Drayage

Drayage is the short-distance trucking of freight, most commonly the movement of ocean shipping containers between a port terminal, rail yard, or container depot and a nearby warehouse or distribution center. The distance is typically under 50 miles, though some drayage runs extend to 75 or even 100 miles depending on the market. In the context of international trade and FBA logistics, drayage is the critical link between ocean transport and the domestic supply chain. Your container crossed the Pacific in 25 days, cleared customs at the port, and now it needs to get to a warehouse. That last truck ride is drayage.

Types of Drayage

Port drayage is the most common type, covering the movement of containers from a marine terminal to a warehouse or container yard. In Southern California, this means hauling containers from the Port of Long Beach or Port of Los Angeles to warehouses scattered across the Inland Empire, Compton, Carson, or Long Beach itself. Inter-carrier drayage moves containers between two terminals at the same port or between a port terminal and a nearby rail yard. Intra-carrier drayage handles repositioning within a single carrier’s facility, such as moving a container from an international terminal to a domestic terminal within the same port complex.

Shuttle drayage or relay drayage involves moving containers to a temporary staging area when the final destination warehouse is not ready to receive them. This is common during peak season when warehouses are backed up and cannot accept deliveries for several days after a container becomes available at the port.

Cost Factors

Drayage rates vary significantly by market. In the Los Angeles/Long Beach area, a standard port-to-warehouse drayage move (within 30 miles) typically costs $250 to $450 for a standard container. Rates in Savannah, Houston, or Charleston tend to run $200 to $350 for comparable distances. Several factors drive drayage pricing beyond mileage:

Chassis charges: Most containers travel on a chassis rented from a chassis pool (DCLI, TRAC, Flexi-Van). Daily rental runs $30 to $75. If the chassis is not returned promptly, per diem charges accumulate. Fuel surcharges: Typically quoted as a percentage of the base rate, fluctuating with diesel prices. Port congestion surcharges: During periods of heavy congestion, drayage companies add surcharges of $50 to $200 per move to compensate for extended wait times at terminal gates. Pre-pull fees: If a container needs to be picked up from the terminal a day or two before delivery to avoid last-free-day demurrage charges, the drayage company charges a pre-pull fee ($75 to $150) plus storage at their yard.

Appointment Systems and Turn Times

Most major port terminals require truck appointment reservations for container pickups and returns. At the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, drivers use the PierPass/TMF system and terminal-specific appointment platforms. A driver might wait 45 minutes to three hours at the terminal gate and inside the terminal depending on congestion levels. This gate-to-gate time, called the “turn time,” directly affects how many moves a driver can complete in a single shift. During peak congestion events, turn times exceeding four hours are not unusual, which reduces available drayage capacity across the entire market and pushes rates upward.

Drayage and Container Free Time

Steamship lines grant a window of free time, typically three to five days at the port, before demurrage charges begin. The drayage move needs to happen within that window to avoid $100 to $350 per day in demurrage. Coordinating drayage pickups with container free time, customs release timing, and warehouse receiving schedules is one of the most time-sensitive pieces of the import logistics puzzle.

MeisterPrep’s Long Beach warehouse is located within close proximity to the port complex, keeping drayage costs low and enabling quick container turns. For sellers importing through other ports, MeisterPrep’s Houston, Charleston, and Des Plaines facilities provide similar port-area or rail-adjacent access, minimizing the distance and cost of that first domestic truck move after ocean transit.