Specialized
Trade Show & Event Freight
Onto the floor inside the move-in window, and off it again the night the show closes.
Cargo Taxi Deliveries moves trade show and event freight from Los Angeles to show floors across the western states, including the Las Vegas convention halls and the Los Angeles and Anaheim convention centres. Deliveries are timed to the show's marshalling and move-in windows, and freight is recovered after the hall closes.
Trade show freight is a deadline business with no tolerance at all. Show floors have marshalling yards, target move-in times and a drayage contractor who controls the dock, and a truck that arrives outside its window waits — sometimes for a day. Miss the window entirely and the booth does not go up. So this work is scheduled against the show's published move-in schedule rather than against convenience.
The lanes that matter out of Los Angeles are the Las Vegas convention halls, the Anaheim and Los Angeles convention centres, San Diego, Phoenix and the Bay Area. Freight is typically crated exhibit material, display structures, product samples, literature and AV equipment — awkward, valuable, and usually irreplaceable at short notice.
The return leg is where most trade show freight goes missing, because a hall at the end of a show is chaos and crates sit on a dock unattended for hours. Recovery is scheduled as part of the original booking rather than arranged afterwards, and the crates are counted against the outbound manifest at pickup rather than at the warehouse three days later.
Specifications
The numbers.
| Scheduling | Against the show move-in and move-out windows |
|---|---|
| LA → Las Vegas | ~270 mi, same day |
| Recovery | Booked with the outbound leg, not arranged afterwards |
| Verification | Crate count against manifest at pickup and delivery |
| Equipment | Liftgate and pallet jack standard; flatbed for oversize structures |
Equipment used for this work
Mercedes Sprinter
Long-wheelbase, high-roof cargo van for medium loads and efficient multi-stop routes — the workhorse of the fleet.
- Limit: No liftgate — needs a dock or forklift for heavy pallets
- Limit: Maximum 4 pallet positions
26ft Box Truck
Enclosed 26ft box with a liftgate and a pallet jack on board as standard — the right truck for palletized freight going anywhere without a dock.
- Limit: Not a 53ft trailer — 12 pallet positions, not 26
- Limit: Restricted on some residential streets and low clearances
26ft Flatbed, Sleeper Cab
Open 26ft deck with a sleeper cab — machinery, steel, building materials, and multi-day long hauls that run without a forced overnight stop.
- Limit: No liftgate — consignee needs a forklift or crane
- Limit: Open deck: weather exposure unless tarped
Questions
Trade Show & Event Freight, answered.
Can you deliver to a Las Vegas convention centre from Los Angeles?
Yes — Los Angeles to Las Vegas is roughly 270 miles and a same-day lane. What decides the schedule is not the drive but the show's target move-in window and the marshalling yard procedure, so give dispatch the show name, the booth number and the move-in schedule when booking.
Do you handle post-show pickup?
Yes, and it should be booked with the outbound leg rather than arranged after the show. Freight left on a dock at the end of a show is where trade show shipments actually get lost; a scheduled recovery with a crate count against the outbound manifest removes most of that risk.
What do you need to know to book trade show freight?
The show name and venue, the booth number, the target move-in window, the number and dimensions of the crates, and who the drayage contractor is. The drayage contractor controls the dock, and a truck that arrives without a target time waits regardless of how early it is.
Related services
Often booked together.
Expedited Freight
A truck assigned now, driven straight there, because the line is down and the arithmetic has changed.
White-Glove Delivery
Through the door, up the stairs, into the room, out of the box — and the packaging leaves with the truck.
LTL & Palletized Freight
One to twelve pallets, liftgate and pallet jack on every truck, and no terminal in the middle losing your freight.
Long-Haul Trucking
Eleven states, one driver, one truck — from the LA basin to wherever in the West the load has to be.