Drayage vs Trucking: What Is the Difference?

Drayage vs Trucking: Understanding the Difference

If you are new to shipping, you may wonder how drayage differs from regular trucking. While both involve moving freight by truck, they serve very different purposes in the supply chain.

What Makes Drayage Different

Drayage is specifically the short-distance transport of shipping containers — typically under 100 miles. It connects ports, rail terminals, and warehouses within a metro area. Regular trucking, including dry van trucking and full truckload shipping, covers longer distances and uses standard trailers rather than shipping containers on chassis.

Key Differences

Equipment: Drayage uses container chassis designed to carry ocean shipping containers. Trucking uses enclosed trailers (dry vans), flatbeds, or refrigerated trailers. Distance: Drayage is local, typically within 50 miles of a port. Trucking can cover thousands of miles. Pricing: Drayage is priced per container move. Trucking is typically priced per mile or per load. Regulations: Drayage requires TWIC credentials for port access and specific port authority registrations. Scheduling: Drayage is tied to vessel arrival schedules and port gate hours. Trucking operates on more flexible schedules.

When You Need Both

Many importers need drayage for the first mile (port to warehouse) and trucking for distribution. Go Freight handles both from our Miami facility — drayage from PortMiami and Port Everglades plus LTL and FTL trucking for onward distribution.

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