Most packaged beverages travel dry — until they don’t
Canned and bottled drinks that are shelf-stable usually travel in a dry van. That includes a large share of carbonated drinks, many juices, water, and similar packaged goods leaving California warehouses or heading into them. The product is often heavy for the space it occupies, which is good for trailer utilization on a full truckload and can be favorable for LTL density, as long as the pallets are built and measured honestly.
Some beverages do need a reefer. Certain juices, dairy-based drinks, and products that cannot get warm — including some chocolate-related or specialty items in hot weather — should be quoted with a set point. If you are not sure, choose “Not sure,” describe the product, and we will help you pick the equipment. See reefer vs dry van and food and beverage freight.
Weight, pallets, and why the count can fill a trailer faster than it looks
Beverage pallets are frequently dense. A trailer can reach a practical weight limit before it looks visually full, and non-stackable pallets can use the floor sooner than you expect. Send the pallet count, the gross weight, and whether the pallets can be double stacked. If you have dimensions, include them. Those figures tell us whether the shipment is a full truckload, a few pallets of LTL, or a candidate for a partial truckload.
Build the pallets so cans and bottles are supported, wrapped to the deck, and free of overhang. A collapsed or leaning beverage pallet is a common damage problem and a common reason a receiver delays unloading. See how to ship pallets.
Grocery and food-service appointments
A large share of beverage freight delivers to grocery, convenience, or food-service distribution centers. Appointments, lumper fees, and tight receiving hours are common. Include them so the quote and the dispatch instructions are complete. Our appointments guide covers what to send.
California is both a major origin and a major destination for this freight. We quote outbound beverages from Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and other California warehouses to Texas and the rest of the 48 states, and inbound beverages into those same buildings.
What to send
- Type of beverage, and whether it is shelf-stable or needs a temperature
- Origin and destination city or ZIP
- Pallet count, stackability, and gross weight
- Set point if a reefer is required
- Ship date and any appointment or lumper notes