Freight & transport — including backhaul
Dry van, flatbed and smart backhaul matching across the lower 48, anchored by our own regional routes out of Woods Cross, Utah. We fill the empty miles so you do not pay for them.
Tell us what needs to move
Origin, destination, load type and timing — we'll match it to a lane or a backhaul.
We move freight three ways: dry van for enclosed loads, flatbed for baled and oversized freight, and backhaul matching that pairs your shipment with a truck already running that lane. Because we run our own regional routes from Woods Cross, UT, and haul boxes both directions anyway, we can slot your load into miles that would otherwise run empty — which cuts your cost and carbon at the same time.
Three ways to haul it
Whether it is a trailer of new Gaylords or a flatbed of bales, we have the equipment and the lane.
Dry van
Enclosed, weather-protected capacity for palletized boxes, cartons and finished goods — the workhorse for most box freight.
Flatbed
Open-deck hauling for baled OCC, oversized unit loads and anything that loads from the side or top. Straps, tarps and permits handled.
Backhaul matching
Your load rides a truck already heading your way. Lower rate for you, fewer empty miles for everyone, less carbon per shipment.
Capacities, at a glance
The right trailer depends on what you are moving and how much of it. Here is how the common options stack up for box freight and bales.
| Equipment | Typical capacity | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53″ dry van | 26 standard pallets, up to ~45,000 lb | Palletized boxes, cartons, finished goods, most FTL box orders | Enclosed and weather-protected; the default for corrugated |
| Flatbed (48–53″) | Up to ~48,000 lb, side/top load | Baled OCC, oversized unit loads, machinery, bulk bins | Straps, tarps and permits for over-dimension handled |
| Box truck / straight truck | ~8–12 pallets, up to ~10,000 lb | Smaller deliveries, tight docks, urban and local runs | Liftgate available where a dock is not |
| LTL (less-than-truckload) | 1–6 pallets, shared trailer | Small quantities that don’t fill a trailer | You pay for the space you use; transit is multi-stop |
| FTL (full truckload) | A dedicated trailer, ~26 pallets | High volume, time-sensitive, or fragile single-shipper loads | Direct point-to-point; fastest and lowest handling |
Capacities are typical ranges; actual limits depend on weight, cube and axle rules on your lane. Not sure whether you have an LTL or an FTL move? Send the pallet count and weight — the crossover is usually around six to eight pallets, and we will tell you which is cheaper.
From request to delivered load
Scheduling freight with us is four steps, not a week of carrier calls.
Send the load details
Origin, destination, load type, weight, dimensions and timing. Tell us if it is a box delivery, a surplus pickup, or freight unrelated to boxes — we handle all three.
We match a lane or backhaul
We check our own regional routes and network capacity for a truck already running your direction. A backhaul fit means a better rate; if none exists, we quote direct van or flatbed.
Schedule the pickup
We confirm a pickup and delivery window around your dock hours and receiving constraints, and stage equipment that fits the load and the site.
Move and confirm
The load ships, and you get delivery confirmation. Recurring lanes become standing routes, so the freight side of your program runs on autopilot.
Empty miles are the enemy — of your budget and the planet
Roughly one in four truck-miles in the US runs empty. Every one of those deadhead miles burns fuel and money to move nothing. Backhaul matching fills that empty leg with your load, so the trip does double duty.
That is why our freight is cheapest when it rides with boxes we are already delivering or picking up. When you buy boxes from us or sell surplus to us, your freight often becomes someone's backhaul — and theirs becomes yours. Fewer trucks, lower cost, less carbon, same boxes.
What a backhaul actually saves
Numbers make it concrete. Take a simple regional lane and watch what happens when your load fills a leg that would otherwise deadhead.
| Scenario | Loaded miles | Empty (deadhead) miles | Who pays for the empty leg | Carbon outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated round trip | ~500 out | ~500 back empty | You — the return runs on your dime | Full trip’s fuel to move a load one way |
| Your load as a backhaul | ~500 out (someone else) | ~0 — you fill the return | Shared — the truck was coming back anyway | Near-zero added miles for your freight |
Picture a truck that runs a loaded 500-mile leg from Woods Cross to a customer, then historically returns empty. Those 500 return miles are pure waste — fuel burned, a driver paid, roughly a ton of CO₂ emitted, all to move nothing. Now slot your shipment onto that return. The truck was making the trip regardless, so instead of charging you for a full dedicated round trip, we price the value of the move. You typically land a materially lower rate, and the carbon attributable to your freight collapses toward zero because it rode on miles that were already happening. Multiply that across a network of box deliveries and surplus pickups moving in both directions, and empty-mile elimination becomes the quiet engine behind both your freight bill and your Scope 3 numbers.
The lower 48, run from a Utah hub
We ship anywhere in the continental United States, but the geography is not random. Woods Cross sits just north of Salt Lake City on the I-15 / I-80 crossroads — a natural staging point for the Mountain West and a bridge between West Coast ports and the middle of the country.
Coverage and pricing are strongest on lanes we already run for box deliveries and pickups, radiating out toward California, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, Denver and the Front Range, and points east. Because boxes flow both directions on these corridors, the backhaul opportunities are richest exactly where our volume is — which is why telling us your origin and destination is the first thing we ask.
West Coast & ports
California, Oregon, Washington — import gateways and dense box demand.
Mountain West core
Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and the Front Range on our home lanes.
Cross-country reach
Southwest, Midwest and east via network capacity and partner carriers.
Scheduling & lead times
Freight is as much about the calendar as the map. Here is roughly what to expect — and how to get the best rate by giving us room to plan.
Standing lanes
Recurring routes we already run — the fastest and cheapest. Recurring box programs slot straight in, often within days, on a set cadence.
Backhaul-matched
Best rate for a one-off, but it depends on a truck heading your way. A few days of flexibility on your pickup window dramatically improves the match.
Dedicated / expedited
When timing is fixed and volume is high, a dedicated van or flatbed goes direct. Costs more than a backhaul, but it moves on your schedule, point to point.
The single biggest lever on your rate is lead time. A load with a flexible pickup window can wait for the right backhaul; a load that must move tomorrow pays for a dedicated truck. When you can, give us a few days — your budget will notice.
Load optimization: pay for boxes, not air
A trailer is priced by the space and weight it carries. A few habits at the dock mean more product per trip and fewer trips overall.
Palletize and cube out
Stable, uniform pallet stacks use trailer height and floor plan efficiently. Poorly built pallets waste cube and invite damage — both of which cost you.
Nest and knock down
Knocked-down boxes and nested Gaylords ship flat and dense. The difference between shipping boxes assembled versus flat can be several times the units per trailer.
Balance weight vs cube
Corrugated is light and bulky, so most box loads “cube out” before they hit weight limits. Pairing a light box load with a denser backhaul makes both trips pay.
Consolidate shipments
Two half-loads next week can often become one full trailer. Consolidating orders onto a single FTL beats paying LTL rates twice — we will flag when it pencils out.
How freight pricing actually works
Freight rates can feel like a black box. They are not — they are the sum of a few real costs plus whatever the market is doing on your lane that week.
The base is distance and fuel: loaded miles times a per-mile cost that moves with diesel. On top sit equipment and mode (a dedicated FTL costs more than sharing an LTL trailer or catching a backhaul), lane balance (a direction with plenty of return freight prices better than one that strands trucks empty), timing (tight windows and seasonal peaks cost more), and handling (liftgates, tight docks, over-dimension permits and detention time). Our edge is on two of those levers at once: we run our own lanes, so we know where the empty legs are, and we haul boxes both directions, so your freight can ride miles that are already paid for.
What shippers ask about our trucks
Scheduling, coverage and how backhaul actually saves money.
Do you only haul boxes?
How does backhaul lower my rate?
What areas do you cover?
Can freight ride with a box order or pickup?
LTL or FTL — which do I need?
How much lead time do you need?
Do you handle liftgates and tight docks?
Can you set up recurring lanes?
Have a load to move?
Send origin, destination and timing — we'll find the lane, or the backhaul.