Cross Dock Services in California
In at dawn, out by breakfast. Our cross dock hubs in South San Francisco and Inglewood receive air freight and inbound loads, break them down, sort them by route and send them back out the same day, without the freight ever going into storage.
- Same day out, no storage
- ULD and pallet breakdown
- Temperature-controlled option
What cross dock means for your freight
A cross dock is a building where freight comes in one door and goes out another the same day. Nothing sits on a rack. Inbound pallets are checked, broken down, sorted by where they are going, and loaded straight onto the outbound vehicle for that route.
It matters most for air freight. A consolidated pallet from SFO or LAX might hold forty shipments for thirty different consignees. Sent to a warehouse, it waits for a put-away and a pick. Sent to our cross dock, it is broken down and on delivery vehicles within a couple of hours of release from the terminal.
Freight forwarders, airlines, ground handlers and importers use our two hubs as their California ground operation. Our SFO Hub is minutes from the SFO cargo area. Our LAX Hub in Inglewood sits next to the LAX cargo facilities with quick access to the 405.
What our cross dock teams do every day
Six services make up nearly all of our cross dock work. Mix them as you need: a forwarder might use breakdown, sort and same day delivery on one inbound pallet.
Air cargo cross dock
We recover inbound freight from the airport cargo terminal, break it down, sort it by consignee or route and send it out for same day or next-morning delivery.
TSA air cargo servicesConsolidation
Small shipments from several shippers combined into full pallets for one zone or one flight.
- Build pallets
- One load
Deconsolidation and ULD breakdown
Consolidated pallets and ULDs broken into single shipments for many consignees.
- ULDs
- Pallets
Sort and segregate
Freight sorted by delivery zone, priority, temperature or commodity before it is loaded.
- By route
- By priority
Palletize, wrap and label
Pallets built, shrink-wrapped, banded and labelled for air or road. Custom crating for fragile freight.
- Wrap
- Crate
Temperature-controlled cross dock
Pharma, biotech and perishable freight kept apart from ambient freight, monitored on the floor and delivered with a temperature log.
- Chilled
- Frozen
- Logged
How freight moves through our cross dock
Four inbound doors, five outbound routes and no racking in between. This is what a normal morning looks like at the SFO Hub.
Five checks before anything goes back out
Speed is the point of a cross dock, but not at the cost of accuracy. Every inbound pallet goes through the same five checks before it leaves.
- Count against the manifestpieces checked against the MAWB or the shipper’s manifest.
- Condition photosdamage photographed and reported to you before it is accepted.
- Label and routeeach shipment labelled for its outbound route or consignee.
- Temperature checkcold chain freight checked on arrival and kept separate.
- Load and sealoutbound loads counted onto the vehicle and sealed where required.
iThe floor plan and times above are a sample. Real timings depend on terminal release and the size of the inbound load.
When your freight lands, here is what happens
- Morning arrivalDelivered in 2 to 4 hours
Freight released from the terminal in the morning usually reaches most Bay Area or LA Basin consignees the same morning.
- Before cut-offSame day delivery
Freight received before our afternoon cut-off goes out the same day across the metro area.
- After cut-offFirst thing next morning
Late freight is sorted overnight and loaded on the first wave, so it still beats a warehouse pick.
- UrgentPulled and sent direct
Single urgent shipments can be pulled off the floor and sent on a dedicated same day vehicle.
When will my cross dock freight be delivered?
Pick the hub, the time your freight is released and where it is going. The estimate follows the same rules our dispatchers use, and they confirm the exact window when you book.
Delivered between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM
- 6:30 AMReleased
- 7:00 AMOn our floor
- 7:45 AMSorted and loaded
- 8:30 AMFirst deliveries
Standard freight on a scheduled route. Morning releases usually reach most consignees within 2 to 4 hours.
Confirm with dispatch Estimate only, based on an afternoon cut-off. Traffic, terminal release and volume can change it.
Two cross dock hubs at California’s air cargo gateways
Each hub sits next to a major cargo airport and close to the freeways that feed its region, so recovered freight is on the floor quickly and back on the road just as fast.
Northern California cross dock
SFOOAKSJCUS-101I-380- San Francisco
- Peninsula
- Oakland
- East Bay
- San Jose
- Palo Alto
- Sacramento
- Stockton
- Fresno
- Santa Rosa
- Napa
Southern California cross dock
LAXBURLGBONTI-405- Los Angeles
- El Segundo
- Torrance
- Long Beach
- Carson
- Orange County
- Inland Empire
- Ontario
- San Diego
Three mornings at the hub
Most of our work starts with a phone call from a forwarder or an importer who has freight landing and nowhere fast to put it.
A consol with forty consignees
An overnight flight lands at SFO with a consolidated pallet for a forwarder. We recover it at release, break it down on the floor, sort it into five routes and have every shipment on a van before most offices open.
Pharma that cannot warm up
A biotech importer has chilled freight arriving at LAX. It is collected in a refrigerated truck, kept apart from ambient freight at the hub and delivered to three labs with a temperature log for each one.
Retail stock before a launch
A retailer flies in stock for a weekend promotion. Pallets are split by store, relabelled and delivered to locations across the LA Basin the same afternoon, with a photo proof from every store.
One box that is urgent
A single carton inside a large consol is needed at a hospital today. We pull it off the floor first and send it on a dedicated vehicle while the rest of the load follows the normal route.
Freight for two regions
A shipment lands in Los Angeles with half the freight going north. The Bay Area share is moved to the SFO Hub on our own line haul run overnight and delivered the next morning.
Damage found on arrival
A pallet arrives with a crushed corner. It is photographed and reported to the forwarder before acceptance, so the claim starts with evidence rather than an argument.
The cross dock fleet
Outbound routes run on vans and liftgate box trucks sized to each route. Cold chain freight leaves the cross dock in a refrigerated box truck with the temperature logged.
Cargo Van
Multi-stop routes with cartons and small shipments. Ideal for dense city delivery.
Liftgate Box Truck (16 to 26 ft)
Pallet routes and terminal recoveries, with a liftgate for consignees without a dock.
Refrigerated Box Truck
Chilled and frozen freight from the cross dock to the consignee with continuous logging.
How to set up cross dock with us, in 4 steps
One call to set up. After that, your freight just flows through.
- 1
Tell us what is landing
Airport or origin, expected volume, how it should be sorted and where it is going. You get a price on the call.
- 2
We recover or receive
Our STA-cleared drivers recover it from the terminal, or your carrier drops it at the hub.
- 3
Checked and sorted
Counted against the manifest, photographed, labelled and sorted onto the right outbound route.
- 4
Delivered and proofed
Out on the same day. Each consignee signs, and the ePOD lands in your inbox or TMS.
Why forwarders run their California cross dock with Marvin
A cross dock is only as good as its accuracy and its speed. These are the things our customers tell us they cannot get elsewhere.
Next to the airports
SFO Hub in South San Francisco and LAX Hub in Inglewood, minutes from each cargo area.
Open 24/7
Flights land at night. Our cross dock receives and dispatches around the clock, holidays included.
Our own drivers
The same STA-cleared drivers recover freight from the terminal and deliver it, so nothing gets lost between companies.
Branded delivery
Forwarders can have deliveries made under their name, with ePOD sent straight into their TMS.
CLDA member
A member of the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association, the trade body for professional last-mile carriers.
Proof on every shipment
GPS tracking and an electronic proof of delivery with signature, time and photo for every consignee.
Who uses our cross dock
Anyone whose freight arrives in bulk and leaves in pieces. These are the customers who send freight through our cross dock most often.
Freight Forwarders and 3PLs
Inbound consols broken down and delivered under your brand.
Aerospace and AOG
AOG parts pulled off the floor and sent direct.
Pharma and Biotech
Cold chain freight kept separate and logged.
Medical Devices
Kits and devices sorted to hospitals and clinics.
Manufacturing
Inbound components split across plants and lines.
E-Commerce and Retail
Parcels sorted by zone for same day delivery.
Technology
Hardware shipments split to campuses and data centres.
Airlines and Ground Handlers
Off-loaded and transfer freight handled overnight.
Five questions to ask any cross dock provider
Square footage tells you very little. These questions tell you whether your freight will actually move the same day. Here is how we answer them.
Hours, not days. Freight received before our afternoon cut-off goes out the same day.
We do, with our own STA-cleared drivers, so there is no hand-off to another carrier.
It is photographed and reported to you on receipt, before it is accepted onto a route.
Yes. Temperature-sensitive freight is kept apart, monitored and delivered with a temperature log.
An ePOD for every consignee, by email or into your TMS, with signature, time and photo.
Tell us the airport, the volume and the delivery zones. We will set up the sort and quote it on the call.
Set up cross dockWhat sets the price of cross dock service
You get a price before your freight lands, and it does not change once it is on the floor. Four things drive it.
- Volume and piecesHow many pallets or ULDs, and how many individual shipments inside them.
- Handling neededBreakdown only, or sorting, labelling, wrapping and crating as well.
- Recovery and deliveryWhether we recover from the terminal, and how many outbound routes and stops.
- Temperature and timingCold chain handling, after-hours receiving or urgent same day pulls.
What to send us ahead of the freight
- MAWB and HAWB numbersso we can recover it from the terminal as soon as it is released.
- Manifest or packing listwith pieces per consignee for the count on arrival.
- Delivery addresseswith receiving hours and any appointment times.
- Handling notestemperature range, fragile items or anything to keep upright.
- Proof requirementswhere the ePOD should go and whether delivery should be branded.
Cross dock FAQs
Straight answers before you send freight our way. Dispatch picks up 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Call +1 (323) 673-7397What is cross docking and why does it matter for air cargo?
Cross docking moves inbound freight straight from receiving to outbound dispatch without putting it into storage. For air cargo, a cross dock near SFO or LAX means freight from an inbound flight can be sorted, labelled and sent for final delivery within hours, which cuts dwell time and keeps your consignees happy.
Where are your cross dock hubs?
Our SFO Hub is at 245 S Spruce Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080, close to the SFO cargo area. Our LAX Hub is at 1101 W Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, next to the LAX cargo facilities. Both cross dock hubs receive and dispatch freight 24/7.
How fast is freight delivered after cross docking?
Freight received at our SFO cross dock before the afternoon cut-off is normally delivered to Bay Area consignees the same day, and morning arrivals often reach most locations within 2 to 4 hours. The LAX Hub works the same way for the LA Basin. We offer morning, midday and end-of-day delivery windows.
Can you handle temperature-sensitive freight?
Yes. Pharmaceutical, biotech and perishable freight is kept separate from ambient freight, monitored while it is on the floor and delivered in a refrigerated box truck with a temperature log for the whole time it is with us. We follow Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines for this work, although we are not yet formally GDP certified.
Can freight forwarders use you as their California ground operation?
Yes, and many do. Forwarders route inbound air freight to our SFO or LAX cross dock, where we recover, sort, label and deliver to final consignees. We can deliver under your brand and send an ePOD for every shipment into your TMS.
Do you break down ULDs?
Yes. We break down ULDs and consolidated pallets into individual shipments, check each against the manifest, and rebuild pallets by route where needed.
Do you cross dock e-commerce and retail freight?
Yes. Parcels, retail goods and fast-moving consumer products are received, sorted by delivery zone, labelled and sent out for same day or next-morning delivery across California. E-commerce fulfilment companies, 3PLs and retail importers use this for fast-turn distribution.
Do you charge for storage?
No storage charges apply on freight that moves through the cross dock as planned. If you need freight held for longer, our warehousing and distribution service covers short and long-term storage near SFO and LAX.
Related services
Cross dock sits between the flight and the final mile. These services cover the legs on either side.
Carrier safety standards are set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Every Marvin cross dock delivery runs on DOT registered vehicles with drivers who meet those standards.
Set up cross dock in California
Tell us the airport or origin, the expected volume and where the freight needs to go. We set up the sort, quote it on the call and recover your first load as soon as it is released.
- SFO Hub245 S Spruce Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080
- LAX Hub1101 W Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, CA
- Emailsales@marvintransportation.com · Available 24/7