Drayage is the truck move that connects an ocean container to the rest of the supply chain. In Southern California that usually means trucking a container between a marine terminal at the Ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach (or a rail ramp) and a warehouse, distribution center or factory.
Who is involved
- The steamship line (ocean carrier) owns or leases the container and sets the rules for using it, including free time and per diem.
- The marine terminal stores the container on the dock, releases it, and runs the appointment system that trucks use to get in and out.
- The trucker (drayage carrier) like DK Express pulls the container, delivers it, and returns the empty.
- You, or your broker or forwarder, arrange customs clearance and the release, tell us where and when to deliver, and unload or load the container.
An import, step by step
- The vessel arrives and the container is discharged at the terminal.
- The container is released once customs, the steamship line and the terminal have no holds on it, and freight charges are settled.
- We book a pickup appointment at the terminal and pull the loaded container on a chassis.
- We deliver it to your facility. Either the driver waits while you unload (a live unload), or we leave the container and come back for it later (a drop).
- We return the empty to the location the steamship line designates, often with a return appointment.
An export, step by step
- We pick up an empty container against your booking.
- You load it, live or dropped.
- We return the loaded container to the terminal before the vessel’s cutoff. Many terminals only accept exports from the earliest return date (ERD).
Example
A 40’ high cube of furniture arrives at a Port of Los Angeles terminal on Monday and is released Tuesday. The last free day is Thursday. We pick it up Wednesday, deliver it to an Ontario warehouse for a two-hour live unload, and return the empty to the terminal that afternoon. That’s one round trip with one chassis day, and no storage charges because it left before the last free day.
What affects the price
Distance and drive time, time at the terminal and at your dock, chassis days, extra stops such as a prepull to our yard, cargo weight and equipment, and special handling such as hazmat or reefers. See what we need for an accurate quote.