Managing Drayage Carriers as a Freight Forwarder

Drayage is the short truck move that takes a container between a port or rail ramp and a warehouse, and a forwarder that books it for a customer is taking on a supplier whose failures show up as demurrage, per diem and missed deliveries. A general trucking check (active authority, insurance in force, matching payment details) is necessary but not enough, because a drayage carrier also has to be allowed into the terminal, allowed to pull the ocean carrier's equipment, and able to get a gate appointment. This post covers that intermodal layer and how to manage the relationship afterwards. It does not repeat the basic carrier check, which is in our guide to vetting a trucking carrier, or the shipper-side explanation of why the move costs what it does, in US drayage and chassis.

What is different about vetting a drayage carrier?

Start with the general checks: a USDOT number, active operating authority, insurance confirmed with the insurer rather than from a certificate alone, and a remit-to name that matches the authority holder. FMCSA's SAFER and Licensing and Insurance pages are free for this. Then add the items below, which are specific to moving containers in and out of terminals.

A common misconception is that the forwarder must itself be a UIIA party. It does not, unless the forwarder also operates trucks. The agreement binds the motor carrier. IANA's FAQ also says any commercial arrangement between a UIIA motor carrier and a company it brokers loads to falls outside the agreement, and recommends confirming that second company is a UIIA participant with proper authority, insurance and SCAC code. That is a direct warning about passing a container down a chain of carriers without knowing who ends up at the gate.

Which port drayage programmes can apply?

Rules vary by port, and several change. The best-documented example is the San Pedro Bay ports. As of November 2026, the Port of Los Angeles states that all trucks entering its marine terminals must be on the Ports Drayage Truck Registry, that new registrations must be model year 2014 or newer, and that the Clean Truck Fund Rate is paid by the cargo owner or its agent on loaded containers moved by truck, not by the truck driver. Zero-emission trucks are exempt, and the Port also describes a temporary exemption to the end of 2027 for certain low-NOx trucks registered by the end of 2022. The Port's tariff and its own page should be read for the current text, because the two have not described the end date identically.

The statewide layer is less settled. California's Advanced Clean Fleets rule originally included drayage requirements, and reports in 2025 said the state agreed to repeal the drayage and high-priority fleet parts, while CARB's own Advanced Clean Fleets page says it will support compliance case by case. We could not confirm the final status from one primary CARB document, so check CARB's current guidance rather than relying on this paragraph, and ask carriers which state and port registries they are in.

Two practical points follow for a forwarder. First, the Clean Truck Fund Rate and the separate PierPASS Traffic Mitigation Fee at Los Angeles and Long Beach are charged to the cargo owner or its agent, not absorbed by the trucker, so decide in advance whether you are the agent that pays them or whether the customer registers directly. Second, a carrier whose trucks are not enrolled cannot enter the terminal, and the cost lands on your customer's container clock.

How is a drayage rate built, and what should be in the quote?

Ask for the quote as a structure rather than a single door-to-door number. This is a convention of how US drayage is usually priced, not a regulation, and the components and names vary by carrier.

• Line haul: a per-container charge for the move between the terminal and the delivery address, often tied to a zone or mileage band.
• Fuel surcharge: usually a separate line that moves with a published fuel index; ask which one and how often it resets.
• Chassis: the daily rental of the chassis, plus any split charge if the chassis has to be collected from a different pool location than the container.
• Pre-pull and storage: collecting the container before the consignee can receive it, then holding it on a yard or chassis.
• Waiting time: time at the terminal and at the consignee, normally billed after a short free period.
• Terminal and port charges: tolls, gate or appointment fees, and the programme fees above, stated as pass-through or included.
• Special equipment: a genset for a refrigerated container, tri-axle chassis for heavy loads, overweight permits.
• Failed appointment and dry run: the charge when the truck goes to the terminal and cannot pick up or drop off.

Then make the carrier state which lines are fixed and which are pass-through at cost. Disputes over drayage invoices are almost always about the accessorial lines, not the line haul, so settle their definitions before the first booking. Check each invoice against the rate confirmation and the terminal timestamps before you pay it or bill the customer.

How do terminal appointments change the economics?

Most large US container terminals use an appointment system for truck visits, and the system differs by port and terminal. Where a terminal requires one, a truck without an appointment is generally turned away or waits. The costs of getting this wrong fall on the drayage carrier first, who bills them on, so ask three questions before booking. Who books the appointment, you or the carrier? What does the carrier charge when the appointment is missed, and is it different when the miss is caused by the terminal, the consignee or the carrier? Does the carrier use a dual transaction (drop an empty and pick up a full in one visit) where the terminal allows it?

At Los Angeles and Long Beach, PierPASS runs the OffPeak night and Saturday shifts at the container terminals and charges a Traffic Mitigation Fee for most cargo moved during the weekday peak. We could not confirm the current rate or exemption list from PierPASS's own pages, so quote it only as an item to check against the PierPASS tariff on the day. The takeaway for a forwarder is that a rate quoted to a customer without a view on peak versus off-peak pick-up is incomplete.

Who pays for chassis and detention?

This depends on who arranged the inland leg, and the bill of lading and the carrier's tariff decide it, not the trucker. Under carrier haulage the ocean carrier arranges and is responsible for the inland movement as part of its service; under merchant haulage the cargo interest or its forwarder arranges the truck. The usual convention is that under merchant haulage the clock on the equipment, including the ocean carrier's detention (per diem) and the chassis rental, is for the merchant side, while demurrage runs inside the terminal. Free time and terms differ by carrier, so confirm them in writing. The forwarder's exposure is its contract with the customer: if the customer's terms do not say who bears equipment charges caused by a consignee delay, the forwarder usually does.

Two guides help here. Container damage, detention and per diem explains who pays which clock, and the FMC demurrage and detention billing rules explain what a compliant invoice must contain and when you can refuse one. For managing the exposure on the forwarder side, see managing detention and demurrage exposure. When a terminal will not accept an empty, empty container return covers the evidence you need, and the carrier should be contractually required to photograph and time-stamp the refusal.

How do you spot fraud and double brokering in drayage?

Drayage fraud looks like other trucking fraud, with an intermodal twist: the container is released against a pick-up number, so someone who obtains it can collect real cargo. FMCSA's guidance on broker and carrier fraud and identity theft describes the pattern of using another carrier's USDOT number without authorisation, and advises checking the phone number on SAFER against the one you were given, cross-checking information on more than one site, and remembering that insurance certificates can be forged. FMCSA also says "double brokering" is not a statutory or regulatory term and that people use it for several different activities, so write your contract in terms of the specific conduct you forbid.

• Require the carrier to move the container on its own authority and trucks. If it needs to subcontract, require written consent and the subcontractor's authority, UIIA status and insurance before the pick-up.
• Confirm that the driver's company name, truck and plate at the gate match the booking.
• Release pick-up numbers only to a carrier you have checked, and by a channel you control.
• Be alert to a change of remit-to details, a new contact at a long-standing carrier, or a request to deliver to a different address.

Our posts on fictitious pickups and double brokering and on bank detail fraud cover what to do once fraud is suspected.

What contract terms should a drayage agreement have?

A rate confirmation is not a contract. For a repeat drayage carrier, put the points below in a short written agreement. The limits are things to ask for and compare, not figures we can give you; use the insurance broker and your own counsel for the amounts.

• Liability for cargo and equipment: state the carrier's cargo liability basis and any cap, who bears equipment damage during the interchange period under the UIIA, and what the carrier warrants about its coverage. Read it next to our guide to carrier liability limits and your own cover in forwarder insurance.
• Insurance: require the carrier to state its cargo, auto liability and trailer interchange limits, to notify you if a policy is cancelled, and to provide a fresh certificate on renewal.
• Indemnity: an indemnity for fees, fines and equipment charges caused by the carrier's own non-compliance, such as an unregistered truck or a driver without a TWIC.
• Subcontracting and brokering: no subcontracting without written consent.
• Accessorial definitions and evidence: the free time, rate and proof required for each waiting, storage or failed-appointment charge.
• Payment and dispute window: invoice within a fixed number of days with supporting records, so you can still dispute against the ocean carrier's clock.

How do you score and manage drayage carriers over time?

A drayage carrier that is fine on paper can still cost you through lateness and claims. Track a small set of measures per carrier per month, and review them against the same definitions each time. The measures below are our suggestion; there is no industry-standard benchmark we can cite, so set your own targets from your own history. For the wider approach, see freight forwarder KPIs and scorecards.

What to do next

1. List your current drayage carriers and mark, for each, proof of UIIA participation, insurance confirmed with the insurer, and written confirmation of port registry and TWIC coverage.
2. Rewrite your drayage quote template so every accessorial in the structure above is a separate line with a stated basis.
3. Decide who pays port programme fees and equipment charges between you and each customer, and put it in your terms.
4. Start a monthly scorecard for your top three carriers using the measures above, and review it with them every quarter.

If you need a drayage carrier or a partner at a specific port, you can search more than 29,300 logistics companies by country and service in the CargoLinked directory, and the public requests board lists freight that shippers have posted for forwarders to quote on directly. Whoever you find, run the checks above yourself.

This article is general information, not legal, insurance or compliance advice. Port programmes, the UIIA and state truck rules change; confirm current requirements with IANA, the port authority, CARB, TSA and FMCSA, and take advice from a licensed professional for your contracts.