Drayage is the first and last mile of intermodal freight movement. A container arrives by vessel or rail, and a drayage carrier — operating a day-cab tractor built for short turns — picks it up at the terminal and delivers it to the consignee's facility. On the outbound side, a drayage carrier moves an empty or loaded container from the shipper's dock back to the terminal for outbound rail or vessel.
The term comes from the days of horse-drawn dray carts used to haul goods through port cities. Today it refers specifically to short-haul container moves, usually within 50 to 150 miles of an intermodal terminal.
Drayage is operationally distinct from over-the-road truckload. Drayage carriers work in the chassis and container ecosystems of the ports and railroads. Equipment compatibility, chassis availability, terminal appointment windows, and per-diem fees for container use all create cost and scheduling complexity that doesn't exist in standard FTL.
Per diem is a common source of unexpected cost in drayage. Shipping lines charge a daily fee for containers held beyond the free-use period (typically two to four days after unloading). Shippers who can't receive containers quickly accumulate per diem that can dwarf the drayage rate itself.
For inland freight that begins or ends at a rail ramp rather than a port, the same drayage principles apply: a drayage carrier moves the container between the rail terminal and the origin or destination facility. Inland drayage is common in major rail hubs like Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City, and Dallas.