Gulf Winds International
Gulf Winds International is a private, asset-based intermodal logistics provider offering container drayage, transloading, warehousing, and truckload services across nine major U.S. port and rail markets. The Seabrook, Texas-headquartered company operates 700+ trucks and 2,900+ owned chassis serving importers, exporters, and beneficial cargo owners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Gulf Winds International does
Gulf Winds International is a private, asset-based intermodal logistics company headquartered in Seabrook, Texas, founded in 1996. The company operates container drayage, transloading, warehousing, and domestic truckload services across nine major U.S. port and rail markets, anchored by its position as the largest drayage provider at Port Houston. Its operating footprint includes 700+ trucks, 2,900+ owned chassis, 730+ drivers, and 825,000 square feet of warehousing capacity, while serving beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and mid-market importers and exporters across tile, petrochemical, paper, cotton, food, retail, and solar/renewables verticals.
The company's technology stack combines customer-facing and operational tooling: gwiTrack, a visibility portal for shippers; gwiMove, a driver mobile application; EDI integration with customer systems; and the recently launched Smart Dispatching platform, an AI-powered dispatch product developed under the company's "Intelligent Logistics" initiative. These tools are built on operational telemetry generated by the owned fleet and are intended to differentiate a fundamentally physical-asset business through software-driven dispatch decisions and customer visibility.
Gulf Winds generates revenue through service fees on container drayage moves, transloading and warehousing fees, and domestic truckload rates, with pricing typically negotiated on a per-move or per-mile basis against contracted BCO and mid-market shipper relationships. The go-to-market is relationship-driven, multi-industry, and supported by direct port and rail terminal access. The business has been backed by Sterling Group private equity sponsorship, and in 2025 completed a combination with Canal Cartage, expanding its asset base and footprint.
Gulf Winds International firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gulf Winds International
- Legal name
- Gulf Winds International
- Website
- https://gwii.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Gulf Winds International is a private, asset-based intermodal logistics provider offering container drayage, transloading, warehousing, and truckload services across nine major U.S. port and rail markets. The Seabrook, Texas-headquartered company operates 700+ trucks and 2,900+ owned chassis serving importers, exporters, and beneficial cargo owners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gulf Winds International industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Intermodal Drayage and Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF)
Keywords
Where Gulf Winds International is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Gulf Winds International business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Container Drayage: Core drayage services providing container transportation from ports, rail terminals, and between facilities. Services include local, OTR, dedicated, overweight, heavy haul, haz-mat, open top, flat rack, and drop & pick operations.
- Transloading Services: Unloading and reshipping cargo from one form of transport to another (container to van/railcar) at port-side warehouse locations. Leverages one-way van rates to reduce ocean and inland transportation costs for customers.
- Truckload Services: Domestic transportation services providing single point of contact from port to door. Utilizes best-in-class carrier partners with nationwide coverage for dry van, flatbed, pneumatic, reefer, haz-mat, and tanker shipments.
- Warehousing Services: Public warehousing with 825K square feet of space including transloading, cross-dock, consolidation, and domestic delivery. Services include reefer plug-ins, rail-siding, and industrial solutions.
- Chassis Solutions: Privately managed chassis fleet providing superior equipment including radial tires, tire inflation systems, and LED lights. Over 2,900 pieces of company-owned equipment with ability to flex 20/40/tri-axles as volumes dictate.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Container Drayage Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Gulf Winds International product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gulf Winds International is an asset-based intermodal logistics provider that moves containers from ports and rail terminals to inland destinations and delivers them to final customers. Its core offerings are container drayage, port-side transloading and warehousing, domestic truckload transportation, and shipment visibility (gwiTrack), supported by a privately managed chassis fleet of more than 2,900 units.
Product overview
Gulf Winds International offers an integrated suite of logistics and transportation services organized around four core offerings: Container Drayage, Transloading/Warehousing, Truckload/Domestic Transportation, and Visibility (gwiTrack). The company operates an asset-based network with over 700 trucks and 2,900+ company-owned chassis. Key technology products include gwiTrack for real-time shipment tracking, gwiMove for driver mobile updates, and the newly launched Smart Dispatching Platform as part of the Gulf Winds Intelligent Logistics initiative. The company also provides supporting tools like Check Digit Calculator and Transloading Calculator, and acquired Canal Cartage in 2024 which has been merged into the unified Gulf Winds brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gulf Winds Intelligent Logistics: Technology initiative focused on applying AI and automation to improve asset utilization, operational efficiency, and service reliability.
- Smart Dispatching
- gwiTrack
Products and services
- Container Drayage Container drayage service providing trucking capacity and flexibility for moving containers from ports and rail terminals, with over 700 trucks and 2,900+ owned chassis across the Gulf region. Services include local, OTR, dedicated, overweight, heavy haul, haz-mat, open top, flat rack, and drop & pick operations.
- Transloading Port-side transloading and warehousing services enabling customers to unload containers and reload cargo onto domestic transportation at port-side warehouses, leveraging one-way van rates to reduce transportation costs. Includes 825,000 sq ft of public warehousing with transloading, cross-dock, consolidation, and domestic delivery capabilities.
- Truckload Domestic truckload transportation services providing single-point contact from port to door, with nationwide coverage through carrier partners and capabilities including dry van, flatbed, pneumatic, reefer, hazmat, and tanker.
- Visibility (gwiTrack) Real-time shipment tracking and visibility platform (gwiTrack) enabling customers to monitor intermodal shipments and warehouse inventory with secure web-based access, real-time status updates, exception alerts, automatic notifications, and custom reporting.
- Chassis Solutions Privately managed chassis fleet equipment management services providing 20', 40', and triaxle chassis options with custom dashboard monitoring for tracking and management, including radial tires, tire inflation systems, and LED lights.
Companies that use Gulf Winds International
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Gulf Winds International technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Gulf Winds International partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- HunnemansupportingBoston-based real estate firm Hunneman advised Gulf Winds International on a major real estate portfolio restructuring across key logistics markets in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. Transactions included relocations, lease extensions, modifications, and dispositions executed in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Savannah, Charleston, and Norfolk, including a notable 356,600-square-foot lease extension in Houston in 2025 alone.
- Canal CartagecoreCanal Cartage was acquired by Gulf Winds in March 2024, marking the beginning of an exciting journey toward unifying teams and operations. The companies merged to create a stronger, more cohesive organization with expanded capacity, enhanced customer service, broader coverage, strengthened relationships, and operational efficiency. Canal Cartage name transitioned to Gulf Winds as part of integration.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gulf Winds International competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NFI Industries: NFI is a family-owned, asset-based supply chain and drayage provider with port operations along the East Coast and Gulf. Directly comparable to Gulf Winds in port drayage, transloading, dedicated trucking, and warehousing.
- Hub Group: Hub Group is one of the largest U.S. intermodal drayage and logistics providers, with a national truck and chassis fleet serving major ports and rail ramps. Highly comparable to Gulf Winds in container drayage, transloading, asset-based trucking, and supply chain visibility services.
- IMC Companies: IMC is a leading intermodal drayage and container logistics provider with a strong Southeast and Gulf port presence. Directly comparable to Gulf Winds in port drayage, chassis fleet ownership, and import/export container transportation.
- RoadOne IntermodaLogistics: RoadOne is a pure-play port drayage and intermodal transport company with a network concentrated at major U.S. ports. Closely comparable to Gulf Winds in core drayage, chassis management, and terminal/yard operations.
- Pacer/XPO Drayage: Pacer (formerly Pacer Stacktrain and Pacer Cartage) provides intermodal drayage and rail freight services across the U.S., with comparable port-to-rail container operations and chassis management.
Broad incumbents
- Schneider National: Schneider operates an intermodal and logistics platform that includes container drayage, port-to-door services, and dedicated capacity across major U.S. ports. Comparable to Gulf Winds as a broad incumbent with overlapping drayage and intermodal capabilities.
- DCLI (Direct ChassisLink): DCLI is the largest U.S. provider of marine and intermodal chassis, with a chassis fleet comparable in scale to Gulf Winds' 2,900+ owned units. Comparable as a chassis solutions and pool provider serving the same ocean carrier and drayage ecosystem.
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services: J.B. Hunt's Intermodal segment is a major U.S. container drayage and rail intermodal operator serving the same ports and customer base as Gulf Winds. Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping drayage, transloading, and dedicated capacity services.
Emerging players
- Port Logistics Group: Port Logistics Group provides port-centric drayage, transloading, and warehousing services at major U.S. ports. Comparable to Gulf Winds as a port-focused drayage and supply chain provider with overlapping service offerings.
- Hub City Terminals: Hub City Terminals operates intermodal and drayage services in the Southeast U.S., with overlap to Gulf Winds' Memphis, Savannah, and Charleston operations. Comparable as a regional drayage and container terminal provider.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gulf Winds International social profiles
Digital presenceGulf Winds International compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Gulf Winds International financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gulf Winds International leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Gulf Winds International subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Gulf Winds International funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gulf Winds International M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gulf Winds International
What does Gulf Winds International do?
Gulf Winds International is an asset-based intermodal logistics provider that moves containers from ports and rail terminals to inland destinations and delivers them to final customers. Its core offerings are container drayage, port-side transloading and warehousing, domestic truckload transportation, and shipment visibility (gwiTrack), supported by a privately managed chassis fleet of more than 2,900 units.
Is Gulf Winds International a public or private company?
Gulf Winds International is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Gulf Winds International founded?
Gulf Winds International was founded in 1996. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Gulf Winds International based?
Gulf Winds International is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gulf Winds International make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Container Drayage is the primary driver. The others are transloading Services, truckload Services, warehousing Services and chassis Solutions.
Who are Gulf Winds International's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NFI Industries, Hub Group, IMC Companies, RoadOne IntermodaLogistics and Pacer/XPO Drayage. Broad incumbents are Schneider National, DCLI (Direct ChassisLink) and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Emerging players are Port Logistics Group and Hub City Terminals.
Does Gulf Winds International have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gulf Winds International.
What industry is Gulf Winds International in?
Gulf Winds International's product category is Intermodal Drayage and Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACABAE, Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF), with a secondary code of TLACABAF, Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL). Its NAICS code is 4883 and its SIC code is 4210.