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Freight Forwarder in New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the primary Northeast gateway for US imports and the second-largest container port in the United States by TEU volume. Most container volume moves through the Newark and Elizabeth terminal complex on the NJ side. Companies across the state give Platton, a New Jersey freight forwarder whose business is US imports, the job of moving their Asia and Europe containers through that complex.

How Platton Moves Freight Through New Jersey

Platton books your container into the Port of New York and New Jersey and lines up drayage for the terminal where the vessel will berth.

After customs release, Platton dispatches drayage from whichever PNYNJ terminal the steamship line calls at, from Newark and Elizabeth to Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn. Warehouse towns such as Carteret, Edison and Secaucus are a short run from the terminals, and deliveries for the rest of the Northeast run up and down the New Jersey Turnpike. For importers with inland delivery requirements, Platton can coordinate ExpressRail intermodal directly from the port, eliminating the extra drayage leg to an off-dock rail ramp.

Container ship

Freight Forwarder Services in New Jersey

Ocean freight forwarding from Asia and Europe into PNYNJ

Ocean freight forwarding from Asia and Europe into PNYNJ

FCL and LCL ocean shipping to Port Newark, Elizabeth and Bayonne

Air freight forwarding through Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Air freight forwarding through Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Container drayage from APM Terminals Elizabeth, Maher Terminals, GCT Bayonne, GCT New York, PNCT, and Red Hook Container Terminal

Container drayage from APM Terminals Elizabeth, Maher Terminals, GCT Bayonne, GCT New York, PNCT, and Red Hook Container Terminal

Customs clearance and customs entry for New Jersey imports

Customs clearance and customs entry for New Jersey imports

Importer Security Filing (ISF) for vessel-bound cargo

Importer Security Filing (ISF) for vessel-bound cargo

ExpressRail on-dock intermodal coordination from PNYNJ to inland Northeast and Midwest

Inland transportation from New Jersey to anywhere in the United States

Inland transportation from New Jersey to anywhere in the United States

LTL when one PNYNJ container feeds several Northeast receivers

LTL when one PNYNJ container feeds several Northeast receivers

Warehouse services with storage and transloading for PNYNJ containers

Warehouse services with storage and transloading for PNYNJ containers

Door-to-door freight shipping into New Jersey and the broader Northeast

Door-to-door freight shipping into New Jersey and the broader Northeast

Background

Port of New York and New Jersey: Terminal Coverage and Drayage

Container ship

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest container port on the East Coast, handling over four million TEUs a year across a complex that spans two states. Platton covers every major container terminal: APM Terminals Elizabeth, Maher Terminals, GCT Bayonne, and Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) on the NJ side; GCT New York on Staten Island and Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn on the NY side. Whichever terminal your steamship line assigns, Platton dispatches drayage against that facility as soon as customs releases the container.

Two operational specifics set PNYNJ apart for NJ importers. First, the 2017 raising of the Bayonne Bridge opened Newark Bay to Ultra-Large Container Ships: the increased vertical clearance means mega-vessels can now call PNYNJ directly after transiting the expanded Panama Canal, broadening Asia-direct service options. Second, ExpressRail is an on-dock intermodal system that loads containers directly from the terminal onto rail, bypassing the off-dock ramp drayage that most US ports require. For importers delivering to the Midwest or New England, Platton coordinates ExpressRail from the terminal as a lower-cost alternative to long-haul truck. The Port Inland Distribution Network extends that reach further into Northeast regional distribution points.

Background

Ocean Freight to New Jersey

New Jersey sits at the convergence of two major ocean trade lanes, Europe and Asia. From Europe, services out of Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg reach PNYNJ in 12 to 18 days. From Asia, Platton books via Suez for India and via Panama for trans-Pacific services from China. Platton ships Vietnam cargo from Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong to PNYNJ on weekly sailings.

Platton books ocean freight into New Jersey as FCL in 20 ft or 40 ft containers or as LCL when your cargo does not fill a container.

Air Freight Through Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Newark Liberty International Airport is the primary cargo gateway for the New York and New Jersey metro and one of the top US air cargo airports by tonnage. EWR handles both belly freight on international passenger services and dedicated freighter operations on Atlantic and trans-Pacific lanes. Platton brings air freight from Asia and Europe into EWR on standard consolidation or time-critical service.

Plane at sunset
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Plane at airport

Customs Clearance for New Jersey Imports

Customs clearance at PNYNJ starts at origin. The ISF filing happens before departure, at least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the origin port. The customs entry is filed up to 5 days before the vessel arrives and includes the HTS classification, the duty calculation with any Section 301 or antidumping charges, and partner government agency requirements where FDA, USDA, EPA, FCC, or CPSC oversight applies. New Jersey pharmaceutical and medical device imports frequently require FDA review, so complete product documentation keeps those entries on track. For most shipments with clean documentation, customs clearance completes within 24 to 72 hours of vessel arrival.

Industries Platton Serves Through New Jersey

The NJ pharma corridor, anchored by Merck, Johnson and Johnson, and Bristol Myers Squibb, drives consistent inbound API and finished drug volume. The broader Northeast market makes New Jersey a primary distribution entry point across all major import categories.

Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, driven by the NJ pharma corridor

Apparel and footwear imported from Asia

Consumer electronics for Northeast distribution

Specialty chemicals and chemical intermediates

Food and beverage from Europe

E-commerce fulfillment for the Northeast population corridor

Background

Why Importers Choose Platton as Their New Jersey Freight Forwarder

PNYNJ has more terminals and more terminal operators than most US gateways. The Bayonne Bridge clearance and ExpressRail availability are real cost advantages for importers with Midwest or New England delivery requirements, and Platton builds them into every routing it quotes for those destinations. Your New Jersey quote and shipping papers sit in Platton's AI-driven cargo management platform next to real-time container tracking, and the rate is fixed when you book.

Platton quotes the full cost up front: ocean leg, terminal handling, drayage from the specific terminal where the container arrives, and any onward intermodal or inland transit. For NJ pharma importers and Northeast fulfillment operators, that transparency supports accurate inventory pricing. Platton plans each move against the actual berth and terminal, so you keep the Northeast proximity advantage.

Member of WCA, JCtrans and NCBFAA

US offices in Seattle, Portland, Chicago and Savannah

Weekly sailings from Asia and Europe with Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Evergreen and Hapag-Lloyd

Live quotes with every charge named before you book

Drayage from 42 US ports and rail ramps, with 93% same-day port pickup

Background

New Jersey Freight Forwarders: Frequently Asked Questions

Ocean transit from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Le Havre to the Port of New York and New Jersey typically runs 12 to 18 days port-to-port, and most of those containers discharge at the Elizabeth and Port Newark terminals. Mediterranean origins such as Algeciras, Genoa, and Valencia extend that window to 14 to 20 days on direct strings. Platton tracks ExpressRail and over-the-road drayage options against the actual berth assignment at the relevant PNYNJ terminal. Suez routings carry cargo from India and South Asia to PNYNJ on a longer transit than Europe, depending on Red Sea conditions and carrier service.

Customs entry at the PNYNJ port of entry typically clears within one to three days of vessel arrival for shipments with clean documentation, the ISF on file, and no partner government agency holds. PNYNJ also sees concentrated FDA review on food and beverage imports and CPSC review on consumer goods, which adds days when holds are issued. Because the terminal complex spans Elizabeth, Newark, Bayonne, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, the right drayage dispatch depends on which terminal the vessel actually calls at, and Platton confirms berth assignment before quoting transit to the destination.

Platton handles drayage from every major container terminal across the PNYNJ complex. On the New Jersey side that includes APM Terminals Elizabeth, Maher Terminals (also in Elizabeth), Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) in Newark, and GCT Bayonne on the Bayonne peninsula. On the New York side that includes GCT New York on Staten Island and Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn. The NJ-side terminals carry the majority of containerized volume, but whichever facility the steamship line calls at, Platton dispatches drayage the day customs releases the container, including chassis sourcing against the local pool and gate appointment management.

Yes. ExpressRail is the on-dock rail system serving PNYNJ, with loaders at ExpressRail Elizabeth, ExpressRail Newark, and ExpressRail Staten Island feeding the CSX and Norfolk Southern networks. Because containers are loaded onto rail directly on the terminal rather than trucked to a separate off-dock ramp, ExpressRail eliminates an additional drayage leg and the cost and dwell that goes with it. Platton books ExpressRail moves for containers destined inland to the Northeast, New England, the Ohio Valley, and Midwest markets including Chicago, where ExpressRail competes effectively with long-haul truck on combined transit and cost.

Yes. The PNYNJ region anchors the densest Amazon fulfillment network on the East Coast, with FBA warehouses spread across northern New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and the Hudson Valley. FBA-bound containers are a routine inbound flow off Maher, APM Elizabeth, and PNCT. Platton drays those containers from Elizabeth and Newark to your FBA warehouse on the ASN appointment, with FNSKU labeling and pallet prep through Amazon FBA prep when the cargo needs it. For sellers sourcing from Europe or Asia via Suez, NY/NJ is typically the lowest landed cost FBA gateway for inventory destined to fulfillment centers in New Jersey, New York, eastern Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic.

The core set is the commercial invoice and the packing list, both from your supplier, and the bill of lading, issued once the container is loaded at origin. Platton collects your supplier's documents and checks the set for completeness through supplier document validation before the container reaches PNYNJ.

Background

Get a New Jersey freight quote

Platton Freight Forwarder Pages for Other Cities

Platton handles freight forwarding through every major US gateway. Explore other locations: