What Is Drayage?
Drayage is the short-haul move of a container between two points in the same metro or regional area — most often from a marine terminal or rail ramp to a warehouse, distribution center, or transload facility. It's a small piece of total mileage compared to the ocean or rail leg that precedes it, but it's also the tightest window: containers accrue fees the moment they sit too long at the terminal, so drayage is judged on timing and reliability more than distance.
Drayage Service Types We Coordinate
Drayage covers several distinct moves depending on where the container starts and ends:
- Port drayage — container moves between a marine terminal and a nearby warehouse, yard, or transload facility.
- Intermodal (rail) drayage — connecting a rail ramp to warehouses and distribution centers for the inland leg of a shipment.
- Container drayage — the general category covering any short-haul container move, including chassis and empty container repositioning.
- Cross-town and inter-carrier transfers between yards, ports, and facilities within the same region.
Whichever type applies, the container eventually connects to an over-the-road leg for the rest of its journey — often FTL for full containers or LTL once goods are deconsolidated at a transload facility.
Equipment and Timing Specs
Standard ocean containers run 20 or 40 feet, with 40-foot high-cube the most common on U.S. import lanes; a drayage chassis is rated to carry the container's gross weight, typically up to around 44,000–80,000 lbs depending on axle configuration and state limits. Ports and rail ramps grant free time — commonly 3–5 days before demurrage starts and a similar window before per diem or detention applies to the chassis. That window is the entire game: every day a container sits past free time adds direct cost with no offsetting benefit. Free time and per diem terms vary by ocean carrier and rail provider, so knowing the specific clock for each container — not just a general rule of thumb — is part of avoiding avoidable fees.
Why Timing Is Everything in Drayage
Demurrage accrues at the terminal when a container isn't picked up in time; detention (or per diem) accrues on the chassis or container once it leaves the terminal but isn't returned. Both are entirely avoidable with coordinated appointments, ready paperwork, and a dependable drayage carrier lined up before the vessel even discharges. Missed appointment windows, chassis shortages, and last-minute customs holds are the most common causes of avoidable fees — all of which get managed proactively rather than reactively.
How OTX Coordinates Drayage
As a non-asset freight brokerage, OTX doesn't operate drayage trucks or chassis — we source vetted drayage carriers with the port and rail ramp access, chassis availability, and appointment relationships your container needs. That flexibility means faster coverage during peak season and chassis shortages, when a single-carrier operation might not have capacity. Every container gets tracked from vessel discharge or rail arrival through final delivery, with one accountable contact and proactive updates if an appointment or free-time deadline is at risk.
What Drives Drayage Pricing
Drayage rates are quoted per container move and reflect the distance between terminal and destination, container size and weight, chassis availability and any chassis split fees, wait time or appointment scheduling at the terminal, and accessorials like pre-pull, storage, or hazmat handling. Congested ports and tight chassis pools drive rates up independent of distance, which is why booking drayage capacity early — ideally before the vessel arrives — matters more than in most other freight modes. Once a container is inland, connecting it to a full truckload or LTL leg for the rest of its journey is quoted separately and can often be arranged with the same coordinator.
New to the mode? Start with What Is Drayage? for a deeper walkthrough, then request a quote for your container volume and OTX will line up drayage capacity before your container lands.