By Luis Lopez, AI transportation consultant, CEO of Go Hub.io Holdings Corp and subsidiaries, and host of the Freight Guru Podcast
Drayage is the short truck move that carries an ocean container between a port or rail ramp and a warehouse. The distance is small, but the number of things that can go wrong is not. Terminal appointments, chassis supply, free time, customs status and equipment return all sit inside a move that may cover only a few miles.
A first container is the wrong time to find out how a carrier handles those details. The ten questions below are meant to be asked before you tender anything. If the term itself is new to you, start with what drayage means and how it works.
1. Which terminals and rail ramps do you serve regularly?
Port access is not automatic. Drivers generally need the right credentials, and the carrier needs to be registered with each terminal’s systems and with the equipment providers whose containers it will pull. Ask which specific terminals the carrier works in every week, not which ones it could reach in theory.
2. Who books terminal appointments, and how do you track container availability?
Many terminals require an appointment to pick up or return a container. A container also has to be discharged, released by the ocean carrier and cleared by customs before it can leave. Ask who watches for those releases, who books the appointment, and what happens when a slot is missed. Our article on port terminal appointments explains why this step causes so many delays.
3. How do you source chassis, and how is chassis use billed?
The container rides on a chassis, and the chassis may come from a pool, from the ocean carrier, or from the trucker’s own fleet. Each arrangement bills differently. Ask where the chassis will come from for your steamship line and terminal, when chassis charges start and stop, and what happens if the right chassis is not available on the day. Also ask about a chassis split, which is an extra trip to collect or return the chassis at a different location than the container. See chassis fees, splits and pools for background.
4. What does the base rate include, and which accessorials should I expect?
A drayage quote is usually a base rate plus a list of possible additional charges. The base rate matters less than the list. Ask for the full accessorial schedule in writing before the first move, and ask the carrier to mark the charges that commonly apply on your lane. Typical items include:
- Fuel surcharge and how it is calculated
- Chassis usage and chassis split
- Pre-pull and yard storage
- Driver waiting time at the terminal and at your warehouse
- Overweight handling or special equipment
- Dry run when a pickup attempt fails
- Tolls, scale tickets and terminal fees passed through at cost
Look for a carrier that can explain each charge, tell you what triggers it, and show the supporting document when it bills one.
5. How do you help me stay inside free time?
Terminals allow a limited period to remove a container before storage charges begin, and ocean carriers allow a limited period to return the empty before equipment charges begin. Ask how the carrier tracks the last free day for both, who is responsible for telling you when a deadline is at risk, and how charges are handled if a deadline is missed for reasons within the carrier’s control. Get the answer to that last part in writing. The difference between the two charge types is covered in demurrage vs. detention.
6. Do you offer live unload, drop and pick, and pre-pull?
These are three different service patterns, and they suit different warehouses.
- Live unload: the driver waits while the container is unloaded, then leaves with the empty. Waiting time usually becomes billable after an agreed allowance.
- Drop and pick: the driver leaves the loaded container and returns later for the empty, which requires yard space and a second trip.
- Pre-pull: the carrier removes the container from the terminal ahead of the delivery date and stores it in its own yard, usually to protect free time or to make an early delivery appointment.
Ask which options the carrier offers, how each is priced in structure, and whether its yard is secured if your container will sit there overnight.
7. Who performs the move: company drivers, owner-operators or another carrier?
Many drayage companies rely on owner-operators, which is a normal model. What you need to know is who is responsible for the move and whether your load could be handed to a different motor carrier without your knowledge. Ask whether the carrier ever re-brokers or subcontracts, under what conditions, and whether it will tell you beforehand.
8. What insurance do you carry, and what are your cargo liability limits?
Request a certificate of insurance sent directly from the carrier’s insurance agent. Review the auto liability and cargo coverage, and ask whether the cargo policy has exclusions that matter for your commodity. Ask what the carrier’s liability limit is under its terms, because that limit may be lower than the value of your goods. Also ask who is responsible for damage to the container and chassis while they are in the carrier’s possession.
9. Can you handle special requirements?
Not every drayage carrier can move every container. Raise anything unusual early:
- Overweight containers that may need a specific chassis type or a permit
- Hazardous materials, which require proper carrier registration and driver endorsements
- Refrigerated containers that need a generator set and temperature monitoring
- In-bond moves, where the cargo has not yet cleared customs and the carrier must be authorized to move it
- Out-of-gauge or open-top equipment
10. How will you communicate, and what do I receive with the invoice?
Ask who your daily contact is, how and when you will get status updates, and how quickly you are told about a problem such as a customs exam, a closed terminal area or a missed appointment. Then ask what documents arrive with the invoice. A complete package usually includes the signed delivery receipt, the gate-in and gate-out records, and receipts for any pass-through charges. Those documents are what allow you to verify the bill.
As an AI transportation consultant, the first thing I look at here is whether status data is typed by hand or flows from terminal systems, telematics and the carrier’s dispatch software. Automated container tracking and document capture reduce missed deadlines, but only when someone on the carrier’s side is accountable for acting on the alerts.
How to Use the Answers
Send the questions in writing and keep the replies. Compare two or three carriers on the same list, and pay attention to how specific each one is. Then start with a single container, review the invoice line by line against what you were told, and expand from there. A carrier that answers clearly before the first move tends to communicate clearly when a container gets stuck, which is when it counts.
For more practical guidance on ports, containers and trucking, subscribe to the Freight Guru Podcast.
About the author: Luis Lopez is a Miami-based AI transportation consultant and logistics entrepreneur, the CEO of Go Hub.io Holdings Corp and subsidiaries, and host of the Freight Guru Podcast.