Patterson Trans Inc. proudly delivers refrigerated freight, full truckload (FTL), less-than-truckload (LTL), and cross-docking services to businesses throughout San Bernardino, California — just a short drive from our Fontana headquarters. Family-owned for over 25 years, with 60 years of combined team experience, our team brings that same reliability to every load moving in and out of San Bernardino.
Why Cold Chain Reliability Matters More in San Bernardino
San Bernardino’s identity was built on moving things reliably — first by rail, now by freeway — and that legacy shows up in the kind of businesses that call the city home today. Regional food distributors near the I-215 corridor, healthcare and pharmaceutical suppliers serving the city’s hospital systems, and manufacturers operating out of former Norton Air Force Base facilities all depend on freight arriving exactly when it’s supposed to. Norton closed as a military base in 1994 and was redeveloped into San Bernardino International Airport and a surrounding logistics park, and that same stretch of the city is now home to warehousing and distribution operations that depend on dependable freight partners.
Patterson Trans Inc. is based just up the road in Fontana, which means our dispatch team knows San Bernardino’s dock schedules and traffic patterns firsthand. Every trailer in our fleet is inspected on a strict preventive schedule and monitored in transit, and our drivers are trained specifically for cold chain handling — from produce and dairy to pharmaceuticals that can’t tolerate a broken cold chain for even a few hours.
San Bernardino County, CA
Serving San Bernardino
Proudly Serving San Bernardino, California
From the Santa Fe Railway to the freeway corridors of today, San Bernardino has always been a city that moves things — and Patterson Trans Inc. is glad to be part of that story.
(909) 367-2848
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm
Founded By
Mormon Settlers and a City Named for a Saint
The city’s name comes from Spanish missionaries, who named the valley for Saint Bernardino of Siena, a 15th-century Italian preacher. The modern town began in 1851, when a company of Mormon settlers arrived and laid out much of the street grid downtown San Bernardino still uses today. The city was officially incorporated in 1857, making it one of the oldest incorporated cities in California, and San Bernardino County itself — established in 1853 — remains the largest county by area in the contiguous United States.
When the Santa Fe Railway completed its transcontinental link through San Bernardino in 1886, the valley exploded with growth as part of Southern California’s great land boom — the same Santa Fe Depot pictured above still stands downtown, restored and in use today as a Mission Revival landmark.
Decades later, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a small barbecue drive-in here in 1940 that they reinvented in 1948 into the fast, streamlined burger stand that became the model for McDonald’s worldwide — the original building still stands in San Bernardino today as a museum. Route 66 itself also passed directly through the city along Mount Vernon Avenue and Fifth Street, and the 1928 California Theatre of the Performing Arts downtown still hosts events in its original Spanish Colonial Revival building.
The world’s very first McDonald’s restaurant opened in San Bernardino in 1940 — the original building is still standing and now operates as a museum you can visit today.
Culture & Character
What San Bernardino is known for
San Bernardino’s identity was forged by movement — first the Santa Fe Railway in 1886, then Route 66, then the freeways that followed. That legacy of logistics runs straight through to today, and it’s exactly the kind of freight corridor Patterson Trans Inc. has served for over 25 years. The city also hosts the National Orange Show, an annual citrus fair and community event held since 1911, a reminder that this valley’s economy has always run on things arriving on schedule.
Worth the Trip
Signature landmarks & local favorites
Where the very first McDonald’s opened in 1940, now a free walk-through museum of memorabilia.
The restored 1918 Mission Revival rail station that anchored San Bernardino’s growth as a railroad town.
Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear are a short drive up Highway 18 or 330, with San Gorgonio Mountain as the range’s highest peak.
A 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival theater downtown, still hosting performances today.
Established in 1891, home of the Yuhaaviatam descendants of the valley’s original Serrano inhabitants.
Site of the annual citrus fair held nearly every year since 1911.
Coverage
Neighborhoods & areas we serve near San Bernardino
From downtown near the I-215/I-10 interchange to the foothill neighborhoods below the mountains, our team covers San Bernardino end to end.
Arrowhead
Del Rosa
Verdemont
Muscoy
Common Questions
San Bernardino, CA — frequently asked
What is San Bernardino known for?+
San Bernardino is best known as the birthplace of McDonald’s — the original 1940 restaurant site is now a museum — along with its restored Santa Fe rail depot, its stretch of historic Route 66, and its position as the gateway to the San Bernardino Mountains and Big Bear.
How old is the city of San Bernardino?+
Mormon settlers laid out the modern town in 1851, and San Bernardino officially incorporated in 1857, making it one of the oldest incorporated cities in California. San Bernardino County itself was established in 1853 and is the largest county by land area in the contiguous United States.
Does Patterson Trans Inc. have a location in San Bernardino?
Our yard is based just up the road in Fontana at 13414 Slover Ave, open Monday–Friday 8am–5pm, and we serve San Bernardino as part of our regular coverage area. Call us at (909) 367-2848.
Who lived in the San Bernardino Valley before it was founded?+
The Yuhaviatam, a clan of the Serrano people, lived in the valley for roughly 3,000 years before Spanish and later Mormon settlers arrived. Their descendants are known today as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, with a reservation established in 1891.
Is Route 66 part of San Bernardino?+
Yes — historic Route 66 ran through San Bernardino along Mount Vernon Avenue and Fifth Street, part of the same Mother Road corridor that continues through neighboring Fontana and Rialto.
Get a Quote for Refrigerated Freight in San Bernardino
Whether you’re a food distributor near downtown, a healthcare supplier, or a manufacturer operating out of the old Norton AFB industrial park, we already know how freight moves through this city. Call Patterson Trans Inc. at (909) 367-2848 or request a free quote to get your refrigerated freight moving safely and on time.
Nearby
Also serving cities near San Bernardino
Photo credits: Santa Fe Depot photo by Ron Reiring (CC BY 2.0). Original McDonald’s site, Mount San Gorgonio, and Patterson fleet photos are CC BY-SA / Patterson-owned. San Bernardino City Hall photo is public domain (U.S. federal government work).