Cross-Docking in Delta, BC

What cross-docking is

Cross-docking moves freight through a warehouse without putting it into storage. Freight comes in on one container or trailer, gets unloaded and sorted on the dock, and goes straight back out on outbound trucks, usually the same day or soon after. Instead of paying for pallet positions and handling in and out of racking, you pay for a quick, organized transfer.

It works best when the next leg of your shipment is already planned. A common example: an import container holds freight for several customers or locations. Rather than delivering the whole container to one place and re-shipping from there, the container comes to a cross-dock, the freight is split by destination, and each portion goes straight out to where it needs to go.

When cross-docking makes sense

• One container holds freight for more than one delivery address
• You want to move freight from a container into dry vans for local delivery
• Freight needs to be sorted, counted or re-palletized before delivery
• Your own facility doesn't have the dock space or labour to take a full container
• You want to get a container emptied and returned quickly to avoid extra charges

If your freight needs to sit for a while before it goes out, storage is the better fit. Not sure which you need? Describe the move and we'll recommend one. Our guide on transloading vs. cross-docking explains the difference.

How cross-docking works with Ferndale

1. Tell us what's coming. Send the container details, what's inside, how many deliveries it splits into, and where each part is going.
2. We pick up at the port. Our own trucks bring the container from the Port of Vancouver to our warehouse on Annacis Island.
3. We unload and sort. Freight comes off at our dock and is sorted by destination.
4. We load outbound trucks. Each order goes onto our 20ft or 40ft dry vans for delivery.
5. We return the empty. The container goes back so it isn't collecting charges.

Because the port pickup, the warehouse and the delivery trucks are all ours, there's no hand-off between companies and no one pointing fingers if timing slips. You have one contact for the whole move.

Our cross-dock location

We cross-dock at our warehouse at 1405 Cliveden Avenue on Annacis Island in Delta. The island sits right off Highway 91, in the centre of the Lower Mainland, with quick routes to the port terminals, Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and the Fraser Valley. That central location keeps drive times down on both the inbound and outbound legs.

Warehouse hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. For warehouse questions, email warehouse@ferndaletransport.ca. See the Delta warehouse page for the map and details.

Areas we deliver

Freight leaving our cross-dock goes to businesses across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Delta, Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack. We don't run long haul or US cross-border freight.

Why choose Ferndale for cross-docking

• Port pickup, cross-dock and delivery handled by one company
• Our own trucks, dry vans and warehouse. We don't broker your freight.
• Central Annacis Island location off Highway 91
• 20 years of local freight experience
• Family-owned, with a dispatch team that answers the phone

Also see container drayage and dry van trucking.