What Is Drayage?

The term drayage is used to describe the transportation of goods over a short distance using ground freight. It plays a critical role in the supply chain, ensuring inventory is taken safely and securely to and from marine ports or other intermodal terminals.

Since most cargo travels internationally in bulk freight containers, it must be broken down at the destination port for distribution to separate facilities and customers. The drayage industry is responsible for overseeing and executing these shorter journeys.

A Brief History of Drayage

Drayage predates the 18th century, long before rail cars and the trucking industry had a major influence on the supply chain process. A dray was a type of cart that was drawn by a horse.

Although these horses and carts could move significant loads, the weight meant they could only travel short distances. Dray horses and operators worked mostly near ocean port facilities, rail yard terminals, and canal docks, mirroring drayage companies of today.

How Does Drayage Work?

Drayage is a specialist service carried out by licensed and bonded logistics industry professionals. It is an essential cog in the international shipping machine used to move freight from large shipping containers to warehouses, storage facilities, or other transport terminals.

While large container ships can take your goods from one port to another, drayage services are needed to remove the merchandise from ocean liners, load them onto trucks, and start their journey to the end customer and vice versa.

Overcoming Logistics Challenges

Drayage can be a complex service, especially when multiple carriers, several modes of transport, and tight deadlines are involved. Shippers can organize basic drayage services without assistance.

However, freight forwarders or a specialty logistics service help businesses save time and money on more complicated intermodal drayage routes. They have the necessary equipment, vehicles, network, and expertise to ensure fast, efficient, and reliable deliveries to the retail customer.

Since drayage involves transporting goods over land, it is conducted mainly by dray trucks, rail cars, or a combination of the two. Different vehicles may be needed depending on the container freight size and weight.

Heavy loads, like raw materials, are transported in large quantities via rail networks. Standard break-bulk cargo can be easily distributed by flat rack drayage trucks, vans, or delivery truck fleets.

Local Distribution

The critical difference between container drayage services and other forms of regional or national shipping is the proximity in which they operate. Drayage companies usually establish individual terminals to serve specific areas.

Short-distance transport ensures drayage truckers can complete cargo transportation in a single shift. This approach facilitates fast and efficient product movement, reducing freight delays and disruptions.

What Industries Use Drayage Services?

Drayage services are necessary for virtually all product-based industries. They are particularly important in cold chain logistics. The cold chain logistics industry is responsible for transporting temperature-sensitive cargo and perishables like food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals.

Special containers, called reefer containers, are built with cold chain technology designed to maintain the temperature of these goods. The cold supply chain must remain unbroken to ensure food and pharmaceuticals are unspoiled on arrival. Failing to arrange efficient and timely dray services for cold chain products can result in significant losses for shippers.

Intermodal Transport

Drayage is a form of intermodal freight transport. Intermodal transportation simply means that a shipment uses multiple types of vehicles or carriers to travel from the point of origin to the final destination.

Shipping companies often use special intermodal container designs that allow goods to be transferred between ocean liners, planes, trucks, and trains without unpacking them at each cargo terminal.