Drayage

Drayage is the short-haul trucking leg that connects ocean ports or rail terminals to local warehouses, distribution centers, or transload facilities. The distance is typically under 100 miles, but drayage is disproportionately complex relative to the miles traveled. Port congestion, chassis shortages, terminal appointment windows, and container weight restrictions all create friction that can turn a 30-mile move into a multi-day headache.

Drayage costs include a base rate for the move plus a stack of potential accessorial charges: chassis usage fees, port congestion surcharges, pre-pull charges (moving a container to a staging yard before delivery), tri-axle or overweight chassis fees, and – most importantly – demurrage and detention. Demurrage is charged by the steamship line when a container sits at the port beyond free time. Detention is charged when the container is held at the shipper's facility too long before being returned. Together, these charges can easily exceed the drayage rate itself if pickup and return aren't tightly coordinated.

For shippers managing intermodal or import supply chains, drayage is where the plan meets reality. A missed pickup appointment means the container rolls to the next day; a chassis shortage means your driver shows up but can't move the box. Visibility into container availability, appointment scheduling, and driver status is essential – and it's exactly the link in the chain where many shippers lose visibility because drayage carriers tend to be smaller operators with limited technology.

Tracking drayage as part of your end-to-end shipment visibility – rather than treating it as a black box between port and warehouse – prevents the cascading delays that ripple through dock schedules, inventory availability, and customer commitments.