Import Logistics Through the Port of Long Beach

Import logistics in Long Beach, run from Long Beach

Our import logistics in Long Beach covers every physical step after a container is discharged at the port: release tracking, terminal pickup, in-bond moves, unloading and handling, storage, and delivery. We run it from our own operation in Long Beach, close to the Port of Long Beach terminals and across the harbor from the Port of Los Angeles, so each container is a short drive from the facility where it will be unloaded, stored or transloaded.

The Port of Long Beach handled about 9.9 million TEUs in 2025, a record for the port. At that volume, the difference between a smooth import and an expensive one is usually local execution: knowing when a container is truly available, getting an appointment that works, having a chassis ready, and having somewhere nearby to take the box if the receiver or the paperwork is not ready. That is the work this page describes.

Every step of port to door logistics in Long Beach

How a Long Beach import moves, day by day

This is the timeline we work to for a typical FCL import at the Port of Long Beach. Days are relative to vessel discharge and vary by terminal, carrier and season.

1. 01
   At sailing

   You send the bill of lading, container numbers, weights, load type and delivery plan. We confirm with your customs broker who files entry and whether a bonded move may be needed, and we reserve chassis and dock time.

2. 02
   A few days before arrival

   We check the vessel's berth and the terminal it will work at. If the vessel shifts to a different terminal or across the harbor to Los Angeles, we adjust the pickup plan without you changing providers.

3. 03
   Discharge and availability

   Large vessels take several days to work, and a container may not be available on the first day. We watch the terminal record for discharge, holds and the last free day, and book an appointment as soon as the container is released.

4. 04
   Pickup

   We aim to pull containers with at least a day of margin before the LFD. Where we can, we pair the pickup with an empty return in the same terminal visit to save time on both moves.

5. 05
   Unload or deliver

   Containers come to our Long Beach facility for unloading, transloading or storage, or go direct to your receiver for a live unload or drop. Our facility is close enough to the terminals that unloading can often happen the same day as pickup.

6. 06
   Empty return

   We return the empty to the location the carrier designates, which can change daily, and record the return time so detention can be checked against the carrier's invoice.

What makes import logistics at Long Beach run on time

Three local realities decide most outcomes at the port. First, appointments. Every container terminal requires a truck appointment for pickups and empty returns, and slots can fill quickly during peaks. A carrier that knows about a container at sailing has more choice than one that hears about it the day it is released.

Second, empty returns. Ocean carriers direct empties to specific terminals or depots, and the instruction can change from day to day. A return location that is full or closed means a second trip, and every extra day on the street adds detention and chassis charges. We check the return location before dispatch and plan returns into the same visit as new pickups when possible.

Third, chassis. Pool chassis can be scarce at specific terminals during surges. Because we run our own chassis fleet, including triaxle chassis for heavy containers, we are not waiting on pool availability to move a released container.

Long Beach import scenarios and how we handle them

Freight forwarder drayage in Long Beach and who we work with

Most of our Long Beach import work comes from four groups, and each uses us a little differently.

• [Freight forwarders](/industries/freight-forwarders/) and NVOCCs use us as their Long Beach destination partner for drayage, CFS and delivery, with status updates they can pass to their customers.
• [Customs brokers](/industries/customs-brokers/) use our bonded carrier authority and bonded warehouse when a client's entry is not ready or goods will be re-exported.
• [Importers](/industries/importers/) use us as their single U.S.-side operator instead of separate truckers and warehouses.
• [E-commerce](/industries/ecommerce/) and [retail](/industries/retailers/) shippers use us to turn ocean containers into palletized, labeled, retailer-ready loads and to hold inventory near the port.

Why a Long Beach-based import partner matters

Distance from the terminals shapes cost. A provider based near the port turns more containers per day, can return to a terminal the same day when an appointment opens, and can unload a container and send the empty back before the next morning. A provider an hour or more inland loses part of each day to traffic in each direction, which shows up as longer turn times, more waiting, and more days on the container's clock.

Being local also means fewer handoffs. When the same team owns the drayage, the bonded warehouse, the CFS and the outbound trucking, a decision to pre-pull, bond, transload or deliver can be made with the full picture. We can weigh a day of yard storage against a day of demurrage, or bonded storage against an uncertain release date, because we run both sides of that choice.

Long Beach import peaks and how we plan for them

Import volume at Long Beach builds through late summer and early fall ahead of the holiday season, and again in the weeks after Asian factories rush orders out before Lunar New Year. During those surges, terminal appointments fill faster, empty return locations change more often, and receivers' docks back up. Free time does not stretch to match.

We plan peaks by booking further ahead, widening the margin before each last free day, and using our yard and our Long Beach import warehouse as overflow so containers leave the terminal even when receivers are full. If a surge of your containers will land in the same week, tell us at sailing and we will stage pickups across the days available instead of trying to pull everything on the last free day.

Local and regional delivery from Long Beach

Much of what lands at Long Beach is delivered within the region. We run local moves to receivers in Carson, Compton and the rest of the South Bay, and regional moves to distribution centers in the Inland Empire. Freight bound beyond Southern California is usually transloaded in Long Beach and moved by full truckload or LTL, which returns the ocean container quickly and puts more freight on each truck.

What to send us for import container transport in Long Beach

With these details at sailing, we can plan import container transport from the Long Beach terminal to the final dock.

• Bill of lading numbers and container numbers, with sizes
• Vessel, voyage and ETA, and the terminal if known
• Actual cargo weight for each container
• Load type: floor-loaded or palletized, carton count and SKU mix
• Customs broker contact and expected entry timing
• Delivery destinations, receiver hours and appointment requirements
• Any special handling: labeling, palletizing, sorting by purchase order

Frequently asked questions