What Is Drayage in Shipping and Why Is It Important?

The average person knows how important the supply chain is, even without additional knowledge. The masses can receive millions of goods, including medicine, equipment, clothing, and food, through shipping logistics.

Drayage is a crucial step in the timeliness of the supply chain process. What is drayage, and why is it so important? Keep reading to discover why this step in the shipping operation is vital to your items arriving on time.

What Is Drayage?

Drayage is the process of transporting goods over a short distance. This stage is often part of a longer haul and involves moving goods from different terminals or intermodal ports. Instead of carrying a shipping container directly to the warehouse, drayage takes the shipment to the next port, which can be done within one or two hours.

What’s Drayage’s Role in Intermodal Shipping?

Intermodal shipping uses multiple transportation methods to ship freight and cargo. Most intermodal shipments are packaged in shipping containers for easy transfer.

Drayage’s role in intermodal shipping is to act as a connector between each step. These services may transport the shipment from a receiving dock to a trucking terminal. This will continue until a shipment reaches its destination.

Why Is Drayage Important?

While drayage seems like a small step in the complex world of logistics, it’s a vital piece of the puzzle. Shipping companies rely on an efficient supply chain to meet the increasing demands of a growing trade market. Drayage is important for preventing “traffic jams” and bottlenecks at ports, allowing each delivery to go smoothly. It also helps customers cut down on shipping costs. It’s more time-efficient and keeps the supply chain moving.

At DTS, we understand our partners’ challenges in each transport stage. That’s why our team strives to help ensure your shipment arrives at its destination. Diversified Transportation Service is a knowledgeable and trustworthy freight transportation company. Whether you need to ship domestically or internationally, we got you covered.

Contact us today for more information or inquiries.

What Can DTS Do For You?

Whether you're a company looking to improve one facet of your supply chain, your entire supply chain, or simply looking for a transportation and logistics consultation, we can help.

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