What Is Drayage Shipping? From Port to Warehouse Explained

What is drayage shipping?

Drayage is the short-haul truck move that pulls a container from the port terminal and delivers it to your warehouse, rail ramp, or distribution center. Most drayage runs are under 50 miles. It is the bridge between the ocean leg and the inland leg of an import shipment.

Without drayage, a container would sit at the port. Drayage trucks pick up at the terminal, drive to the dock, and either drop the loaded box for unload or return it empty after a live unload.

Drayage container types

The same drayage truck can pull most ocean containers. The common types:

20ft standard (around 1,170 cubic feet)

40ft standard (around 2,390 cubic feet)

40ft high cube (around 2,694 cubic feet)

45ft high cube (around 3,040 cubic feet)

Reefer containers (refrigerated, drayage handles the move only, not power)

Open top and flat rack (oversized cargo)

See floor-loaded vs palletized container loads for how cargo arrives inside the box.

How drayage works step by step

A typical import drayage move:

Vessel discharges your container at the port terminal

Customs clears the box (ISF and entry filed in advance)

Drayage carrier books a gate appointment in the terminal portal

Driver pulls a chassis and arrives at the gate window

Terminal pulls the box from the yard onto the chassis

Driver delivers the loaded container to your warehouse

Warehouse unloads (live unload) or holds the box for drop-and-pick

Empty container returns to the terminal, detention clock stops

Each step has a clock on it. Last free day at the port and detention free time on the empty are the two big ones.

What drayage costs

Drayage rates vary by lane, market, and conditions. The base move usually runs $300 to $700 per container in normal conditions. Accessorials add up fast:

Chassis split: $50 to $150 when chassis and container are at different terminals

Pre-pull: $150 to $300 to pull a box early and yard it

Wait time / driver detention: $50 to $90 per hour after the first hour or two

Per diem: $50 to $200 per day on the chassis if held past free time

Congestion fee: $50 to $200 when ports are backed up

Triaxle / overweight: $100 to $300 for heavy loads

Add demurrage and detention on top of these and a single bad container can run thousands.

How long does drayage take?

The truck part is short. The wait part is long.

Truck transit time: 1 to 4 hours for most port-to-warehouse moves

Gate dwell: 30 minutes to 4+ hours depending on terminal congestion

Total move from appointment to dock: same day in clean conditions, 1 to 3 days in congested ports

Free time at the port: usually 4 to 7 days from discharge

See how port congestion stretches drayage timelines.

Common drayage problems

No appointment slots available at the gate

Chassis shortage, no way to pull the box

Customs hold delays the release

Warehouse not ready to receive on the appointment day

Driver hits HOS limits before the move completes

Empty container has nowhere to return (terminal at capacity)

Most of these are solvable with earlier booking and a drayage partner who actually has trucks in the local market.

How to pick a drayage partner

Things that matter:

Trucks based near the port you import through, not 200 miles away

Terminal portal access (eModal, ConnectingPort, TWIC)

Owned chassis or a strong chassis pool relationship

Real-time tracking that shows container status from discharge to dock

A warehouse on the other end so cargo never sits in a yard

Transparent rate sheet with accessorials spelled out, not surprise invoices

How 3PL Center handles drayage

We run drayage out of warehouses near the ports, in California (Los Angeles and Long Beach) and New Jersey. Our trucks book appointments inside the terminal portal, pull boxes fast, and drop them at our docks. Our real-time WMS shows container status from vessel arrival to dock unload, so you know what is hitting free time before it does. Most clients clear free time without paying demurrage or detention.