Prioritize transit times to your major customer clusters, dock and staging capacity, automation and WMS integration, slotting flexibility, KPIs (OTD, accuracy, dwell), and scalability for peak seasons. Also verify carrier pickup frequency, cold-chain capability if needed, and insurance/indemnity terms to match your risk profile.

Location near the Port of Oakland and major freeways reduces inbound drayage and linehaul. Dense carrier networks lower per-shipment rates and enable more frequent pickups, cutting last-mile miles and transit days. These factors together reduce cost-to-serve and improve on-time delivery for both eCommerce and B2B lanes.

Look for dual-flow operations with configurable pick modules, batch and piece-pick capability, returns processing, cross-dock lanes, inventory segmentation, and WMS support for order orchestration. SLA-driven reporting, EDI/API connectivity, and flexible labor scaling are critical for mixed-channel demand.

Negotiate minimum performance SLAs (OTD, accuracy), transparent pricing for storage, pick/pack, and value-added services, defined chargeback mechanics for failures, throughput-based labor clauses, and clear termination/transition terms. Ensure monthly reporting cadence and remedies tied to missed KPIs.