What is Drayage?
Drayage is the short-distance trucking of containers between a seaport or rail terminal and a nearby location such as a warehouse, container freight station, depot or another terminal, usually as one leg of a longer intermodal movement. A typical import move involves picking up a loaded container on a chassis at the terminal, delivering it for live unloading or drop and pick, and returning the empty to the designated depot, with each step tied to terminal appointments and equipment rules. Variants include export moves (empty out, loaded back), cross-town moves between rail ramps, and pre-pulls to a trucker's yard to beat the last free day. In the US, chassis and containers are interchanged under the UIIA, and intermodal equipment providers must register with FMCSA, mark equipment with a USDOT number and keep it roadworthy. Federal limits of 80,000 lb gross vehicle weight on the Interstate System (23 CFR 658.17) constrain how heavy a container can be trucked without permits.
Why it matters for forwarders
Drayage is where port charges turn into real costs: every delay at pickup or return becomes demurrage, detention, chassis charges, waiting time or yard storage. Before dispatch, confirm container availability and holds, a valid delivery order or release, a terminal appointment and the consignee's receiving window. Accessorials such as chassis rental, pre-pull, yard storage, split chassis, waiting time and overweight handling can exceed the base rate, so quote them explicitly and agree free waiting time. Check heavy cargo against road limits before booking: a container within its own payload rating can still produce an overweight truck once tractor and chassis weight are added. Keep records of terminal congestion and missing appointments to support demurrage and detention disputes.