Tier 2 · Supply Chain Terms

Drayage

Drayage is the short-distance transport of containerized freight between a port or rail terminal and a nearby warehouse, distribution center, or transload facility, serving as the critical first or last mile connection for intermodal and ocean shipments.

Why It Matters

Drayage is where ocean and rail supply chains meet the road network. It is also where containers are most vulnerable to delay: port congestion, chassis shortages, appointment misalignment, and customs holds all create bottlenecks. A container that traveled 6,000 miles by ocean in 21 days can sit at the port for 5 days waiting for drayage pickup.

The FourKites Perspective

The FourKites Shipment Twin connects ocean container tracking to drayage movement as one continuous journey. The Graph provides port-specific dwell intelligence and drayage carrier reliability data. Alan coordinates dock appointments at the destination based on actual drayage ETAs, not planned arrival times that assume smooth port operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is drayage?
Drayage is the short-distance transport of containerized freight between a port or rail terminal and a nearby warehouse, distribution center, or transload facility, serving as the critical first or last mile connection for intermodal and ocean shipments.
How does AI change drayage management?
AI transforms drayage from a reactive metric measured after the fact into a proactive capability predicted and optimized in real time. AI agents monitor data continuously, detect anomalies before they become problems, and take autonomous action using network intelligence from the FourKites Graph, which aggregates cross-company patterns from 882 enterprise shippers.
How does FourKites handle drayage?
The FourKites Shipment Twin connects ocean container tracking to drayage movement as one continuous journey. The Graph provides port-specific dwell intelligence and drayage carrier reliability data. Alan coordinates dock appointments at the destination based on actual drayage ETAs, not planned arrival times that assume smooth port operations.
See how this concept powers autonomous operations.
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