Pallets in Bakersfield, CA. Delivered by the truckload.

Bakersfield anchors the south end of the San Joaquin Valley, where SR-99 meets the Tehachapi Mountains. Grapes, citrus, carrots and nuts leave Kern County packing sheds, oilfield gear moves through town, and BNSF and Union Pacific trains climb the Tehachapi Loop.

Kern County's economy has long rested on oil and agriculture. The county pumps more than three-quarters of California's onshore oil, and its farms grow grapes, almonds, citrus, pistachios, carrots, alfalfa and cotton, with milk and cattle adding value. Delano is known for table grapes and Wasco for rose bushes, while Shafter's farms grow almonds, pistachios, cotton and potatoes. Bakersfield has added manufacturing and distribution too, drawn by inexpensive land, no local inventory tax and its position between the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.

Pallet demand swings with the crops. Table-grape and citrus packers need wood on hand before each season, and their grocery buyers often name a grade. Carrot and potato sheds ship cool, wet product that wears out weak boards. Distribution centers along Seventh Standard Road and in Shafter run standard 48x40s all year, while oilfield suppliers move pumps, valves and fittings that need block pallets or custom skids. Exporters of almonds, pistachios and citrus add heat-treated stock to the order.