Pallets in Cedar Rapids, IA. Delivered by the truckload.

Cedar Rapids turns corn and oats into ingredients and breakfast cereal. Railcars feed big processing plants in town, and finished goods leave on I-380, the Avenue of the Saints route, and on the four railroads that serve the city.

Grain processing is Cedar Rapids' signature industry. The sector directly employs about 4,000 people, and three large corn processors sit in town alongside a cereal mill that grew from an oatmeal mill built in 1873. A local short line whose customers include those processors and a Cedar River paper mill handles about 100,000 carloads a year. Packaged-foods and beverage plants widen the food base, an aerospace-electronics firm ranks among the largest employers, and the Economic Alliance counts five major trucking operations based in the region.

Pallet needs follow the grain. Bagged corn products and feed ingredients are heavy and dense, so processors need sturdy Grade A, new or block pallets. Cereal and snack lines run cases through wrappers and want flat, tight decks. Trucking terminals and warehouses along I-380 rotate standard 48x40s quickly. Transload moves between rail and truck add handling, which wears out weak pallets faster than a single trip would.