Drayage
Drayage is the short-haul movement of freight - usually a container - over a short distance, such as from a port or rail yard to a nearby warehouse.
Drayage is short-distance freight movement, most often hauling an ocean or rail container between a port or intermodal yard and a nearby warehouse or another terminal. The distances are short, but the work has its own rhythm: appointment systems, container chassis, and port congestion.
Why it matters: drayage rates and economics are different from long-haul. Wait times at congested ports can be brutal, so detention and per-diem container charges matter a lot, and lots of deadhead can creep in between moves. Operators who do drayage well are disciplined about appointments and about billing the accessorials the work generates.