Drayage to the Inland Empire

Drayage to the Inland Empire from the San Pedro Bay ports

Drayage to the Inland Empire is one of the most common container moves in Southern California. The region, covering western Riverside and San Bernardino counties, is one of the largest warehouse and distribution markets in the country, and cities such as Ontario, Fontana, Rialto, Chino, Jurupa Valley, Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris receive a steady flow of import containers from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

We serve Inland Empire receivers from our operation in Long Beach. There are two ways to get port freight there: drive the ocean container inland and bring the empty back, or unload it near the port and send the freight in 53' trailers. The right choice depends on volume, how the receiving dock works, and how much container time you can afford.

What makes Inland Empire drayage different

Distance changes the economics. A near-dock move to Carson or Compton can be turned several times in a shift, while an Inland Empire delivery and the empty return use a large share of a driver's day under the federal 11-hour driving and 14-hour on-duty limits. Freeway congestion on the I-710, SR-60, SR-91, I-10 and I-15 corridors adds to that.

The practical effect is that small timing problems compound. A container that waits two hours for a door at an Ontario DC can push the empty return past the terminal's cutoff, adding a day of per diem and tying up the chassis. Planning the receiving appointment, the unload method and the empty return together is what keeps port to Inland Empire trucking predictable.

Large Inland Empire distribution centers also tend to run strict appointment systems and routing guides. Trucks that arrive outside their window are often turned away, so we confirm the appointment before the container leaves the terminal.

Direct drayage or Inland Empire transloading near the port

Both approaches move the same freight. The difference is where the container is unloaded and how many trucks travel inland.

Live unload or drop at Inland Empire warehouses

With a live unload, the driver waits at the dock while the container is emptied, then takes the empty straight back toward the port. It costs less in chassis time but depends on the receiver unloading promptly.

With a drop, the container stays at the warehouse on its chassis and is picked up empty on a later trip. Many Inland Empire DCs prefer drops because they can unload on their own schedule. The trade-off is a second inland trip for the empty, plus per diem and chassis days while it sits. Our company-owned 20', 40' and triaxle chassis give us control over that chassis time.

For importers trying to limit trips, container storage near the port lets us pre-pull containers before the last free day and deliver them when your IE dock has an opening. See last free day for how terminal free time works.

Truck trips and Rule 2305 at Inland Empire warehouses

Many Inland Empire warehouses fall under South Coast AQMD Rule 2305, the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule adopted May 7, 2021. It applies to warehouses with 100,000 square feet or more of indoor floor space in a single building within the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and it ties each operator's annual emissions-reduction obligation to weighted annual truck trips.

Under the rule, Class 8 truck trips count 2.5 times as much as smaller trucks, and a truck that enters and leaves the site counts as two trips. That makes the number of heavy trucks arriving at your gate a cost factor in its own right.

Example: 30 containers a week delivered as drops can generate up to about 120 counted trips: an entry and exit to drop each loaded box, and another entry and exit to pick up the empty. If the same freight is transloaded into 20 trailers delivered live, the count is about 40. Your warehouse operator calculates its actual obligation, but fewer heavy trucks at the gate generally helps.

Services for Inland Empire shippers

• Direct container drayage from the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles, including Ontario CA drayage to big-box distribution centers
• Transloading in Long Beach with delivery in 53' trailers, for Fontana warehouse distribution and other high-volume IE receivers
• Riverside freight transport and deliveries across the region by full truckload or LTL freight; port-to-Inland Empire truckloads typically deliver the same day (an estimate, not a guarantee)
• Interstate truckloads on our regular freight lanes for freight that continues east, such as Las Vegas via I-15 and Phoenix via I-10
• Warehousing in Long Beach as overflow when your IE building is full, or as an alternative to Inland Empire import warehousing for goods that ship onward from the port
• Cross-docking to split one container across several IE DCs the same day it is unloaded
• Bonded drayage for cargo moving in-bond before customs release

Planning drayage to an Inland Empire DC

This checklist covers what we confirm before an Inland Empire container leaves the terminal.

1. 01
   Release and last free day

   Customs release, ocean carrier release and terminal holds cleared, with the last free day noted so pickup is planned ahead of it.

2. 02
   Receiving appointment

   Appointment date and window booked with the DC, plus PO numbers and any routing-guide rules for drivers.

3. 03
   Unload method

   Live unload or drop, and the expected unload time, so we can plan the empty return or the second trip.

4. 04
   Weight and chassis

   Gross container weight checked against the chassis type, with triaxle chassis assigned for heavier boxes.

5. 05
   Empty return

   Return location and terminal appointment confirmed, since the empty may not go back to the terminal it came from.

Common Inland Empire drayage mistakes

These are the errors that most often turn a routine Inland Empire move into extra charges.

• Booking the DC appointment for the last free day. If the appointment slips, the container incurs demurrage at the terminal. Pull it early and hold it near the port instead.
• Dropping containers at a DC with a long unload backlog. Each day the box waits adds per diem and chassis time. Ask the receiver for a realistic unload date before choosing a drop.
• Sending floor-loaded containers to a pallet-only receiver. Some IE distribution centers will not accept floor-loaded cartons, or charge heavily to unload them. Palletize near the port when the routing guide requires it.
• Treating every container the same. Heavy 20' boxes, mixed-PO containers and single-SKU containers often call for different handling. Mixing direct drayage and transloading by container type usually beats a single approach.

Frequently asked questions