Plastic crates and bulk bins, by state

How nationwide delivery works

Containers do not ship from one central point. New units usually leave a maker's plant; used and refurbished lots sit wherever a program ended, at a parts plant, a packhouse or a warehouse. When you ask for a quote, we look for matching containers, then price the haul from that source to your dock. Sometimes the closest lot wins. Sometimes a better-graded lot farther away is worth the extra miles.

That is why we ask for a delivery ZIP before anything else. Distance matters more for empty containers than for most freight, because they are bulky and light. A trade column in Logistics Management put the point where return freight becomes a major cost at roughly 500 miles, which is one reason folding collapsibles took hold on long automotive lanes.

How freight is quoted

Every quote shows freight as its own line. For a few units we price less-than-truckload; for a trailer-filling order we price a dedicated 53-foot load. The number depends on miles, lane demand, whether your site has a dock or needs a liftgate, and whether the containers ship standing, folded or nested. Folded collapsibles put more units on one trailer, which lowers freight per unit on a long run.

Quotes hold for a stated time because carrier rates move. If your timing slips, ask us to re-check the freight line before you commit; the container price often stays put while the truck price does not. Use Trailer Fill to estimate how many units one load carries.

Pacific and Mountain West

California grows nearly half of US vegetables and over three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, according to the state agriculture department, so macro bins and vented harvest crates dominate the Central Valley and Salinas, while the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports feed distribution totes inland. Washington means apples and cherries around Yakima and Wenatchee, plus truck building in Renton. Oregon adds hazelnuts, pears and berries.

Inland, Idaho leads US potato production and runs large cheese plants. Arizona centers on Yuma lettuce in winter. Colorado pairs beef packing in Greeley with potatoes and peaches, and Utah has an inland port authority coordinating rail-served industrial sites near Salt Lake City.

Plains, Corn Belt and Great Lakes

Texas combines cattle, broilers, vehicle plants in Arlington, San Antonio and Austin, and the Port of Houston. Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska are packing-plant country, from Guymon hogs to Dodge City and Grand Island beef, which means solid-wall bins and tubs. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin add turkeys, pork, food processing and cheese, with assembly plants near Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago.

The auto belt runs through Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Michigan has more vehicle assembly plants than any other state, and supplier parts bound for plants such as Marysville, Fort Wayne, Georgetown and Smyrna are the classic job for 48x45 collapsibles. Louisville and Memphis add the national air hubs of UPS and FedEx, and the distribution work that grows around them.

South, Gulf and Northeast

Poultry links Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. The same corridor holds Alabama's four assembly plants, Nissan and Toyota in Mississippi, and Kia and Hyundai in Georgia. Louisiana is a port state first. Florida is strawberries, tomatoes and citrus for juice. South Carolina builds BMWs in Greer and ships through Charleston, and Virginia pairs Hampton Roads with Volvo trucks in Dublin.

In the Northeast, Pennsylvania grows about half the nation's mushrooms around Kennett Square and builds Mack trucks in Macungie. New York is dairy and apples upstate, and New Jersey pairs blueberries and peppers in the south with Port Newark in the north.

How to read a state page

A state page is a guide, not a promise of stock. What we can quote depends on the lots and maker capacity available when you ask, and a lot two states away is often the better buy once freight is counted.

• The top of each page names the main cities, interstates and leading industries, drawn from state and federal sources.
• The industry sections say which containers those trades tend to run, and which ones turn up as surplus.
• Freight notes describe the lanes in and out, so you can judge whether a lot from a neighboring state makes sense.
• Every figure on a state page carries its source and the date we read it. If a number looks off, check the linked source first, then tell us.