Why is drayage stuck in the stone age?

Drayage – what does that even mean?

If you look up the origins of the word, you’ll find references to horse drawn carriages used to transport goods over short distances. Funny but fitting, as modern-day drayage remains one of the last modes of transportation to receive a long overdue “glow up” in our industry. Drayage (what we now know as the transportation of containers by truck from port or rail to door) is an area that has long been overlooked. It carries a distinct “It is what it is” mentality for most people involved in it.

But what exactly is it about drayage that caused it to be left behind, while the rest of the industry has made leaps and bounds forward? In the article below, we highlight some of the complexities that have left drayage stuck in the stone age:

Fragmented operations

At its core, drayage is set up for a breakdown in communication. Compared to truckload freight (one driver, one shipment, serviced through completion) drayage carriers often have many drivers, pulling multiple containers, from multiple locations in any given day. For this reason and others, it is not common practice to know which driver is assigned to your exact shipment. We simply know the carrier plans to have that container picked up on a given day and delivered in a given timeframe. This makes it nearly impossible to use traditional tracking, or even tech tracking methods widely adopted in truckload freight to track a drayage shipment in transit.

Complex Jargon

As if the operations outlined above were not confusing enough, most conversations in the drayage space leave inexperienced parties stuck googling “what is a chassis split” amongst other confusing terms. Drayage comes with its own set of language to explain scenarios in transit, specific equipment used or needed, or charges that occurred during a container move. For users without vast drayage experience, it often takes a follow up email or phone call to get to the bottom of what these terms mean in plain English. This alone has been a major turn off for most when digging into the drayage space.

Confusing charges

The shipment is finally delivered, and all the confusing jargon is behind us. But what’s with this complex bill that came in $330 higher than the quote?! That’s right. To top it all off, drayage invoices come in just as confusing as the process and language themselves. From additional chassis days to unexpected fees for different terminals, drayage invoices rarely come in a clean, easy to read fashion. Aside from the initial sticker shock, these unforeseen charges also bottleneck the shipment settlement process for customers, as charges either need to be accepted at their higher rate or disputed, which drags out the process even longer.

Drayage can leave a trail of confusion and complexity in an industry that already faces enough challenges. These three examples are just a few of the core elements of drayage that have led to its lack of innovation for decades.

There is a better way

Through these obstacles and more, 1st Choice Freight has risen to the challenge of closing these gaps for our customers, pulling drayage out of the stone age. With processes to seamlessly monitor, communicate and display every milestone in a drayage shipment, 1st Choice Freight is accelerating past the norms of drayage, providing users with an experience previously found only in high performing truckload 3PL’s.

It’s 2025. Isn’t it time for drayage to catch up to the rest of the world? Our team of drayage experts, backed by the best technology available in the industry, are ready to show you the brighter side of drayage.

Contact us today at 1CF@1stchoicefreight.com or find us online at www.1stchoicefreight.com