--- title: "Consolidation and Cross-docking: Two methods for improving shipping efficiency" description: Consolidation and cross-docking are smart practices all shippers should consider using to maximize efficiencies. When incorporated into your everyday shipping routines, they can both help lower costs and improve product flow. In this blog post, we share key insights into these two practices. image: https://blog.coleintl.com/hubfs/Website/Blog%20Images/cargo_AdobeStock_310296209.jpeg --- - [About](https://www.coleintl.com/services#) - [About Cole](https://www.coleintl.com/about/about-cole/mission-vision-and-values) - [Mission, Vision and Values](https://www.coleintl.com/about/about-cole/mission-vision-and-values) - [Our History](https://www.coleintl.com/about/about-cole/history) - [Culture of Caring](https://www.coleintl.com/about/about-cole/culture-of-caring) - [Careers](https://www.coleintl.com/careers) -   -   - [Industries](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries) - [Aerospace](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/aerospace) - [Agriculture](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/agriculture) - [Automotive](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/automotive) - [eCommerce](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/ecommerce) - [High Tech](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/high-tech) - [Oil & Gas](https://www.coleintl.com/about/industries/oil-gas) - 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When incorporated into your everyday shipping routines, they can both help lower costs and improve product flow.   ###### **Consolidation**   ***What is it?***   Consolidation is a process of combining multiple small shipments into a larger load in order to reducing shipping costs.   ***What are the benefits?***   - Can lower freight costs through the sharing of full truckload pricing across multiple smaller shipments. - Makes it possible for small shippers to get full load pricing across all modes of transportation. ![cargo\_AdobeStock\_310296209](https://blog.coleintl.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/Blog%20Images/cargo_AdobeStock_310296209.jpeg?width=400&height=225&name=cargo_AdobeStock_310296209.jpeg) ###### **Cross-docking**   ***What is it?***   Cross-docking is the process of receiving product and shipping it out the same day or overnight without putting it into storage.   ***How does it work?***   The loading dock is used as a staging area where incoming shipments are quickly transitioned into outgoing shipments, eliminating the need to put the stock in storage and take up space in the warehouse.   ***What are the benefits?***   - Improves facility utilization by eliminating the need for inventory storage. - Can expand the effectiveness of existing facilities by avoiding the need to build in additional warehouse space. - Can provide a process for overnight delivery, with no storage costs. Consolidations and cross-docking are proven best practices for improving supply chain performance and reducing the cost of operations.   [Contact us today](https://www.coleintl.com) for more information on how we can help you maximize delivery performance and efficiency through all practices available to you.   [![Contact us today!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4433425/84565d83-1c5b-4a1a-a4b9-4a3d47a05ac8.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4433425/84565d83-1c5b-4a1a-a4b9-4a3d47a05ac8)   *Information provided by: Supply Chain Consultant - Cole International* [Back to blog list](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog) [![Sign-Up | Cole Blog](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4433425/af258771-f192-4291-ac1c-682ec2fd4fc1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4433425/af258771-f192-4291-ac1c-682ec2fd4fc1) ### Latest Articles - [Chinese holidays that disrupt shipping from China every year](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/chinese-holidays-that-disrupt-shipping-from-china-every-year) - [13 strategies to reduce your transportation costs](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/13-strategies-to-reduce-your-transportation-costs) - [4 mistakes to avoid when declaring value for duty](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/4-mistakes-to-avoid-when-declaring-value-for-duty) - [Why 'reason to believe' catches Canadian importers off guard](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/why-reason-to-believe-catches-canadian-importers-off-guard) - [When and how to change a customs entry after import](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/when-and-how-to-change-a-customs-entry-after-import) ### Archive - [April 2026 (4)](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/archive/2026/04) - [March 2026 (5)](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/archive/2026/03) - [February 2026 (6)](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/archive/2026/02) - [January 2026 (5)](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/archive/2026/01) - [December 2025 (3)](https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/archive/2025/12) [Connect with us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/cole-international) [Follow us on X](https://twitter.com/coleintl) [Like us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/coleinternational/) [Subscribe to our YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5oW_PP77Umw5r0X9OWpGmQ) [Get a quote](https://www.coleintl.com/get-a-quote) [![cole](https://blog.coleintl.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WcTest_August2021/images/cole-logo-horizontal-white.svg "cole")](https://www.coleintl.com/) Cole International is a logistics solutions provider offering a full spectrum of services from customs brokerage, transportation, warehousing and trade consulting. #### Contact us today - [ Phone: 403-262-2771](tel:4032622771) - [ Toll Free: 1-800-313-4281](tel:18003134281) -  Fax: 403-262-7301 -  Accounting Fax: 403-262-8039 #### Corporate office 1111 49 Avenue NE Calgary, AB, Canada T2E 8V2 P.O. 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All Rights Reserved. - [Payment Options](https://www.coleintl.com/payment-options.php) - [Legal](https://www.coleintl.com/legal.php) - [Service Terms](https://www.coleintl.com/service-terms.php) - [Accessibility](https://www.coleintl.com/services.php#) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Freight Forwarding Dept. - Cole International", "url" : "https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/author/freight-forwarding-dept-cole-international" }, "dateModified" : "2022-11-17T20:18:15.872Z", "datePublished" : "2016-09-21T15:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Consolidation and Cross-docking: Two methods for improving shipping efficiency", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.coleintl.com/blog/consolidation-and-cross-docking", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.coleintl.com/hubfs/cole_int_h_rgb-1.png" }, "name" : "Cole International Inc." } } ```