Port of Oakland, CA rail freight: what lands here and where it goes inland
The largest vessel imports here, year to date through July 2026, are coffee and tea (about $608 million), plastics and resin (about $527 million), rubber (about $496 million) among the 22 commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks. The port district is reached by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, which is what makes the Oakland gateway useful for shippers whose plants sit hundreds of miles inland. This page pairs the Census import data behind the Commodity Flow Map port layer with the railroads, transload capacity and inland lanes that turn a vessel arrival into a rail move.
Top imports by vessel
Vessel imports at Oakland, CA, year to date through July 2026, US$ millions, for the commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks.
| HS chapter | Commodity group | Vessel imports YTD |
|---|---|---|
| 09 | Coffee and tea | $608M |
| 39 | Plastics and resin | $527M |
| 40 | Rubber | $496M |
| 02 | Meat | $458M |
| 73 | Steel articles and pipe · steel by rail | $292M |
| 44 | Wood and lumber · lumber by rail | $252M |
| Total, tracked chapters | $3,211M | |
Railroads at the port
- BNSF Railway (BNSF)
- Union Pacific (UP)
Where more than one Class I reaches a port, the routing choice sets the inland rate, the interchange points and which inland terminals are single-line. That is the first question a lane audit answers.
Rail transload and terminal capacity nearby
Rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port, from the Steel Wheel Transload Directory:
- A&R Transport Inc — Vina Vista, CA (21 mi): third-party-warehouse; Blower, Sampling Services, Scale
- Impact Transportation — Oakland, CA (2 mi): third-party-warehouse
- Dreisbach Enterprises — Oakland, CA (3 mi): third-party-warehouse
- A&G Transport Inc. / A&G Warehouse LLC — Oakland, CA (4 mi): third-party-warehouse
- Levin Richmond Terminal — Richmond, CA (10 mi): transload-terminal
- Dreisbach Enterprises — Richmond, CA (12 mi): third-party-warehouse
- Antioch Rail & Trans Loading — Antioch, CA (30 mi)
- Santa Clara Warehouses (Yandell Companies) — Benicia, CA (21 mi): third-party-warehouse
Distances are straight-line from the port's Census coordinates. Capabilities are as listed by the operator; confirm before routing.
Typical inland lanes from this port
How the top import groups typically move inland from Oakland. These describe the flow, not a price: run the indicative rail rate from Oakland for a first number.
- Imported green coffee and tea move in boxcars to roasters and distribution centers in the Midwest, Northeast and Texas. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
- Imported resin and polymer moves in covered hoppers and boxcars to compounders and converters across the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
- Imported natural rubber and rubber goods move in boxcars to tire plants and manufacturers in the Southeast, Ohio Valley and Midwest. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
- Imported meat moves in refrigerated boxcars to processors and cold-storage distribution centers inland. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
- Imported line pipe, tubular goods and fabricated steel moves to pipe yards, fabricators and energy basins in Texas, Oklahoma, the Rockies and the Appalachian shale region. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
- Imported lumber and panels ride centerbeam flats and boxcars to building-materials yards near housing markets in the Midwest, Northeast and Sun Belt. Indicative rail rate from Oakland.
Priced lanes from Oakland
Indicative single-car estimates from our rate model for lanes we have already priced out of this port. Not a quote; the serving railroad confirms the rate.
| Destination | Commodity | Rail miles | Indicative rate / car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | Plastic pellets | 1,870 | $13,059 |
| Kansas City, MO | Steel | 1,874 | $12,216 |
| Dallas, TX | Lumber | 1,870 | $12,198 |
Common questions
Which railroads serve the Port of Oakland?
BNSF Railway and Union Pacific reach the Oakland, CA port district.
What does the Port of Oakland import the most?
By vessel value, year to date through July 2026, the largest imports at Oakland among the chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks are coffee and tea (about $608 million), plastics and resin (about $527 million), rubber (about $496 million). Total tracked vessel imports were about $3,211 million. Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API.
Can I move imported coffee and tea from Oakland inland by rail?
The largest tracked vessel import group at Oakland is coffee and tea (about $608 million year to date through July 2026), and the port district is reached by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. The Steel Wheel transload directory lists at least 8 rail-served transload facilities within 30 miles of the port. Use the indicative rail rate tool for a first estimate and a lane audit to confirm routing; estimates are indicative until confirmed with the serving railroad.
Moving imports inland from Oakland?
Steel Wheel Logistics is an outsourced rail department: we route, price and manage rail moves from the port to your plant. Rate estimates are indicative only until confirmed with the serving railroad.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026. Steel Wheel Logistics analysis.