Container Drayage and Warehouse Receiving Best Practices

Container Drayage and Warehouse Receiving Best Practices

The most common source of drayage cost overruns happens at your warehouse — not at the port. Long unloading times, unprepared receiving docks, and missed delivery windows create wait-time charges and detention fees that inflate your container drayage costs.

Prepare Before the Container Arrives

Confirm dock door availability, schedule labor, stage forklifts and pallet jacks, and clear staging area space. Know the container contents so you have the right equipment — heavy items may need a crane or specialized loading equipment.

Minimize Driver Wait Time

Most drayage carriers allow 1-2 hours of free time at delivery. After that, expect $75-$100/hour in wait-time charges. The fastest way to reduce costs: have your team ready to unload immediately when the truck arrives. Cross-dock operations are designed for maximum speed.

Inspect and Document Immediately

Check container seal integrity, photograph any damage, and note discrepancies on the driver’s proof of delivery. Claims filed after the driver leaves are much harder to resolve.

Go Freight’s Integrated Solution

Go Freight provides both drayage and warehousing — eliminating the coordination gap between carrier and receiver. Containers delivered to our facility are unloaded immediately by our team.