermarket distributors.
QuickBooks logo
QuickBooks
Gateway invoices land in your QuickBooks automatically. No manual entry for smaller tier-2 / tier-3 suppliers.
EDI / API logo
EDI / API
EDI 850/856/810/214 plus REST API. ANSI X12 and EDIFACT supported for OEM customer integrations.
Why Gateway

The difference on your freight

1

We live by the production schedule

JIT is not marketing copy. Gateway books, tracks, and escalates to the minute your plant manager needs.

2

Engineered project loads

Flat racks, breakbulk, and special equipment are planned at quote, not scrambled for at booking.

3

USMCA, tariff, and compliance ready

Section 232 aluminum and steel, Section 301 China, IRA battery credits. Built into every quote.

FAQ

Common questions

What is an automotive ocean freight forwarder?

An automotive ocean freight forwarder books vessel space, manages customs, and coordinates inland delivery for OEM, tier-1, tier-2, and aftermarket parts shipments. Gateway is an NVOCC with direct carrier contracts on the major auto lanes (Yokohama, Pusan, Hamburg, Veracruz to US auto clusters) and engineering for OOG, flat rack, and breakbulk loads.

Can Gateway handle just-in-time automotive parts shipments?

Yes. JIT lane engineering is a programmed service — reserved weekly sailings, buffer-stock at FTZ warehouses near every major US auto plant, same-day drayage, and proactive escalation when any leg threatens the production line date. Every container is plotted against your production calendar.

Does Gateway handle OOG, flat rack, and breakbulk for engines and panels?

Yes. Project cargo for engines, transmissions, pressed panels, and complete vehicles is handled with lift plans, load calcs, and port crane bookings done at quote time. Section 232 steel/aluminum and USMCA compliance are baked into every quote.
Related industries
Consumer
Retail & Apparel
Technology
Electronics
Consumer
Food & Beverage
Regulated
Chemicals & Pharma

Ready to move automotive with Gateway?

Get a rate in 24 hours or talk to a automotive specialist about your next shipment.

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