Transit time to Los Angeles and Long Beach: published ranges by origin port
Port to port, from Airlift's lane guides. Pair pages run from Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao and Shenzhen and 14 more into Los Angeles (USLAX) and Long Beach (USLGB). Rows marked as booked are pairs Airlift's bookings report lists among the biggest on their lane.
| From | To | Planning range | Lane |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShanghaiCNSGH | Long Beach USLGB | 11–19 days | China to USA |
| ShanghaiCNSGH | Los Angeles USLAX | 12–22 days | China to USA |
| NingboCNNBO | Los Angeles USLAX | 13–26 days | China to USA |
| NingboCNNBO | Long Beach USLGB | 14–22 days | China to USA |
| QingdaoCNQIN | Long Beach USLGB | 18–24 days | China to USA |
| ShenzhenCNSNZ | Los Angeles USLAX | 18–32 days | China to USA |
| ShenzhenCNSNZ | Long Beach USLGB | 19–33 days | China to USA |
| Cai MepVNTOT | Los Angeles USLAX | 22–27 days | Vietnam to USA |
| Phnom PenhKHPNH | Long Beach USLGB | 22–32 days | Cambodia to USA |
| Phnom PenhKHPNH | Los Angeles USLAX | 24–34 days | Cambodia to USA |
| Ho Chi MinhVNSGN | Los Angeles USLAX | 28–34 days | Vietnam to USA |
| Ho Chi MinhVNSGN | Long Beach USLGB | 28–35 days | Vietnam to USA |
| Laem ChabangTHLCH | Los Angeles USLAX | 28–34 days | Thailand to USA |
| KattupalliINKAT | Los Angeles USLAX | 29–52 days | India to USA |
Planning ranges from Airlift's lane guides, port to port; not guaranteed durations. Confirm the routing and the sailing when you request a quote. 17 more pairs are listed on the port pages above.
Lane guides into Los Angeles and Long Beach
Each lane guide covers the origin ports, what ships on the lane, the US customs paperwork and a quote form; the pair count is the number of port-pair pages landing at Los Angeles (USLAX) and Long Beach (USLGB).
Also serving Los Angeles: Sri Lanka to USA, Brazil to USA, Indonesia to USA, Belgium to USA, Italy to USA. See every origin on shipping to the USA by country of origin.
Where the containers come in
Both ports run several container terminals, including those on Terminal Island, each with its own appointment system. Every truck entering a terminal must be on the ports' drayage truck registry, and most cargo moving through the PierPASS terminals pays the traffic mitigation fee that funds the night and Saturday gates. We book the appointment as soon as the container is released, and use the off-peak gates when that gets it out before the last free day.
From the terminal a container goes one of three ways: trucked to a warehouse in the Los Angeles basin or the Inland Empire (Ontario, Fontana, Riverside, San Bernardino); taken to a partner transload warehouse, where the cargo is reloaded into 53-foot domestic trailers for the rest of the country; or put on rail, on-dock at the terminal or through the Alameda Corridor to the rail yards near downtown Los Angeles.
- The container terminals of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, including Terminal Island
- On-dock rail at the marine terminals, for containers moving inland on the ocean carrier's through bill (IPI)
- The Alameda Corridor to the BNSF Hobart Yard in Commerce and Union Pacific's ICTF and East Los Angeles ramps
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for air freight
Port pages: Los Angeles (USLAX), sailings; Long Beach (USLGB), sailings. Look up any port's code in the port code finder.
After the gate: drayage, transloading and delivery
Drayage from the San Pedro Bay terminals is run by contracted motor carriers, with chassis from the trucker's fleet or a pool and charged by the day. Transloading and short-term storage happen at partner warehouses near the ports and in the Inland Empire. We choose the route with you before the ship arrives, so the free time at the terminal is not spent deciding. Airlift USA owns neither trucks nor warehouses.
Airlift USA has been in business since 1999 and is an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162), not a customs broker: the customs entry is filed through its licensed customs-broker network, and US trucking is arranged as a non-asset, FMCSA-licensed property broker through contracted motor carriers. Not enough cargo to fill a container? See LCL ocean freight; for a tight deadline, international air freight.
Shipping to Los Angeles and Long Beach: FAQs
Port to port, Airlift's lane guides list Shanghai to Long Beach at 11–19 days, Shanghai to Los Angeles at 12–22 days, Ningbo to Los Angeles at 13–26 days, Ningbo to Long Beach at 14–22 days and Qingdao to Long Beach at 18–24 days, as planning ranges, not guaranteed durations. The actual time depends on the carrier, the routing and any transshipment, so confirm the sailing when you request a quote.
Other US destinations
See every destination on shipping to the USA by destination port and city, or browse Airlift's shipping route guides.
Transit ranges: Airlift's lane guides, as published on the linked pair pages. Port codes: UNECE UN/LOCODE 2024-2; CBP Schedule D. Schedule counts: the Sealanes snapshot on the linked port pages. Terminal, chassis and rail facts: the port authorities' published rules, as cited on our container drayage page. Reviewed October 2026.
Request a quote: shipping to Los Angeles and Long Beach
Include the origin port or city, the delivery address, the commodity, and either the package count with weights and dimensions or the container size and count. Add the cargo-ready date and say whether you need pickup at origin, customs clearance or US delivery. We reply with the freight rate, the destination charges and the services included.