What Global Freight Solutions does

Global Freight Solutions (GFS) is a privately held Los Angeles-area third-party logistics provider founded in 1999, headquartered in Carson, California less than 15 minutes from both LAX and the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. The company operates an integrated multi-modal transportation and warehousing platform covering ground, ocean, air, and rail, supplemented by four specialty divisions: GFS Shipping & Logistics (core LTL/FTL and contract warehousing), GFS Aloha (Hawaiian Islands ocean and air consolidation serving 16 Hawaiian ports/airports and 1,200+ brands), GFS Food Services/Mar Pacific (SQF Level 2 Certified all-temperature food-grade warehousing and fulfillment), and GFS Eco (oversized renewable energy cargo, notably solar). The technology stack consists of WMS/TMS integration with real-time shipment tracking and SQF-compliant quality management systems, and the company holds TSA Indirect Air Carrier status with on-site Certified Cargo Screening Facilities plus a USDA FSIS iHouse designation for protein import inspection.

GFS generates revenue through five primary streams: managed warehousing and storage (temperature-zoned, pallet/cubic-foot billing); transaction-fee transportation and trucking (LTL/FTL at all temperatures, regional Southern California distribution, air and ocean freight coordination); freight consolidation (ocean and air container utilization fees); professional services for payment processing, credit terms, customs brokerage, crating, packing, and insurance procurement; and USDA FSIS import inspection facilitation. Pricing is custom and quote-based with no public rate card, structured as pay-as-you-go with prepaid and credit-term account options.

The go-to-market is sales-led B2B through dedicated division leads and account managers, complemented by direct-to-consumer capture via an online quote form, inbound referrals, content marketing (SEO-optimized blog), social channels, and selective industry event participation (e.g., SIAL Paris). Customer concentration is spread across four verticals — Food & Beverage (primary), Hawaiian Islands Importers/Retailers (primary), Renewable Energy Developers, and General Importers/Exporters — with named enterprise customers including First Solar, Tesla Motors, Chiquita, NRG Energy, HD Smith Pharmaceuticals, Krispy Kreme, M+W Group, and the Hawaiian Islands Freight Association. Headcount is 51–100, and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

Global Freight Solutions

Legal name

Global Freight Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://shipgfs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border Transportation Management (Customs-Integrated) (TLAIAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Frozen Freight Forwarding (TLACAMAB), Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD), Freight Claims, Compliance & Risk Management (TLAIAEAJ)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Cold chain logistics
• Food grade warehousing
• Third-party logistics
• Multimodal transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Carson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Warehousing and Storage Services: GFS generates revenue through food grade and dry/FAK warehouse storage services including all-temperature storage, contract warehousing, transloading, consolidation, and fulfillment services. Revenue is based on storage duration, space utilized (pallets/cubic feet), and temperature zone requirements.
2. Transportation and Trucking Services: Revenue from LTL and FTL trucking at all temperatures (dry, chilled, frozen), regional Southern California distribution, line haul, and final mile delivery. Services offered through a blend of company-owned trucks and partner carriers with negotiated rates. Also includes air freight and ocean freight coordination services.
3. Freight Consolidation Services: Ocean freight consolidation (LCL and FCL) and air freight consolidation services to Hawaii and the Pacific Rim, offering cost-per-pound savings by combining multiple shipments into full containers. Revenue is generated per shipment consolidated and container utilization fees.
4. Payment Processing and Credit Services: GFS offers prepaid account services and credit-term customer accounts, generating revenue through service fees for arranging transportation, customs brokerage, crating, packing, warehouse storage, cargo insurance procurement, and logistics advisory services.
5. USDA FSIS Import Inspection Services: Full service USDA FSIS iHouse inspection facilitation including port drayage, airport pickups, inspection scheduling, and outbound transportation for imported protein products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Freight Solutions is a 3PL provider offering multi-modal transportation (ground, ocean, air, and rail), SQF Level 2 Certified food-grade warehousing, and freight consolidation services from its facilities in Carson, California. The company serves food and beverage brands, Hawaiian Islands importers, and renewable energy developers through specialized divisions including GFS Aloha, GFS Food Services, and GFS Eco.

Product overview

Global Freight Solutions operates as a 3PL provider offering integrated logistics and supply chain services through a platform-plus-divisions architecture. The core GFS Shipping and Logistics platform provides multi-modal transportation (ground, ocean, air, rail) and warehousing capabilities, supplemented by four specialized divisions: GFS Aloha handles Hawaiian Islands shipping; GFS Food Services (branded as Mar Pacific) manages food-grade temperature-controlled logistics; GFS Eco serves renewable energy clients; and USDA iHouse Inspection Services facilitates protein import inspections. Key service modules include LTL/FTL trucking, freight consolidation, contract warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, and supply chain advisory. The company leverages SQF Level 2 Certified facilities in Carson, CA near Port of Los Angeles and LAX to serve customers shipping to Hawaii, the Pacific Rim, and domestic markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GFS Shipping and Logistics

Quantifiable outcome

• 44K+ ocean freight consolidations completed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pacific Air CargocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 May 2024Following Aloha Air Cargo's discontinuation of LAX-HNL service in June 2024, GFS transitioned to Pacific Air Cargo as the primary dedicated air cargo carrier servicing the Hawaiian Islands route, offering daily service Monday through Saturday between LAX and Honolulu.
• American Airlines Cargo, Delta Cargo, United Cargo, Alaska Air Cargo, Hawaiian Airlines CargominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 May 2024GFS coordinates with major passenger airline cargo divisions for air freight to Hawaii, leveraging belly capacity on passenger flights as an alternative to dedicated cargo freighters following the reduction in Aloha Air Cargo service.
• Pasha Hawaii (Steamship Line)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGFS partners with Pasha Hawaii for ocean freight services to the Hawaiian Islands, utilizing Pasha's steamship routes for Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-than-Container Load (LCL) ocean freight. GFS consolidates cargo at its Carson warehouse for drayage to the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach before ocean transit to Hawaii.
• Matson Navigation CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGFS works with Matson Navigation Company as a primary Hawaiian steamship line partner, coordinating ocean freight shipments from the mainland to Hawaiian ports with secure, on-target delivery and exclusive competitive rates.
• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGFS Eco is a proud member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), positioning the company within the renewable energy industry's primary trade organization and standards-setting body.
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)coreOthersGFS Food Services operates as a USDA FSIS Import Inspection Facility (iHouse), providing full service chilled or frozen USDA FSIS inspections for imported meat, poultry, and egg products at its Metro Los Angeles facility.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Largest U.S. 3PL/freight broker; competes with GFS in LTL/FTL arrangement, ocean/air forwarding, and multi-modal coordination, though at vastly greater scale and with a digital platform (Navisphere).
• RXO (formerly XPO Logistics): U.S. truckload and last-mile broker; directly comparable to GFS on LTL/FTL arrangement and asset-light freight services, though RXO's tech platform and brokerage volume are substantially larger.
• Americold Realty Trust: Largest temperature-controlled warehousing operator in the world; directly comparable to GFS Food Services' multi-temperature warehousing and SQF-certified food handling, though focused on owned real estate rather than freight forwarding.
• Expeditors International: Global asset-light freight forwarder with strong ocean/air services, comparable to GFS International in cross-border forwarding and customs brokerage, but operating at much larger scale and global footprint.
• NFI Industries: Privately held, family-owned North American 3PL with dedicated truckload, LTL, intermodal and dedicated cold chain; closely mirrors GFS's privately-held, multi-modal, family-led operating model.
• Yusen Logistics: Global 3PL with significant Pacific trade lane and cold chain presence; competes with GFS in food-grade forwarding and warehousing and operates temperature-controlled distribution centers similar to GFS Food Services.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with strong cold chain and perishables capability (KN Pharma, Perishable Logistics), overlapping with GFS Food Services in temperature-controlled forwarding and reefer ocean freight.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global forwarder with air, ocean and customs capabilities; competes with GFS International in cross-border forwarding and with GFS Aloha in Pacific/Hawaii routing where DHL has dedicated stations.

Regional players

• Matson Navigation Company: GFS's primary Hawaiian steamship partner and a major Pacific ocean carrier; a regional peer in the Pacific/Hawaii trade lane and a direct upstream counterparty for GFS Aloha's ocean services.
• Pasha Hawaii: Hawaii-focused ocean carrier and 3PL provider; like GFS Aloha, Pasha operates container shipping between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii and is both a partner and a direct competitor for Hawaii-bound cargo.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ship_GFS
• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobalFreightSolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-freight-solutions-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalfreightsolutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Freight Solutions