Warehousing and depot delivery for Costco vendors
Rolls Right has been a carrier for Costco Canada for over twenty years. Brands that sell to Costco use us for the work around their orders. We take the container at the Port of Vancouver, build pallets to Costco's spec, hold the stock in Vancouver or Calgary and deliver it to the depot on a booked appointment.
Langley / Airdrie / Vaughan / Varennes
- Years carrying for Costco Canada
- 20+Years carrying for Costco Canada
- Canadian depots we deliver to
- 4Canadian depots we deliver to
- Vancouver to Calgary
- 1-2 daysVancouver to Calgary
- Power units we own
- 165+Power units we own
The work between a Costco order and the depot door
A Costco purchase order sets the item, the quantity and the date it has to arrive. Getting the product to the depot on those terms is the vendor's job, even on loads where Costco books the truck.
Our trucks deliver into the Langley and Airdrie depots every week, so we know what the receiving dock checks before it signs for a load.
How your Costco freight gets booked
Your buyer sets freight terms on each purchase order, and they can differ from one lane to the next. Costco's routing guide for Canadian vendors uses two terms.
| Collect | Prepaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the carrier | Costco. The guide says "Costco selects carrier and pays freight." | You. The guide says "Vendor selects carrier and pays freight." |
| Who pays for the truck | Costco, through a freight allowance taken off your invoice | You, as part of your price to Costco |
| What you still answer for | Freight that is ready and compliant on the pickup date | Arriving at the right depot on the requested date |
| What we do | Receiving, pallet conversion, labels, storage and staging until the assigned carrier collects | The whole chain, through to delivery on a booked appointment |
The four Costco depots in Canada
The depots are cross-docks. Freight comes in and leaves for the warehouses the same day, and the depot holds no stock, so your product needs a home close by until the appointment.
| Depot | Province | How we get there |
|---|---|---|
| Langley | British Columbia | Our own trucks, from Vancouver |
| Airdrie | Alberta | Our own trucks, from Calgary and on the line haul from Vancouver |
| Vaughan | Ontario | We deliver |
| Varennes | Quebec | We deliver |
Pallets built for the depot
Costco's own vendor documents set these rules. Some are several years old, so your buyer's current vendor packet is the final word.
Block pallets
The packaging spec calls for 48 by 40 block pallets from CHEP, PECO or iGPS, with nothing over the edge. At our Vancouver dock we move product off white wood onto the right pallet and label it to the retailer's spec.
Height
Dry loads go in at 52 inches or less, pallet included, so the depot can double-stack them. Refrigerated loads stop at 48 inches.
Trailers
Depots turn away lift-gate, curtain-side, flatbed and roller-floor trailers, as well as trailers branded for another retailer. We send dock-height dry vans and reefers in our own colours.
Case study
From 2 containers to about 70: socks to every Costco depot in Canada
A customer needed about 70 containers of socks turned into loads Costco would accept, and the first wave was days away. We took it on, rebuilt every pallet and delivered to all four Canadian depots.
Stock in the West for Langley and Airdrie
Costco buys by region, and its Western buying office is in Burnaby. When the West picks up an item that is made or stocked in Ontario or the United States, the product has to sit close enough to make a Langley or Airdrie appointment.
We run warehouses in Vancouver and Calgary and our own line haul between them six days a week, and the run takes 1-2 days. Stock can sit in either city and move to the other when orders shift.
The Vancouver building at 3200 E Broadway has 200,000+ sq ft, 20 dock doors and a drive-in door. It sits 14 minutes from the GCT Vanterm container terminal. The Calgary building at 4770 68 Avenue SE is heated, dry ambient space with 28-foot clear height. Chilled and frozen product goes to Rolls Right Cold Storage in Vancouver, which is HACCP certified.
From the Port of Vancouver to the depot
The whole chain runs under one agreement with Rolls Right. When a date moves, you call us.
- 1
Container at the port
We pull the container from the terminal on our own chassis.
- 2
De-stuff and convert
At our Vancouver dock the cartons come off, go onto approved block pallets and get labelled.
- 3
Store or ship
Stock waits in Vancouver or Calgary until the purchase order and the appointment are set.
- 4
Depot delivery
We deliver on the booked appointment and send you the proof of delivery.
Roadshow stock between warehouses
Roadshow stock ships straight to the Costco warehouse instead of the depot, and anything left over has to be out the day after the show closes. We deliver it to each warehouse for load-in and collect what's left at close. Between shows it can sit with us in Vancouver or Calgary.
Before we say yes
We ask for five things before we commit to a delivery date.
| What we ask for | When and why |
|---|---|
| A SKU list for every container | Before the container arrives, so we know what we're receiving. |
| Purchase orders and appointments | Cut and booked before the freight moves. |
| An agreed pallet spec | Including the conversion work and what it costs. |
| A daily pace we can hold | We set how many loads leave the dock each day, so every load makes its window. |
| Storage and after-hours rates | In writing up front, so a delay comes with a known cost. |
Questions Costco vendors ask
Is my Costco freight collect or prepaid, and does it change what you do?
It's set on each purchase order and can change by lane. On collect freight Costco picks the carrier, and we do the work up to the pickup, from receiving the container to staging the pallets. On prepaid freight you pick the carrier, and we can run it all the way to the depot.
Which Costco depots do you deliver to?
All four in Canada: Langley, Airdrie, Vaughan and Varennes. Our own trucks run into Langley and Airdrie every week from Vancouver and Calgary. We deliver to Vaughan and Varennes as well, and you deal with Rolls Right for the whole move.
Can you convert white-wood pallets to CHEP?
Yes. At our Vancouver dock we move cartons off white wood onto the block pallets Costco accepts and label them before they ship. Tell us the pallet count and the arrival date so we can plan the floor.
How far ahead does a Costco depot need an appointment?
Costco's routing guide for Canadian vendors asks for at least two business days, and the appointment has to match how the load arrives, on pallets or floor-loaded. A load booked as the wrong type can be refused at the door. We book the appointment when we run the delivery.
Do you store product between Costco orders?
Yes, in Vancouver or Calgary. Both buildings are heated and dry. Chilled and frozen product goes to Rolls Right Cold Storage in Vancouver, which is HACCP certified.
Can you handle roadshow stock?
Yes. We deliver it to the warehouse for load-in and collect what's left when the show closes. Between shows it can stay in Vancouver or Calgary.
Do you also haul for Costco itself?
Yes. We have been a carrier for Costco Canada for over twenty years, and our trucks deliver into its western depots every week. When you hire us as your third-party logistics provider for storage or prepaid freight, you are our customer and we work for you.
We're a US brand selling to Costco Canada. Can you help?
Yes, on the Canadian side. A US vendor on prepaid terms handles Canadian customs, so your customs broker clears the freight. We hold the stock in Vancouver or Calgary and deliver it to the depots, and our own trucks run the Canadian leg.
Can you work with our EDI provider?
Yes. Tell us who your provider is when you ask for a quote and we'll agree how shipment details reach them before the first order.
What do you need for a quote?
The item and case pack, pallets per order, the depots and whether the freight is collect or prepaid. Tell us where the product starts too: a container at the port, your plant or another warehouse. If you have a rate to beat, say so.
Tell us about your Costco order
Send us the item, the depots and the dates, and whether the freight is collect or prepaid. Our warehouse team will price the storage and the delivery.
The services behind the program
Only need depot delivery? Send the load and the appointment and dispatch will price it.
Request a freight quote →