Drayage from PortMiami and Port Everglades: A Shipper’s Guide

Drayage is the least glamorous leg of an ocean shipment and the one most likely to cost you money. It is a short move — often under 20 miles — from a marine terminal to a warehouse, a container freight station, or a rail ramp. But it sits between two clocks that are both running against you, and missing either one is expensive.

The two clocks every importer should watch

Demurrage

Demurrage is charged by the terminal for a loaded container that sits on the terminal past its free time. Free time is measured in days and starts once the container is available for pickup. Once it expires, charges accrue per container per day, and they escalate.

Per diem (detention)

Per diem is charged by the steamship line for keeping their equipment — the container and sometimes the chassis — past the allowed window after it leaves the terminal. It runs until the empty is returned to an approved location.

The trap is that solving one clock can start the other. Pulling a container early to beat demurrage means per diem starts sooner. If you have nowhere to unload it, you have moved the cost rather than avoided it. That is where yard storage earns its keep: a container parked in a secure yard is usually far cheaper per day than a container parked on a terminal.

What makes South Florida drayage different

PortMiami and Port Everglades sit about 25 miles apart, serve overlapping shippers, and behave differently day to day. A few local realities shape how the work runs:

• Transshipment volume. A large share of South Florida cargo is heading to the Caribbean and Latin America rather than terminating here, which means more in-bond and export moves than a typical inland market.
• Chassis availability. Chassis pools tighten quickly during peak weeks, and a container that is technically available is not movable without one.
• Traffic windows. I‑95, the Palmetto, and the port access roads punish poorly timed appointments. The same round trip can take two hours or five.
• Hurricane season. Terminal closures and pre-storm surges compress schedules with little warning, and recovery backlogs last longer than the storm does.

A drayage move, step by step

1. Arrival and availability. The vessel discharges, and the container is flagged available once terminal, line, and Customs holds clear.
2. Holds cleared. Customs release, freight release from the steamship line, and payment of any terminal fees all have to be complete. Any one outstanding hold blocks pickup.
3. Appointment secured. Most terminals require a booked gate appointment. Slots are finite and disappear fast during peak.
4. Pull and delivery. The driver pulls the container and delivers it to the warehouse, CFS, or yard.
5. Unload and return. The box is stripped and the empty is returned to an approved return location — which is not always the terminal it came from.

Five ways to keep drayage costs down

1. Get the release chain done before the vessel arrives. Most demurrage is caused by paperwork, not trucking. Customs entry, freight release, and payment should be handled while the ship is still at sea.
2. Know your free time per line, not in general. Free time varies by carrier and contract. Assuming an industry average is how importers get surprised.
3. Decide early whether you need a live unload or a drop. Live unloads tie up a driver and a chassis. Drop-and-pick costs more per move but usually less overall if your dock is slow.
4. Have a yard plan. If the warehouse cannot take the container this week, park it somewhere cheaper than the terminal.
5. Consolidate at a CFS instead of your dock. Deconsolidating at a container freight station and moving the pieces out on LTL is often cheaper than paying per diem while your warehouse works through a full container.

Where Go LTL fits

We are an asset-based South Florida carrier, which means the trucks doing the drayage are ours — not brokered out on the morning of. Our drivers are bonded and TSA-approved, so in-bond port moves and airport transfers are handled by the same fleet. After the container is stripped, the pieces can go straight onto our LTL network or into last-mile delivery without a second vendor in the chain.

If you want a rate on a specific container or a standing drayage lane, send the details through our quote form or call (786) 445-0150.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between drayage and LTL?

Drayage moves an intact ocean container over a short distance, usually between a port and a nearby facility. LTL moves palletized freight from multiple customers on the same truck over longer distances. Many import shipments use both: drayage to get the container off the terminal, then LTL to distribute what was inside it.

How much free time do I get at PortMiami or Port Everglades?

Free time is set by the steamship line and your service contract rather than by the port itself, so it varies shipment to shipment. Check the specific line’s tariff for your booking rather than relying on a general figure — and start the clock from container availability, not vessel arrival.

Can a drayage carrier move my container in bond?

Only if it holds a customs bond and a CBP-issued bonded carrier code. Go LTL is a bonded common carrier, so containers that have not yet been entered can move to a bonded warehouse or another port under Customs control.