What is Pre-carriage?
Pre-carriage is the leg that moves goods from the shipper's premises or an inland point to the port, airport or terminal where the main international carriage begins. In ocean freight it usually means trucking, rail or barge haulage to the container yard at the port of loading, and in air freight the road feeder to the origin airport or the forwarder's consolidation hub. On a combined transport or multimodal bill of lading, a place of receipt shown separately from the port of loading signals that the carrier has taken the pre-carriage into its contract. On a port-to-port bill, pre-carriage sits outside the ocean contract and is arranged by the shipper, the forwarder or a haulier they appoint. The main variants are carrier haulage, where the shipping line organises and invoices the inland move, and merchant haulage, where the cargo side does.
Why it matters for forwarders
The Incoterms 2020 rule in the sales contract decides who pays for and bears the risk of pre-carriage: under EXW the buyer's side collects from the seller's premises, under FCA the seller delivers to the buyer's carrier at the named place, and under FOB the seller carries cost and risk until the goods are on board. Liability is split by leg, because the Hague-Visby Rules only cover the period from loading on to discharge from the ship and allow separate terms before loading, so a road leg may fall under CMR, national road law or the carrier's own conditions. Plan the pickup against the vessel's cargo and VGM cut-offs, since a late truck usually means a rolled container and extra storage. Check that the pickup address, place of receipt and haulage type match across the booking, the rate and the bill of lading, as mismatches cause disputes over carrier haulage charges. Record hand-over times and cargo condition at each interchange so any damage can be traced to the right leg and liability regime.