Drayage
What is drayage?
Drayage is the short-haul move of a container or trailer between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse, distribution center or cross-dock. The legs are short but the coordination is heavy: appointments, chassis availability, congestion, and terminal free-time clocks all sit on top of a fifty-mile move.
Why it behaves differently
- Congestion decides the day: a two-hour wait at the gate turns a five-move day into three.
- Equipment rules stack: chassis selection, free days, per diem and interchange fees all touch the same container.
- Appointments gate everything: a missed window costs a day, not a delay.
- Costs are dense for the distance: fuel, chassis, waiting time and tolls against a short rate.
Billing drayage cleanly
The invoice needs the container, the move (origin, destination), the appointment and the actual times, plus whatever accessorial the day produced (waiting time, chassis, congestion surcharge agreed at booking). Because drayage produces so many time-based extras, the carriers who bill cleanly are the ones whose drivers' gate times are recorded at the gate.