Service Area
Freight Broker in Los Angeles, CA
The American Truck Inc. is a licensed, bonded freight broker (MC# 1631835) serving the Los Angeles and Long Beach market as a nationwide broker — we move freight into and out of Southern California and connect it with vetted carriers across all 48 states. We don't keep a California terminal; we cover these lanes daily from our Chicago-area headquarters, sourcing drayage and long-haul capacity for shippers across the LA Basin.
The Los Angeles freight market
The Los Angeles / Long Beach region is the largest container gateway in the United States, and the twin San Pedro Bay ports together handle roughly a third of the nation's containerized imports. That flood of inbound ocean freight makes the LA Basin the country's most important origin point for import distribution, with a vast footprint of warehouses stretching east into the Inland Empire. Because so much national freight originates here, capacity and drayage conditions in Southern California set the tone for transcontinental truckload and intermodal rates. For shippers, the market offers enormous volume but also port congestion, chassis constraints, and strict California emissions rules that shape which carriers can run.
Highways, rail & ports
The region is served by I-710, I-110, I-5, I-10, I-15, and the I-405, moving freight from the port complex to the Inland Empire and out across the Southwest. The Alameda Corridor rail expressway links the ports directly to the BNSF and Union Pacific intermodal yards near downtown LA for transcontinental rail moves. Los Angeles International (LAX) is a major air-cargo hub, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together form the busiest ocean-container complex in the Western Hemisphere.
High-volume lanes from Los Angeles
- Los Angeles, CA → Phoenix, AZ
- Los Angeles, CA → Dallas, TX
- Los Angeles, CA → Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA → Seattle, WA
- Los Angeles, CA → Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA → Denver, CO
Industries we move in Los Angeles
- Import and consumer-goods distribution
- Apparel and fashion
- Food and agriculture
- Electronics
- Furniture and home goods
- Aerospace
Services we broker in Los Angeles
Los Angeles freight questions
Do you provide drayage from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach?
Yes. We arrange container drayage from both San Pedro Bay terminals to warehouses across the LA Basin and Inland Empire, including transload into 53-foot domestic trailers for onward line-haul. We watch terminal appointment systems and chassis availability so containers move before demurrage and per-diem charges pile up.
Can you connect ocean imports to over-the-road or intermodal for the rest of the country?
Yes. A lot of freight lands in Long Beach or LA and still has to reach the Midwest or East Coast, so we bridge the port drayage to either long-haul truckload or transcontinental intermodal through the Alameda Corridor rail ramps. We'll price both paths so you can weigh the faster over-the-road option against lower-cost rail.
How do you handle California's port congestion and clean-truck rules?
Southern California enforces strict emissions and Clean Truck Fund requirements at the ports, so we work with drayage carriers whose equipment is registered and compliant to run the terminals. On congestion, we plan around terminal appointments and peel-off programs and keep you posted when vessel bunching or yard backups threaten your pickup windows.
SHIPPING FREIGHT IN LOS ANGELES?
Send us your lane and load details — we'll source vetted capacity and quote it fast.