What is Drayage Service?

What is Drayage Service and How it Works for You

At Migway, we are your trusted transportation partner, ensuring reliability and peace of mind for your shipments—from port to porch. While other carriers are stepping back from drayage, we are expanding to fill the gap, providing the dependability your business deserves.

Drayage is a crucial aspect of the global supply chain, encompassing the short-haul transportation of goods between ports, rail yards, and warehouses. Essentially, it involves moving cargo within a relatively limited geographical area.

What is Drayage Service?

Drayage service refers to the specialized transportation of goods using trucks within a specific region, typically connecting seaports, airports, or rail terminals to inland destinations like warehouses, distribution centers, or customer sites. This service plays a vital role in the efficient movement of goods across various modes of transport, ensuring seamless integration between ocean, air, and rail freight.

Transporting Using Drayage

Drayage carriers utilize a variety of trucks, including flatbeds, box trucks, and specialized vehicles like those equipped with lift gates or temperature-controlled units, to transport diverse cargo types. This includes everything from raw materials and finished goods to perishable items and oversized equipment.

Drayage Costs and Charges

Drayage costs can vary significantly depending on several factors, such as:

• Distance traveled: Shorter distances generally result in lower costs.
• Cargo weight and dimensions: Heavier and larger loads typically incur higher charges.
• Type of cargo: Specialized cargo, such as hazardous materials or refrigerated goods, may require specialized equipment and incur additional costs.
• Traffic congestion: Delays due to traffic can increase costs due to driver time and fuel consumption.
• Fuel surcharges: Fluctuations in fuel prices directly impact drayage costs.

Drayage Classifications

Drayage can be broadly classified into two main types:

• Port drayage: This involves transporting goods between seaports and inland destinations, such as warehouses, distribution centers, or customer sites.
• Rail drayage: This focuses on the movement of goods between rail yards and other locations within a specific region.

Why Drayage Service is Needed

Drayage service is essential for several reasons:

• Efficient cargo flow: It ensures the seamless movement of goods between different modes of transport, minimizing delays and disruptions in the supply chain.
• Improved logistics: By connecting ports, rail yards, and inland destinations, drayage services optimize logistics operations and enhance overall efficiency.
• Reduced transportation costs: By optimizing routes and utilizing efficient transportation methods, drayage can help reduce overall transportation costs.
• Enhanced flexibility: Drayage services offer flexibility in terms of delivery schedules and accommodate specific customer requirements.

How to Contract Drayage Service

When contracting drayage companies, it is crucial to:

• Clearly define transportation needs: Specify the origin and destination points, cargo type, weight, dimensions, and any special handling requirements.
• Obtain multiple quotes: Compare quotes from different drayage brokers to ensure competitive pricing and identify the most suitable provider.
• Verify insurance and licensing: Ensure that the drayage carrier is properly insured and licensed to operate.
• Monitor performance: Track shipments, monitor delivery times, and evaluate the overall performance of the drayage provider.

Types of Drayage Containers

Drayage involves the transportation of various types of containers, including:

• Standard shipping containers: These are the most common type, used for transporting a wide range of goods.
• Refrigerated containers: These are designed to maintain specific temperature ranges, essential for transporting perishable goods.
• Open-top containers: These have removable roofs, allowing for the easy loading and unloading of oversized or heavy cargo.
• Flatrack containers: These have no sides or roofs, making them ideal for transporting oversized or heavy equipment.

What are Drayage Services?

Drayage services encompass a wide range of activities, including:

• Pickup and delivery: Transporting goods from ports, rail yards, or warehouses to their final destination.
• Load and unload: Loading and unloading cargo from trucks and onto other modes of transport.
• Warehousing and storage: Providing temporary storage for goods at designated warehouses.
• Custom clearance: Assisting with customs clearance procedures for international shipments.

MigWay - your trusted transportation partner

Our customer-focused service extends across all ports and rail hubs in North and South Carolina, delivering seamless, efficient, and hassle-free transportation solutions. Trust Migway to keep your supply chain moving where others have fallen short.
Partner with us for reliability when it matters most.