Container Unloading for Port of Los Angeles Imports

Container unloading for Los Angeles imports, across the harbor

We provide container unloading for Los Angeles imports by pulling containers from Port of Los Angeles terminals, devanning them at our facility in Long Beach, and returning the empties. Our dock is across the harbor from the terminals in San Pedro, Wilmington and on Terminal Island, so a Los Angeles container makes a short cross-harbor trip instead of a long run into the basin.

The Port of Los Angeles handled more than 10.2 million TEUs in 2025, and a large share of its import containers are floor-loaded trans-Pacific boxes. Those containers take hours of hand labor to empty. Doing that work near the harbor keeps the container's time off the terminal short and the empty's trip back even shorter.

Unload near the harbor or haul into the LA basin?

For Los Angeles importers, the choice is usually between unloading near the port and trucking the full container to a warehouse elsewhere in Los Angeles County or the Inland Empire.

How container unloading works for Port of Los Angeles boxes

1. 01
   Watch the Los Angeles terminal

   We track availability and line, customs and terminal holds at the Los Angeles terminal where the container discharged, and book an appointment once it is clear.

2. 02
   Cross-harbor pull

   Our truck and chassis pull the container and bring it across the harbor to our Long Beach dock. Heavy 20' and 40' containers go on our triaxle chassis.

3. 03
   Devan and document

   We record the seal, photograph the load face, unload and count by SKU or PO, and send an exception report for any overage, shortage or damage.

4. 04
   Palletize and label

   Floor-loaded cartons are palletized, wrapped and labeled for the next receiver, and recorded in our warehouse management system.

5. 05
   Empty back to Los Angeles

   The empty returns to the Los Angeles terminal or the depot the ocean carrier designates. We confirm the return location before dispatch, since carriers sometimes redirect empties between terminals.

When Los Angeles vs. Long Beach matters for unloading

For the unload itself, it does not matter which port a container came through; Los Angeles and Long Beach boxes are devanned on the same dock. It matters for the empty return. A Los Angeles container usually has to go back to a Los Angeles terminal or a depot the carrier names, which can be on the other side of the harbor from where it was unloaded. We plan pulls and returns together so trucks are not crossing the harbor empty more than necessary.

It also matters for importers whose containers are split across both ports. When the same order lands partly in Los Angeles and partly in Long Beach, unloading everything at one dock lets the freight be combined into outbound loads instead of being received at two different places. See freight consolidation in Long Beach.

Example (illustrative): an importer has six containers of the same product line arriving in one week, four at Port of Los Angeles terminals and two at Long Beach. All six are pulled to our dock, unloaded and sorted by destination, and the freight leaves as truckloads to two regional DCs. Each empty goes back to its own port.

Included with Los Angeles container devanning

• Pickup from Port of Los Angeles terminals through Port of Los Angeles drayage
• Seal check, door photos and piece counts against the packing list
• Sorting by SKU, PO, store or destination
• Palletizing, wrapping and labeling to the receiver's requirements
• Empty return to the Los Angeles terminal or designated depot
• Status updates from pull through empty return

Before your Los Angeles container is available

A few details, sent before the vessel reaches San Pedro Bay, keep a Los Angeles unload on schedule:

• Terminal and last free day. Tell us which Los Angeles terminal the container is discharging at and its last free day, so we can sequence the pull.
• Empty return instructions. Share any carrier notice about where empties go; Los Angeles boxes may be directed to a different terminal or an off-dock depot.
• Packing list and load type. Carton count, SKUs, weights and whether the container is floor-loaded or palletized.
• Sort and label rules. How cartons should be sorted and the receiver's pallet and label specs.
• Customs status. Confirmation from your broker that entry is filed, since a customs hold stops the pull.

Where Los Angeles freight goes after unloading

Close to Los Angeles harbor-area receivers

Many Los Angeles importers receive freight in the harbor-adjacent cities north of the port. Pallets unloaded at our dock are a short truck run from Carson and Compton, and the wider Southern California market is reachable by truckload or LTL.

For pricing models, load types and what to ask any unloading provider, see our national container unloading services page.

Frequently asked questions