Our History

Trans-Overseas was founded as a U.S. Customs Broker on September 1, 1978, following the license approval by the U.S. Treasury Department, Bureau of Customs. The initial operation of the company was focused on providing our valued customers with a high standard of import services that lead to the rapid growth of the company.

Our first expansion occurred in 1980 when a license was acquired from IATA to export airfreight shipments and this was soon followed by approval from the Federal Maritime Commission to become a foreign freight forwarder.

To accommodate our commitment to exceed the service needs of our clientele and allow for future growth, a new facility was built in 1985 to house our operations on 10 acres of land near Detroit Metro Airport.

This facility, with over 77,000 square feet of available warehouse space and 4 acres of outdoor storage space now includes a Foreign Trade Zone, US Customs Bonded Warehouse (Class 3and 8) for General Order cargo, Container Freight Station, a US Customs Devanning Station for intensive CBP/PGA examinations, and complete boxing and crating facilities.

To demonstrate our commitment to the future of our industry, considerable investment has been made over the decades to fully computerize our operations with the use of Enterprise Information Systems and onsite server-based storage. These systems are continually refined, integrated and upgraded so we are fully equipped to take on the challenges of a changing industry, be competitive in our pricing and provide the standards of service our clients expect and deserve.  As we transition to web-based information systems to further enhance our information technology systems, our goal is to provide increased visibility and more responsive services to our customers in a real-time and secure environment.

In addition to our Customs brokerage, freight forwarding and warehousing services, Trans-Overseas is a Customs bonded carrier and offers a myriad of transportation services from hotshot expedites, flatbed shipments of every shape, size and specialty, Truckload and LTL dry van shipments and drayage/intermodal services, not just in Southeast Michigan but to and from points all across North America and every point in between.

In 2013, the U.S Department of Transportation approved our Motor Carrier License allowing us to begin to provide Third Party Logistics services to our customers, finally enabling us to become a complete in-house service provider and allowing us to provide a high standard of service across all domains of the supply chain.

Our facility, licenses, technology, service options, longevity, stability and commitment to the future establishes our platform to set the standard in Supply Chain management for the Midwest and across the globe. What sets us apart from the competition is the level of customer service and attention to detail that our employees give to every shipment.  It’s a true partnership each employee develops with our service providers and the customers we serve. Without the steadfast commitment of our employees to professionalism, expertise born from decades of experience working in all aspects of the supply chain and their desire to make every customer experience unique and complete, we would not have been able to be an industry leader for over 40 years. As we move into our fifth decade of service our philosophy of “Global reach with a personal touch” means that we will continue to innovate and expand our scope of services to our customers all the while making sure that each customer is treated as a unique and valued individual, never as just another number.

Trans-Overseas is proud to be an employee owned company and we welcome the opportunity to handle all of your logistics needs.  Experience the Trans-Overseas difference.  It’s a partnership for success.

Certificates, Licensing & Memberships