LA/Long Beach Export Checklist Booking to Gate-In
For shippers loading export containers at LA/Long Beach: follow the booking-to-vessel steps.
Export Timeline and Checklist
Ten steps for an export container through LA/Long Beach, in order. Check them off as you go or print the list.
Booking
The confirmation lists the terminal, ERD and cutoffs.
Read the Booking Confirmation
Book with the ocean carrier or a non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC), then read the confirmation for the terminal, the earliest return date (ERD) and the cutoffs for cargo, documents and VGM.
Details
Cutoffs are set by the carrier and terminal for each vessel, so this page does not list any. Terminals post their receiving windows; carriers publish links to them.
Source: MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab) · Maersk ERD links (opens in a new tab)
Confirm the Export Filing
Find out early whether Electronic Export Information (EEI) must be filed in the Automated Export System (AES), and who files it: the U.S. principal party in interest (USPPI) or its authorized agent.
Details
Many shipments valued at $2,500 or less per Schedule B or HTS number are exempt, unless a license or another rule applies. For vessel cargo, the EEI is filed and the ITN given to the carrier at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at the U.S. port. The EEI shipping weight is in kilograms and covers the commodity and its normal packaging, not the container.
Source: 15 CFR 30.37 (opens in a new tab) · 15 CFR 30.4 (opens in a new tab) · 15 CFR 30.6 (opens in a new tab) · Census AES (opens in a new tab)
Empty Pickup
Read the tare and max gross on the door or CSC plate.
Check the Empty When It Arrives
Record the container number and read the tare and maximum gross on the door or the Container Safety Convention (CSC) plate before loading.
Details
A packed container must never exceed the maximum gross on its CSC plate. Use the marked tare in the calculator instead of a spec sheet figure.
Load
Weigh and record cargo, packing and dunnage, then seal.
Plan the Load Against Every Limit
Before loading, check the planned weight against the container's maximum gross and against the road limit with the tractor and chassis.
Details
Highway gross is 80,000 lb for a tractor, chassis and container unless the trip runs on an overweight permit. See the Overweight Container Corridor guide for the LA/Long Beach permit routes and the Pallet Calculator for pallet counts.
Source: 23 CFR 658.17 (opens in a new tab) · CVC 35551 (opens in a new tab) · Port of Los Angeles (opens in a new tab)
Load, Brace, Seal and Record the Weights
Record the weight of each cargo item or package, the pallets and packaging, and the dunnage, bracing and securing material as the container is loaded, then record the seal number.
Details
If a warehouse or packer loads for you, ask it for these weights in writing. They are the inputs to Method 2.
VGM Submit
Signed VGM to the carrier before the VGM cutoff.
Determine the VGM by Method 1 or Method 2
Weigh the packed and sealed container (Method 1), or add the weighed cargo, packing and securing material to the container tare (Method 2).
Details
Bulk cargo that cannot be weighed item by item, such as scrap metal or unbagged grain, calls for Method 1. Scales must meet the accuracy standards where they are used. If the container is weighed on a chassis, subtract the tractor and chassis tare.
Source: MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab) · USCG MSIB 009/16 (opens in a new tab)
Certify Heavy Loads to the Trucker
If the gross cargo weight (cargo, packaging, pallets and dunnage, without the container) is over 29,000 lb, U.S. law requires notice and a weight certification to the first motor carrier.
Details
The certification states the actual gross cargo weight, a reasonable description of the contents, the certifying party, the container number and the date.
Source: 49 U.S.C. 5902 (opens in a new tab) · 49 U.S.C. 5901 (opens in a new tab)
Submit the VGM to the Ocean Carrier
Send the VGM through the carrier's portal, electronic data interchange (EDI) or the method on its booking, before the VGM cutoff.
Details
The document must identify the figure as the verified gross mass and be signed by a person authorized by the shipper; an electronic signature or the person's name in capitals is accepted. Submit the shipping instructions by the documents cutoff on the booking at the same time.
Source: MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab) · Maersk VGM (opens in a new tab) · Hapag-Lloyd VGM (opens in a new tab)
ERD to Cutoff
The return window for the loaded container.
Return the Loaded Container in the Window
The loaded container goes back to the booked terminal between the ERD and the cargo cutoff, with the VGM already with the carrier.
Details
Terminals may weigh a container delivered without a VGM. If the shipper or carrier intends to use that terminal weight as the VGM, the terminal must receive written verification of the gross weight from the shipper or the carrier before loading. Rule 16 does not apply to APM Terminals Pacific LLC. We arrange export drayage for shippers at LA/Long Beach and confirm the container is on the booked vessel.
Source: WCMTOA Rule 16 (opens in a new tab) · 29 CFR 1918.85 (opens in a new tab) · MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab)
Gate-In
Loaded container in at the booked terminal.
Keep the Records
File the weight records, scale tickets, the signed VGM declaration and the ITN with the booking.
Details
They answer questions from the carrier, the terminal or the trucker if a weight is challenged.
Informational only, not legal or customs advice. Rules, systems and terminal practices change. Confirm current requirements with the agency, your customs broker or your counsel before relying on any item here.
Short Answers
When is the VGM due?
The ocean carrier sets the VGM cutoff and lists it with the booking. At terminals covered by the WCMTOA schedule, the VGM must reach the carrier before the terminal's cutoff for the container to be accepted. Read the cutoffs on your booking confirmation; they vary by carrier, vessel and terminal. Source: MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab) · WCMTOA Rule 16 (opens in a new tab)
What happens if the carrier has no VGM?
The container should not be loaded. At terminals covered by the WCMTOA schedule, the carrier is treated as authorizing the terminal to obtain a gross weight, and that weight can be used as the VGM only with written verification from the shipper or carrier before loading. The container can miss its vessel while this is sorted out. Rule 16 does not apply to APM Terminals Pacific LLC. Source: MSC.1/Circ.1475 (opens in a new tab) · WCMTOA Rule 16 (opens in a new tab)
Does the VGM replace the export filing weight?
No. The shipping weight in the Electronic Export Information (EEI) is reported in kilograms and covers the commodity and its normal packaging, without the container. The EEI is filed in the Automated Export System (AES), and for vessel cargo the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier at least 24 hours before loading. Source: 15 CFR 30.6 (opens in a new tab) · 15 CFR 30.4 (opens in a new tab)
Where can I read more?
See the VGM calculator for Method 1 and Method 2, Container Drayage for the loaded return to the terminal, and the Freight Glossary.
Sources
Last reviewed: November 2026. Each source was read on the date of review.
- IMO: Verification of the Gross Mass of Packed Containers (SOLAS VI/2) (opens in a new tab)
- IMO MSC.1/Circ.1475, Guidelines Regarding the Verified Gross Mass of a Container (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Coast Guard MSIB 009/16: U.S. Equivalency to SOLAS VI/2 (opens in a new tab)
- WCMTOA Marine Terminal Operator Schedule, Rule 16 (opens in a new tab)
- 29 CFR 1918.85, Containerized Cargo Operations (opens in a new tab)
- 49 U.S.C. 5902, Notification and Certification of Gross Cargo Weight (opens in a new tab)
- 49 U.S.C. 5901, Definitions (gross cargo weight) (opens in a new tab)
- 15 CFR 30.4, Electronic Export Information Filing Timelines (opens in a new tab)
- 15 CFR 30.6, Electronic Export Information Data Elements (opens in a new tab)
- 15 CFR 30.37, Exemptions From the EEI Requirements (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau: Automated Export System (AES) (opens in a new tab)
- 23 CFR 658.17, Weight (opens in a new tab)
- California Vehicle Code 35551 (opens in a new tab)
- Port of Los Angeles: Trucks, Cargo Weight Guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- Maersk: How Do I Submit My Verified Gross Mass (VGM)? (opens in a new tab)
- Hapag-Lloyd: VGM Submission (opens in a new tab)
- Maersk: LA/Long Beach terminal earliest return date (ERD) links (opens in a new tab)
See also the VGM calculator, the Freight Glossary and Container Drayage: Exports.