Empty reel pickup, planned like a freight run
We pick up empty wooden spools and cable reels from yards, docks and job sites across Los Angeles County, Orange County, the Inland Empire and the high desert. Mixed brands, mixed sizes and part loads are all fine. Tell us the count and the flange size, and we will say whether your stack fills a deck or rides along on a run already going your way.
Pick the page that fits your yard
A pickup is a trucking job
Most people with a yard full of empty reels think of the problem as disposal. We think of it as freight. A 53 foot flatbed is 102 inches wide, and how many reels it carries depends on their flange size: about 60 empty 42 inch reels laid flat, 26 to 30 of 50 inches stood on edge, 16 to 18 of 96 inches. Once we know your count and sizes, we know how much of a deck you need, and from that, whether you get a run of your own or share one.
That is why the first thing we ask is the count by flange size, and the second is your address. The address tells us which lane you are on: the ports and the 710, the Alameda Corridor, the 60 through the San Gabriel Valley, the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay, two Orange County lanes, the Inland Empire, Riverside County, the High Desert over Cajon Pass, the Antelope Valley or Santa Clarita. A run goes out along one lane at a time, stop by stop.
What we take
Wooden reels and spools from 24 to 96 inch flanges: nailed one-way reels, bolted reels, plywood spools, in any brand and any mix. Sound reels are resold; damaged ones are recycled. We check stencilled reels before loading and tell you if their maker runs a return program, because a returnable reel belongs to someone and may be worth more going back.
We do not take reels with a lot of cable still on them unless you tell us first, and we do not take steel or plastic reels, which almost always belong to their maker. We do not pick up in San Diego County.
What we don't do
We do not haul general waste, pallets or cable, and we do not take reels out of secure areas without the site's own escort. We do not claim reels that belong to someone else. And we do not promise exact times; we give windows, because a run has other stops on it.
What you do
Count the reels and group them by flange. Take a photo. Tell us whether there is a forklift or a dock, and when the gate is open. Then leave room for a flatbed to pull alongside the stack. The driver brings the straps and the chocks.
How much of a deck is your stack?
Try your own counts in the reel load planner, or read how the numbers are worked out on reels per load.
Is your yard on a run?
These are the cities and districts our runs reach, by county. Each page names its lane, ZIP codes and the reels that usually come out of it.
Los Angeles County
- VernonD6
- CommerceD6
- City of IndustryF6
- Santa Fe SpringsE7
- Long BeachD8
- CarsonD7
- Rancho DominguezD7
- ComptonD7
- WilmingtonD8
- TorranceC7
- El SegundoC7
- Huntington ParkD6
- Northeast Los AngelesD6
- Sun ValleyC5
- PacoimaC4
- ChatsworthB4
- Canoga ParkB5
- Van NuysB5
- Santa ClaritaB3
- PalmdaleE2
- LancasterE1
- PomonaG6
Orange County
- AnaheimF7
- Santa AnaF8
- IrvineG8
- Huntington BeachF9
- Garden GroveF8
- FullertonF7
- OrangeG8
- Costa MesaF9
- TustinG8
- Buena ParkF7
Riverside County
San Bernardino County
Words on this page
- Run
- One truck's pickup route for the day, stop by stop along a lane.
- Lane
- The freeway corridor a run follows, such as the 710 to the ports or the 15 to the high desert.
- Deck
- The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
- 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.
Read next
Pickup questions
Is pickup free?
It depends on the reels. Sound reels with resale value often cover the cost of the run, and some we pay for; a stack of broken reels for recycling may carry a charge. We tell you which before the truck comes.
How soon can you come?
We give a pickup window, not a promise to the hour. A ride-along waits for the next run on your lane; a full deck gets a run of its own, usually within days.
Do you take reels that are not wood?
Steel and plastic reels are almost always returnable to their maker, so we point you there first. Wooden reels, nailed, bolted or plywood, are what we collect.
Is San Diego County covered?
No. Our map stops at Temecula and the Orange County cities on the 5. San Diego County is outside the area.