Los Angeles to Phoenix freight, both directions

How much we run this lane, and which way

This corridor is busier for us westbound than eastbound. From January through September 2026 we moved a few loads a week from the Phoenix area into Southern California, and about one a week the other way.

Eastbound loads usually start in the Inland Empire, not in the city of Los Angeles, and about two thirds of them ride on our own trucks. Westbound loads are mostly covered by partner carriers, and they deliver to both the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County.

The route and the distance

Interstate 10 carries the whole trip. Leaving the Los Angeles basin it climbs through the San Gorgonio Pass, drops into the Coachella Valley past Palm Springs and Indio, and crosses open desert to the Colorado River at Blythe. From the state line it is another 150 miles through Quartzsite and Tonopah to Phoenix.

Downtown to downtown is about 370 miles. From Ontario or Fontana it is closer to 330. Westbound trucks stop at the California agricultural inspection station near Blythe, and Arizona has a port of entry at Ehrenberg for eastbound trucks.

Desert conditions on Interstate 10

Two stretches deserve respect. Between Indio and the state line there are about 100 miles with few services, so drivers fuel in the Coachella Valley before crossing. And in late summer, storms can flood the washes beside the road in both states. In July 2015 a bridge near Desert Center washed out and closed the interstate for days. Closures like that are rare, but when one happens the detour by Interstate 8 or Interstate 40 adds half a day.

Typical transit time

Plan on next day delivery. The drive itself is six to seven hours, which fits inside a single driving shift under federal hours of service rules, so a load that picks up early can deliver the same evening if the receiver is open. Several of our eastbound loads did exactly that. Loads that pick up after midday deliver the following morning.

Remember that Arizona does not change its clocks. For part of the year Phoenix is on the same time as Los Angeles, and for the rest it is an hour ahead, which matters for appointment times.

What moves on the lane

Westbound, about three loads in four are dry vans. The rest are flatbeds and power only moves, where we pull a trailer that belongs to the shipper. More than half of the dry vans delivering into the Inland Empire are dropped at the receiver instead of being live unloaded. See drop trailer service.

Eastbound, nearly everything is dry van, with an occasional power only load.

Booking a load between Los Angeles and Phoenix

Because we send trucks in both directions, this is a lane where we can often match your load with a truck that is already planned. A day of notice helps. Tell us the pickup and delivery cities, the date, the trailer type and the weight, and say whether either end is by appointment.

For more on each end of the lane, see truckload shipping in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Phoenix.