Port worker securing cargo containers in the rain

Resources

The drayage playbook

Straight, practical answers to the questions shippers and forwarders ask us most — free time, chassis, permits, paperwork, and how to work with a carrier that answers the phone.

01Guides

Port & Drayage Basics

What drayage actually is, and how a container gets from the vessel to your door.

Container ship at a marine terminal beneath gantry cranes at dusk

Port & Drayage Basics5 min read

What Is Container Drayage? A Shipper's Plain-English Guide

Container drayage moves your freight the short, critical distance between the port or rail ramp and its next stop. Here's what the term means and why it matters

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Truck departing a container terminal gate at sunset

Port & Drayage Basics6 min read

How a Port of Oakland Container Pickup Actually Works

A container marked 'available' at the Port of Oakland doesn't mean a truck can grab it. Here's what happens between vessel discharge and the gate.

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Bow of a cargo ship loaded with containers arriving at sunset

Port & Drayage Basics6 min read

From Vessel to Your Door: The Import Container Timeline, Step by Step

A container's trip from the vessel to your dock has more moving parts than most shippers realize. Here's the full sequence, stage by stage, and where delays actually happen.

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02Guides

Fees & Free Time

Demurrage, per diem, and the clocks that quietly turn a cheap move into an expensive one.

Aerial view of stacked shipping containers with visible ID codes

Fees & Free Time5 min read

Demurrage Explained: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Avoid It

Demurrage can add up fast once free time runs out. Here's how free time is actually calculated, what causes most charges, and concrete ways to avoid them.

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Aerial view of colorful shipping containers stacked beside a road

Fees & Free Time5 min read

Per Diem vs. Detention: The Container Fees Nobody Explains Until You Owe Them

Demurrage, per diem, and detention sound like one fee. They're not. Here's who bills each, when its clock starts, and how to avoid owing all three at once.

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Warehouse workers and a forklift moving pallets among storage racks

Fees & Free Time6 min read

Pre-Pulls and Yard Storage: When Paying a Little Saves a Lot

Pre-pulling a container off the terminal costs money upfront, but timed right it can save far more in demurrage. Here's when the trade actually pays off.

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03Guides

Equipment & Special Freight

Chassis, overweight permits, and reefer moves — the equipment questions that come up once cargo gets specific.

Stack of truck tires mounted on a chassis trailer in a yard

Equipment & Special Freight6 min read

Container Chassis 101: Types, Splits, Flips, and Who Pays

Chassis are separate from the container and the truck, and mixing them up is where drayage plans fall apart. Here's how pools, splits, flips, and chassis costs actually work.

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Semi truck on a coastal highway with mountains in the background

Equipment & Special Freight6 min read

Overweight Containers in California: Legal Limits, Tri-Axle Chassis, and Permits

Overweight containers need the right chassis, permit, and weight declaration before they leave the terminal. Here's how California handles it.

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Refrigerated trailers parked at a commercial loading dock

Equipment & Special Freight5 min read

Reefer Drayage: Moving Temperature-Controlled Containers Without Breaking the Cold Chain

A reefer container loses shore power the moment it leaves the terminal. Here is what protects the cold chain during drayage, and what to ask before booking.

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04Guides

Compliance & Paperwork

Hazmat, in-bond freight, and the credentials a carrier needs to move it legally.

White fuel tanker truck parked with an American flag in the background

Compliance & Paperwork6 min read

Moving Hazmat Containers: What Your Carrier Needs From You Before Pickup

What documentation should ship with a hazmat container, what a hazmat endorsement really means, and why advance notice changes routing at the port.

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Shipping paperwork and a handle-with-care label on a clipboard

Compliance & Paperwork5 min read

In-Bond Freight Explained: IT, T&E, and IE Moves Without the Jargon

IT, T&E, and IE moves let freight travel under CBP control before duties are settled. Here's what each term means and which one applies to your shipment.

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Port worker securing a cargo container in the rain

Compliance & Paperwork5 min read

TWIC Cards and Port Credentials: Why They Matter to You as a Shipper

TWIC cards control who can drive into a marine terminal unescorted. Here's what the credential actually checks, and why a carrier without it can leave your container stranded at the gate.

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05Guides

Working With a Carrier

How to vet a carrier, get a fast accurate quote, and make forwarder partnerships work.

Row of parked semi trucks, black and white photo

Working With a Carrier5 min read

How to Vet a Drayage Carrier: Authority, Insurance, and the Questions to Ask

Before you hand a container to a new carrier, check their MC number and insurance yourself. How to verify authority, read a COI, spot red flags, and what to ask

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Office desk with a computer, coffee, and shipping boxes

Working With a Carrier5 min read

What Dispatch Needs From You for a Fast, Accurate Drayage Quote

What container size, weight, locations, and timing details dispatch needs for a firm drayage quote fast, and why leaving them out leads to re-quotes and delays.

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Aerial view of warehouse workers shaking hands

Working With a Carrier5 min read

Freight Forwarders and Brokers: How Carrier Partnerships Actually Work

How a forwarder or broker's relationship with an asset drayage carrier actually works day to day, and why guarding the customer relationship is the whole point.

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Ready when you are — 24/7

Have a container on the water?

Send the details before it hits the port. We'll have a truck, a chassis, and a plan waiting at the terminal.

Request a Quote →Call (209) 459-5856