Drayage

Drayage covers the first or last road leg around a gateway, the move that links the ocean or rail line-haul to the inland point where the container is unpacked or returned empty. On the desk it is booked as its own step, with its own appointment window and chassis, separate from the long-haul trucking that carries freight between regions, and a missed terminal appointment or an unavailable chassis stalls it while the demurrage and detention clocks keep running. The decision it drives is sequencing and capacity: which trucker, which appointment slot, and whether the chassis is supplied by the carrier or has to be sourced. Drayage is the local terminal move, distinct from line-haul trucking, which carries the load over the long distance between origin and destination markets.