Container Drayage Services: Port of Miami and Port Everglades

What we move

Standard dry boxes are most of the volume. The rest is the equipment and paperwork that stop other carriers.

How a container move works at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades

Every import container follows the same loop: the terminal releases it, a truck pulls it, the receiver unloads it, and the empty goes back to a depot. Most of the cost and most of the problems sit at the two ends of that loop, so that is where we put our attention.

Pickup at the terminal

Once your container is discharged and customs-released, we book the terminal appointment and pull it before the last free day. If a container is on hold or the appointment slots are gone, you hear from us the same day, not after demurrage starts. Our guide to Port of Miami terminal appointment requirements covers what each terminal expects.

Delivery: live unload or drop and pick

On a live unload the driver waits while you unload, with free time built into the rate and waiting time billed by the hour after that. On a drop and pick we leave the container on a chassis at your dock, you unload on your own schedule, and we come back for the empty. Drop and pick costs more per container and usually saves money overall once unloading takes more than about two hours.

Container depot drayage and empty returns

The steamship line decides where the empty goes back, and the return location can change between the day we pull the box and the day it is empty. We check the line's return instructions before every empty move, take the container to the assigned depot or terminal, and keep the interchange receipt so you have proof of return if a per diem invoice shows up later. If a depot closes or stops accepting a container size, we get the alternate location from the line rather than leaving the box on your lot. Export loads run the same loop in reverse: we pull the empty from the depot, deliver it for loading, and return it to the terminal ahead of the cutoff. Where volumes allow it we set up street turns, reusing an import empty for an export load and skipping the depot run entirely.

Transloading and storage on the way

Our warehouse at 6001 Powerline Road in Fort Lauderdale sits between both ports. A container can be unloaded there onto pallets for transloading into a 53' trailer, or the freight can stay in pallet storage and ship out as orders come in. Returning the container to the depot inside free time and holding the cargo at our warehouse is often cheaper than paying demurrage or per diem on the box.

What a drayage rate includes

The base rate covers the move from the terminal to your door and the empty return, priced by delivery zip code. Fuel surcharge is a separate line and follows the weekly diesel index. The rest depends on the move: chassis usage per day, waiting time beyond the free time at delivery, overweight permits, hazmat, and any transload or storage at our warehouse. Every one of these is itemized on the quote, so nothing shows up on the invoice that was not on the rate sheet. For the full breakdown see our guide to drayage costs and accessorial charges, and for the fees the ports bill directly, the Port of Miami and Port Everglades terminal fees guide.

Where we run

Terminals at the Port of Miami, Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, plus the FEC intermodal ramps in South Florida. Daily deliveries across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, and the rest of Florida on request. For importers who ship into both coasts, our sister company Oakland Container Trucking covers the Port of Oakland.

Container drayage FAQ

What is container drayage?

Drayage is the truck move between a port or rail terminal and a nearby warehouse or receiver. The drayage carrier pulls the loaded container from the terminal, delivers it, and returns the empty to a depot. It is short by distance and it is the part of an international shipment where terminal rules, free time and equipment availability do the most damage to a budget.

How fast can you pull a container once it is released?

Usually the next business day, and the same day when the terminal appointment system allows it. Send the delivery order as early as you can. The appointment is the constraint, not the truck.

Do you handle the empty return?

Yes. Every import rate includes returning the empty to the depot or terminal the steamship line assigns, and we keep the interchange receipt on file.

Do you provide the chassis?

Yes. We run our own chassis and use pool chassis where the line requires it. Chassis days are itemized on the quote.

What is the difference between demurrage and per diem?

Demurrage is charged by the terminal when a loaded container sits past its last free day. Per diem, also called detention, is charged by the steamship line when the container itself is out past its free days, loaded or empty. Our guide to demurrage and detention at Miami terminals walks through both.

Do you work with freight forwarders and customs brokers?

Most of our volume comes through forwarders, brokers and NVOCCs. Send us the delivery order and the broker contact and we handle the terminal side directly.

Questions or a volume rate? Dmitriy Shibarshin, Sales: dmitriy@miamidrayage.com, (305) 985-6085.

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