Pickup · the run sheet

How a pickup works, stop by stop

A pickup takes four stops: you count and photograph the reels, we size the run and send a pickup window, the driver loads and chocks them, and they are sorted for resale or recycling. Nothing more is needed from you than the count, the address and an open gate.

The run sheet, four stops

Count and photograph
Measure across the round end of a reel: that is the flange size. Group the reels by it (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96 inches) and count each group. One photo of the whole stack and one close-up of the worst reel tell us most of what we need. Note any reel with a maker's name stencilled on it.
We size the run and send a pickup window
Your counts go into the same arithmetic as the load planner: each size takes a known share of a 53 foot, 102 inch deck. Under about a quarter of a deck is a ride-along on the next run passing your area; more than that gets a stop of its own, and a full deck gets its own run. We reply with the lane, the window and anything the driver needs to know.
Loaded and chocked
Reels up to 42 inches go on flat, stacked two to four high. Larger reels stand on edge in two rows down the deck, flanges staggered, each one chocked under the flange so it cannot roll. Straps go over the top. If you have a forklift, it lifts; if not, small reels are rolled up a ramp.
Resold or recycled
At the end of the run, every reel is graded. Sound ones with round arbor holes and flat flanges are resold to contractors, growers, makers and event buyers. Split, rotten or chewed ones go to wood recycling with nails, bolts and plates pulled out. Returnable reels go back to their owners.

What the window means

A pickup window is the span of hours your dock or gate is open and staffed for loading, matched to when the run will reach you. We give a window rather than an exact time because a run has other stops on it, and traffic on the 710, the 60 or the 91 can move a truck by an hour. If the window does not suit you, say so; it is easier to move a stop than to send a truck back.

What the driver needs

Room to pull a 53 foot flatbed alongside the reels, or to back up to a dock. A forklift for anything over 42 inches. A person to sign for the reels. Any site rules: a check-in at a guard shack, a hard hat and vest, an orientation. Tell us these in advance and the stop takes minutes.

What happens if it rains

Loading goes ahead in light rain. Heavy rain makes unpaved yards soft and wooden reels slippery, and we may move the window by a day. In the high desert and the Antelope Valley, wind is more likely to move a window than rain.

Where the run starts and ends

Each run works one lane, from one end to the other, with stops in an order that keeps the truck moving forward. Your stop's place in that order sets your window. Large stops near the start of a lane often get early windows; ride-alongs fit between them.

After the run

If we bought sound reels from you, payment follows as agreed once they are checked. If any turned out worse than the photos, we tell you. You can see how reels are graded on resale or recycling, and how to get them ready on staging reels for pickup.

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

Orange County

Riverside County

San Bernardino County

Words on this page

Flange: The round end of a reel; its diameter (24 to 96 inches and up) is how reels are sized, sorted and loaded.
Deck: The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
Chock: A wedge under a reel's flange that stops it rolling on the deck.
Run: One truck's pickup route for the day, stop by stop along a lane.
Pickup window: The span of hours a dock is open and staffed for loading.
Stencil: The owner's name painted on a flange; a stencilled reel may belong to its maker or distributor.

Questions about the steps

What if my counts are rough?

Rough is fine. The driver counts again on loading, and the window has room for a few more or fewer.

Do I need to be there?

Someone needs to open the gate and, if there is a forklift, drive it. A dock window with staff is enough.

How long does loading take?

With a forklift, a full deck of large reels takes well under an hour. Hand-loading small reels takes longer.