Fifty-three feet of trailer swings wider than most people expect. A truck court that looks generous on a site plan can jam on the first night shift if the turning radius is a few feet short, if the entry gate backs traffic into the road, or if one stall too many sits where a tractor needs to cut the corner. We build truck courts and trailer yards from the tractor's point of view, because that is who uses them.
A court is the paved area between the building and the property line where trucks maneuver, dock and park. A trailer yard holds parked and staged trailers, containers and chassis. Both need pavement that carries concentrated wheel loads, drainage that keeps water off the dock doors, lighting that makes night operations safe and striping that tells drivers where to go.
In border and rail markets the yard is a business asset, not just pavement. Throughput, security and trailer capacity are measured here, and a well-built yard pays for itself in turn time.
The Union Pacific Santa Teresa intermodal terminal is listed with 1,266 container and trailer parking stalls, expandable to 4,380, and a $500 million-plus investment. Private builders were reported constructing speculative warehouses of 365,000 and 135,000 square feet nearby. A 2019 Border Report article says the industrial complex supports more than 5,000 jobs. In a corridor like this, every building competes for drivers, and a yard that moves trailers fast is a selling point to tenants.
Livestock is part of the traffic as well. The Santa Teresa cattle crossing is described as the largest on the U.S.-Mexico border, with 534,245 head crossing per year. Yards that serve livestock or agricultural freight need washout, wear-resistant surfaces and drainage that handles more than rain.
Every distribution center, cross-dock and truck terminal needs a court, but the design depends on the operation. A cross-dock turns trailers in minutes and needs maneuvering room on both sides. A fulfillment building may have a smaller court and larger employee parking. A food plant needs clean, washable pavement. A manufacturing plant may need heavy equipment staging next to the dock.
Some yards also serve rail. Where a site abuts a spur or an interchange, we coordinate truck routes with the track crossings and clearances, so trailers move between rail and building without conflict. Our rail spur site improvements work is built on the same layout thinking.
We start with the subgrade: proof-rolled, compacted and moisture-conditioned to the geotechnical recommendation. Over that we place aggregate base and either reinforced concrete or heavy-duty asphalt, depending on loading and budget. Concrete is the usual choice at dock aprons and trailer landing areas where stationary trailers press legs into the pavement. Asphalt is common in drive lanes and larger yards.
Accessories finish the work: curbs and inlets, joint sealants, striping and stall numbering, wheel stops, bollards, signs, fencing and gates, and light pole bases. We build drainage into the slope, because standing water softens the base under a loaded trailer leg and leaves mud on tires that is tracked onto the public road. Lighter-duty areas, such as employee parking, follow a different section, and our stabilized parking lots work covers it.
Joints deserve more attention than they usually get. Concrete in a desert yard swings through a wide temperature range between a July afternoon and a winter night, so we lay out contraction joints on the spacing the engineer sets, saw them early before random cracks form, and place dowels across joints at the dock apron where wheels will cross them every day. Sealant goes in after curing, with backer rod, so water and fine dust stay out of the joint.
The paved area drives cost more than any other single factor. Doubling the court depth doubles the paving. The pavement section, which depends on traffic volume and soil, is the next factor, followed by drainage, lighting and security features. Gates, guard buildings and fencing add cost, and so do landing pads for trailers and heavy wheel areas.
We help owners test options. A compact court may save pavement but cost throughput. A concrete court costs more up front and less over time. Asphalt costs less up front and needs sealing and patching. We lay out the choices, state the assumptions and let you decide against your own traffic and lease plans.
Land use is the other lever. Every extra stall costs pavement, drainage, lighting and fence, and also takes land that could hold a future building expansion. We often show a second layout with trailer stalls arranged along a single edge instead of the middle of the lot, because it can free a block of land for later without changing the first phase.
Yard paving is typically one of the last major scopes, which makes it vulnerable to schedule squeeze. We sequence it to follow underground work and building completion, but we protect the subgrade as soon as it is finished. A stabilized subgrade left through a summer storm can need rework.
Concrete placement is scheduled for cooler parts of the day, with curing measures in place against sun and wind. We open pavement to traffic only after it reaches specified strength, and we plan temporary routes so construction traffic does not damage finished slabs. If the building is occupied, we build the yard in sections, using the methods in phased construction on occupied sites.
Tell us how many doors, how many trailers and what kind of freight you move. We will test the layout with turning paths and price two pavement options. Logistics owners can start with our logistics and distribution industry page.
It depends on traffic counts, trailer weights, subgrade strength and the design life you want. The engineer selects it. Dock aprons and trailer landing areas usually get the heaviest section.
Concrete resists the point loads of parked trailers and fuel or oil spills, and costs more up front. Asphalt costs less up front and needs more maintenance. Many yards use both, with concrete at docks and asphalt in the lanes.
The answer comes from the design vehicle in the site plan, often a 53-foot trailer. We check turning paths with software and field-test layouts before final striping. Court depth in front of the dock matters most.
Yes. Many owners build the court for the first building and extend it later. We plan joints, drainage and utilities so the extension connects without tearing up new work.
We install the bases, conduit and fencing, and coordinate with your electrical contractor and security vendor. Our fencing and security integration work covers gates and access control.