What is the Difference Between Drayage and Trucking?

The main difference between drayage and trucking is the way cargo is handled once it arrives at the port. With trucking, an entire container is driven over a short distance, and the cargo inside the container is not manipulated. Freight trucks are different from regional or national transport, as containers tend to stay in the same region and deliveries are almost always made in a single shift. Some deliveries with transport trucks can be made over short distances of just 100 feet to an intermodal terminal or even another truck, while other freight deliveries may go a few kilometers further.

For those looking for drayage brokers near me, there are many options available to help with the transportation of goods. In most cases, transportation trucks move goods within the same general metropolitan area. On the other hand, freight transport is defined as the transportation of goods over a short distance. In addition, transport is often part of a larger shipment, a shipment that is usually intermodal. This is why shipping containers are often used, as they facilitate the transfer of cargo from one mode to another. On a normal day, about 30 container ships wait for truckers to unload their cargo and move it between the point of departure and the point of arrival. The only way in which transport loads move from ports or intermodal terminals to the next mode of transport is by transport trucks.

However, not all carriers (transport truckers) need an authorization to transport cargo to an international destination. Transportation loads are common in intermodal transport, such as moving large containers from a ship to a railroad for delivery. Once the cargo arrives at the port, transport truckers pick up the containers to take them to their next destination. Most shipping containers are 6 to 8 feet tall and come in lengths of 10, 20 or 40 feet, depending on what you're shipping.

Intermodal transport

helps fill gaps in the movement of cargo between ports, docks, warehouses and railway terminals.

When a modern mule (a semi-trailer) does this with a container, specifically for import and export, it's called drayage. Without drayage trucks, goods would stay in ports, railway shipments would remain on trains, and the entire freight transport system would be shut down. Drayage also creates opportunities for owners, operators and carriers who want to enter the transportation business. Drayage plays a critical role in moving containers from intermodal centers, such as shipping ports, ports, railway terminals, truck terminals, and in and out of warehouses. The type of container, the classification of the shipment, the number of different carriers needed and the delivery distance influence the determination of the rate that can be obtained for transporting cargo.

The last major difference when designing the transportation cornerstone for other types of road transport is finding a foreign transport partner. According to the North American Intermodal Association (IANA), more than 60 million freight loads are transported every year.

Lynette Cariño
Lynette Cariño

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