The lanes we run
A lane is the freeway corridor a run follows: the 710 to the ports, the Alameda Corridor through Vernon, the 60 and the 10 into the Inland Empire, the 5 and the 405 through Orange County, the 15 over Cajon Pass. Every pickup is planned onto one of these twelve lanes, so a small stack rides along with the run that passes it.
The twelve lanes
- Lane 1Ports and the 710
- Lane 5South Bay and the 405
- Lane 6Orange County on the 5
- Lane 8Inland Empire on the 10
- Lane 10High desert over Cajon Pass
- Lane 11Antelope Valley and the 14
- Lane 12Santa Clarita on the 5
Every lane, its freeways and its stops
How a lane becomes a run
Requests come in with a count, a flange size and a ZIP. Each ZIP belongs to an area, and each area sits on a lane. When the stops waiting on a lane add up to most of a 53 foot deck, or one stop alone is a part load, we plan a run: the order of stops, the time at each dock, and which reels go on first so the big ones end up at the front. Small stacks along the way ride along. Then every stop gets a pickup window by email.
That is why we ask for counts by flange before anything else. Twenty 36 inch reels are a fifth of a deck; twenty 72 inch reels are a whole one. Without the sizes, a lane cannot be planned.
The core lanes
Five lanes work the dense industrial core. The ports lane runs from the harbour in Wilmington and Long Beach up the 710, where terminal contractors, refinery-area yards and utility staging lots sit between the water and the 91. The Alameda Corridor lane follows the 20 mile freight line north through Compton, Huntington Park, Vernon and Commerce, past food plants, data-centre sites and distributors' docks. The San Gabriel Valley lane takes the 60 east through the City of Industry to Pomona. The San Fernando Valley lane works Sun Valley, Pacoima, Van Nuys, Canoga Park and Chatsworth off the 5, the 118 and the 170. The South Bay lane covers El Segundo and Torrance on the 405.
Orange County
Two lanes cover Orange County. One follows the 5 south from Santa Fe Springs through Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Tustin and Irvine, with Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach toward the coast. The other runs the 91 and the 57 through Buena Park, Fullerton, Anaheim and Orange, where the Anaheim Canyon business park sits along the 91.
The long lanes
Five lanes reach a long way out. The Inland Empire lane takes the 10 and the 60 from Chino and Ontario through Fontana to San Bernardino and Redlands. The Riverside lane runs the 91 to Corona and Riverside, then the 215 and the 15 south through Moreno Valley and Perris to Temecula. The High Desert lane climbs Cajon Pass on the 15 to Hesperia, Victorville, Adelanto, Oro Grande and Apple Valley. The Antelope Valley lane takes the 14 to Palmdale and Lancaster, and the Santa Clarita lane follows the 5 north to Valencia. On these lanes runs are fewer and further between, and a ride-along waits for a larger stop to make the drive worthwhile.
What sets the timing
Distance and volume. A stop in Commerce is minutes from three lanes and is rarely waiting long. A stop in Adelanto is over Cajon Pass, a long way from the basin, so it goes when the High Desert run goes. If you need a date, say so; a part load can set a run of its own on any lane.
Words on this page
- Lane
- The freeway corridor a run follows, such as the 710 to the ports or the 15 to the high desert.
- Run
- One truck's pickup route for the day, stop by stop along a lane.
- Ride along
- A small pickup added to a run that is already going that way, instead of a dedicated truck.
- Pickup window
- The span of hours a dock is open and staffed for loading.
- Part load
- A stop that takes a real share of a deck, roughly a quarter to most of it, so the run is planned around it.
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Lane questions
How often does each lane run?
When there is enough on it to fill a truck or most of one. Busy lanes close to the core, like the ports and the Alameda Corridor, fill up quickest. Long lanes run less often and are planned around their larger stops. We give you a pickup window, not a timetable.
My address is between two lanes. Which one picks me up?
Whichever run is passing closest when your stack is ready. The area pages name the usual lane, but a run can always detour a mile or two.
Do lanes cross county lines?
Yes. The Orange County lane on the 5 starts in Santa Fe Springs in Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire lane runs from Chino in San Bernardino County through Jurupa Valley in Riverside County.
Why is there no San Diego lane?
San Diego County is outside our area. Temecula, at the south end of the Riverside lane, is as far as our runs go.