Freight glossary
Drayage
The short-haul trucking of a container between a port or rail terminal and a nearby warehouse or the next leg.
Drayage is the unglamorous but critical move that gets a container off the port and to where it's unpacked or transferred. It's usually a short distance but tightly scheduled around port appointments, chassis availability and free-time windows.
Missed drayage windows trigger demurrage and detention charges, so coordinating it well is a real part of keeping landed cost down.
Why it matters
Poorly coordinated drayage is where 'free' port time quietly turns into demurrage fees. Good forwarders schedule it tightly.
Example
Your FCL container is drayed from the Port of Montréal to your Laval warehouse the day after it's discharged.
Related terms
Ready to ship?
Get an itemized Rumbo quote in seconds — freight, customs, duties and our margin, all in plain sight.