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Averitt Express said it has launched two new import services from China, including one that will use the Panama Canal, whose expanded waterway is expected to open in June.

Averitt added a weekly Shanghai-Charleston, South Carolina, service that is intended to be an economy offering.

“This new solution can be very beneficial to customers in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic that are looking to save time and money,” said Charlie McGee, vice president of international solutions, explaining that the service using the Canal bypasses Northeast ports used by other less-than-containerload freight providers. “This service travels through the Panama Canal. This allows us to get shipments straight to the customer in much less time with fewer handlings.”

The other offering for LCL cargo is operated through Southern California ports in conjunction with rail and ocean freight carriers, with the planned reduction of processing times by as much as 10 days. That weekly service departs from Yantian, a port in Guangdong Province. Averitt, which ranks No. 33 on Transport Topics' top 100��list of the largest��for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada, handles the trucking portion from Memphis, Tennessee, to Southeast and Midwest customers.

“This region in South China is known as the ‘Factory of the World,’” said McGee. “It’s exciting to be able to provide our customers with a reliable weekly service from this area because it increases the efficiency of their supply chain.”