Container transloading in Pasadena, Texas — under ten miles from Barbours Cut and most other Port of Houston terminals. We unload your container and transfer the freight to flatbed — and hold it if the onward leg is not ready.
Container to flatbed
This is the bulk of what we do. A container comes off the port, arrives here on a chassis, and the freight has to come out and go onto a flatbed for its inland run.
Straightforward in principle. In practice it needs a yard that can take the chassis, equipment that can lift what is inside without damaging it, people who know how to break down a load that was packed for a sea voyage, and somewhere to put the freight when the flatbed is late.
Devanning heavy or awkward cargo is not forklift-and-hope. Machinery, crated equipment and steel are packed tight, braced for ocean movement, and frequently heavier than the paperwork says. We have forklifts from 5,000 to 65,000 pounds, overhead cranes in most of our warehouses, and certified riggers on staff.
Why the freight gets stuck
Almost every transload problem is a timing problem. The container clears earlier than expected, or the flatbed does not show, or the receiving site is not ready, or the permit for an oversize move has not come through.
A pure transload yard has to push the freight back out when that happens. It goes back on a trailer accruing detention, or it goes looking for a yard at short notice at whatever rate is available.
We do not have that problem, because we are a storage company that transloads. Ten warehouses, twelve acres of stabilized yard, and climate-controlled space if what came out of the box should not sit in Gulf Coast humidity. Freight can stay an afternoon or a year.
That also means the empty container goes back promptly rather than sitting loaded while everyone waits — which is usually where the per-diem charges start.
What else we transload
- Flatbed to container, for export
- Break-bulk broken down for inland transport
- Oversize and heavy-haul loads re-rigged between trailers
- Consolidation and deconsolidation of palletized freight
- Project cargo staged between arrival and installation
We also crate and re-crate. Freight packed to survive an ocean crossing often needs different protection for a road move, and anything opened for inspection needs closing up properly before it travels again.
Who we work with
Freight forwarders, project logistics firms, and shippers arranging their own drayage. If you are moving a container inland and the freight will not stay in it, we are the stop in between.
You are welcome to arrange your own drayage and your own onward trucking — most customers do. Or we will coordinate it, along with any crane work a lift needs. More on rigging and handling.
Where we are
3302 Lilac Street, Pasadena — under ten miles from most Houston Ship Channel terminals, including Barbours Cut. That distance is the whole point: a short drayage run in, and no wasted day either side of the transfer.
Tell us what is in the container, where it is going and when. Call (281) 809-6006 or send us the details.