Port of Long Beach logistics, Southern California markets and nationwide trucking.
Get a quoteTransloading in Long Beach, Minutes from the Terminals
We pull your containers, unload them near the Port of Long Beach, rebuild the freight into domestic loads and get the empties back before per diem adds up.
Transloading in Long Beach, close to the port
Our transloading in Long Beach takes 20' and 40' ocean containers from the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles terminals into our transload warehouse a short drive away, unloads them, and rebuilds the freight into 53' domestic trailers for the trip inland. The empty container goes back to the line while the freight continues on equipment you or we control.
The Port of Long Beach handled roughly 9.9 million TEUs in 2025, and the neighboring Port of Los Angeles more than 10.2 million. At that volume, the hard part of transloading is rarely the forklift work. It is getting containers out of the terminal on time, keeping chassis and dock doors lined up, and returning empties to the right place before free time runs out. That is the part a Long Beach-based operation controls best.
For the general mechanics of ocean to domestic transload, including cube and weight math and how pricing works, see our transloading services overview. This page covers how we run container transloading in Long Beach specifically.
Port of Long Beach realities that shape a transload
Every Port of Long Beach transload is planned around a few local constraints. Here is how each one affects your freight and how we handle it.
| Local constraint | What it means for your container | How we plan for it |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal appointment systems | Pickups need an appointment; popular slots fill quickly after a vessel discharges | We book pickup appointments as soon as the container is available and released, and align them with open dock doors |
| Holds and availability | A container cannot leave with a customs, line or terminal hold, or before it is discharged and available | We check status daily and tell you which hold is blocking pickup so your broker or forwarder can clear it |
| Short free time | Terminal demurrage starts after the last free day; per diem starts when the container leaves the gate | We aim to pull before the last free day and return the empty within the line's free per diem days |
| Empty return rules | Lines direct empties to specific terminals or depots, and the location can change day to day | We confirm the return location before unloading, and pair empty returns with new pickups where the terminal allows it |
| Driver time limits | Federal hours of service cap a driver's on-duty window at 14 hours, and terminal queues eat into it | Short runs between the terminals and our warehouse let each truck complete more turns within that window |
| Heavy containers | Containers loaded close to ocean limits can exceed what a standard chassis can legally carry on the road | We run our own 20' and 40' chassis, plus triaxle chassis for heavier containers |
How a Long Beach transload runs, from vessel to outbound truck
Example timeline for a released container. Real timing depends on discharge, terminal appointments and outbound bookings.
- 01Before arrival
You or your forwarder send the bill of lading, packing list, container numbers and sort instructions. We confirm outbound destinations and build a load plan from the packing list.
- 02Discharge and release
Once the vessel discharges and the container shows available with no holds, we book the terminal appointment. If release is delayed, we tell you which hold is open.
- 03Pickup on our chassis
Our Long Beach drayage trucks pull the container to our transload warehouse. If dock space or outbound trucks are not ready, the loaded container can wait in our yard instead of at the terminal.
- 04Devan and receive
The container is unloaded at our dock. Cartons are counted against the packing list, the seal and condition are photographed, and exceptions are reported to you.
- 05Sort, palletize and label
Freight is sorted by PO, SKU or destination, built onto pallets to each receiver's specs, wrapped and labeled. Our warehouse management system records every pallet by barcode.
- 06Load out
Pallets are loaded into 53' trailers by destination and weight. Outbound loads leave by full truckload, LTL or local delivery.
- 07Empty return
The empty goes back to the terminal or depot the line designates, stopping per diem. You receive counts, photos, seal numbers and outbound tracking.
Long Beach transloading scenarios
Example: splitting containers between a local DC and out-of-state DCs. A home goods importer lands twelve 40' containers in Long Beach. Forty percent of the freight is bound for its own DC in the Inland Empire; the rest serves DCs in Texas and Illinois. We deliver four containers' worth directly to the Inland Empire DC and transload the other eight into 53' trailers for the out-of-state DCs, roughly six trailers if the freight cubes out before it weighs out. The empties for the transloaded containers are back within days instead of crossing the country.
Example: one container, several fulfillment centers. An e-commerce brand receives a 40' floor-loaded container of 1,600 cartons that must be split across four fulfillment centers, each with its own carton label and pallet rules. We unload, sort by destination, relabel cartons and build compliant pallets, then ship four LTL or partial truckload shipments. The e-commerce page covers the labeling side in more detail.
Example: entry not ready when the container is. A container is available at the terminal, but the customs entry is held for documents and the last free day is two days away. Because we hold bonded carrier authority and operate a CBP customs-bonded warehouse in Long Beach, the container can move in-bond to our facility instead of accruing terminal demurrage. Once your broker obtains release, the freight is transloaded and shipped.
Bonded transloading in Long Beach
Bonded transloading in Long Beach applies to freight that is still under CBP control: entry not yet released, cargo moving in-bond to another port, or goods held in bonded storage. We move that freight under our bonded carrier authority into our bonded warehouse in Long Beach, where it stays under customs control.
In-bond moves under 19 CFR 18 must reach their destination within 30 days, and arrival must be reported within two business days. Handling of bonded goods is limited: 19 U.S.C. 1562 allows cleaning, sorting and repacking under CBP supervision, but not manufacturing. A licensed customs broker files the entries; we handle the freight and the bonded transport. See our bonded drayage in Long Beach page for how the in-bond move itself works.
Where Long Beach transloaded freight goes next
Once freight is rebuilt into domestic loads, the outbound mode depends on how far it travels and how much goes to each receiver.
| Destination | Typical outbound | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Southern California DCs and stores | Local delivery or multi-stop truck | Short runs to the Inland Empire, Carson, Compton and the wider Southern California market |
| Out-of-state DCs | Full truckload | Where most of the 3:2 container-to-trailer savings show up |
| Smaller receivers anywhere in the U.S. | LTL | Density and pallet build drive LTL class and cost |
| Canada and Mexico | Cross-border truckload | Coordinate commercial documents for the border crossing in advance |
| Freight not yet sold | Short-term warehousing in Long Beach | Stored by SKU and released as orders arrive |
What to send before your containers reach Long Beach
- Bill of lading, container numbers and vessel ETA
- Packing list with carton counts, dimensions and weights by SKU
- Name and contact for your customs broker, and expected entry timing
- Sort and palletizing instructions, including pallet height and weight limits per receiver
- Carton and pallet label specs, or the files to print them
- Delivery addresses, appointment requirements and routing guides for each destination
- Outbound carrier details if you are tendering your own trucks
Sending this before discharge lets us book the terminal appointment, the dock door and the outbound trucks in one plan.
Why a Long Beach transload warehouse matters
Distance from the terminal drives three costs in a transload: drayage, chassis days and per diem. A transload warehouse in Long Beach keeps each container move short, so one truck can complete several terminal turns in a shift, and an empty can be returned on the same trip that picks up the next load where terminal rules allow.
Proximity also gives you options when something slips. If an outbound truck cancels, freight can wait in our warehouse instead of in a container on per diem. If a container arrives before the dock is ready, it can sit in Long Beach container storage on our yard instead of at the terminal accruing demurrage. If an entry is held, the bonded warehouse is in the same operation.
We work containers from both San Pedro Bay ports through the same dock, so an importer with ships landing on both sides of the harbor can combine freight into shared outbound loads. See transloading for Port of Los Angeles containers for the cross-harbor side.
When several vessels land at once
Vessel bunching is a regular feature of the San Pedro Bay ports. When delayed sailings arrive together, or peak season stacks import volume into a few weeks, terminal appointments tighten and a container that is available on Monday may not have a pickup slot until Thursday. Every day it waits counts against the last free day.
Our answer is to separate the terminal pickup from the transload. When appointments are scarce, we pre-pull containers to our Long Beach yard on our own chassis as soon as they are released, then feed them to the dock in the order your outbound plan needs. That stops terminal demurrage and lets us work the most urgent destinations first, while per diem on the waiting containers is the cost to weigh against it.
Tell us your priorities before a bunched arrival. If one DC needs its freight first, or one SKU is on a promotion date, we sequence pickups and dock work around it instead of first come, first served.
Demurrage, per diem and your transload invoice
Most of the cost surprises on a Long Beach transload come from time charges, not handling. Terminal demurrage accrues while the loaded container sits at the terminal past its last free day. Per diem, or detention, accrues while the line's container is outside the terminal past its free days, including the time it spends at a transload warehouse waiting to be unloaded.
Under the Federal Maritime Commission's billing rule in 46 CFR 541, effective May 28, 2024, ocean carriers and terminals must invoice demurrage and detention within 30 days of when the charge was last incurred, and the billed party has at least 30 days to dispute. Our receiving and empty return records show when each container was picked up and returned, which helps if you need to dispute an invoice. Our guides to demurrage and detention and the last free day explain how to plan around both.
Plan a Long Beach transload
Send your packing list, container count and destinations. We will return a load plan and a quote covering drayage, transloading and outbound trucking.
Request a Long Beach transloading quoteFrequently asked questions
Do you transload containers from both the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles?
Yes. Our transload warehouse is in Long Beach and serves terminals at both ports. Containers from either side of the harbor are worked on the same dock and can be combined into shared outbound loads.
How soon after pickup is a container unloaded?
When the dock plan and outbound trucks are set in advance, containers are usually unloaded soon after they arrive at our warehouse. If a container must wait, it waits in our yard on our chassis instead of at the terminal.
Do you use your own chassis?
Yes. We pull containers on company-owned 20' and 40' chassis, plus triaxle chassis for heavier containers, so pickups are not held up by chassis pool shortages.
How many 53' trailers will my containers fill?
For freight that cubes out, about two 53' trailers per three 40' containers. Heavy freight may not consolidate at all. We confirm with a load plan based on your packing list before you book.
Can you transload freight that has not cleared customs?
Yes, under bond. We hold bonded carrier authority and operate a CBP customs-bonded warehouse in Long Beach. Your customs broker files the entry; we move and hold the freight under customs control until it is released.
Where do you return the empty containers?
To the terminal or depot the ocean carrier designates for that container on that day. We confirm the location before unloading so the empty does not sit waiting for instructions.
Can you relabel and palletize freight during the transload?
Yes. We sort, palletize, wrap and relabel cartons and pallets to each receiver's specs, keeping country-of-origin markings visible.
What if my outbound truck is delayed?
The freight waits in our Long Beach warehouse instead of in the ocean container, so per diem does not keep running. Storage after the free period is billed per pallet.
Should I transload or deliver the container directly to my Southern California warehouse?
If all of the freight goes to one local warehouse that can unload containers, direct delivery is usually simpler and cheaper. Transloading in Long Beach pays when freight is split across destinations, travels out of state, or needs palletizing and labeling first.
Do you ship transloaded freight outside California?
Yes. Transloaded freight ships by full truckload or LTL anywhere in the U.S., and cross-border to Canada and Mexico.