Drayage Trucking Services: Port Pickup to Final Delivery
Platton picks up your container from every major US port and rail ramp and delivers it to your warehouse, tracked from port gate to your dock. You get one dispatch team, live GPS on every container, and an all-in rate with no accessorial surprises.
Faster Port Pickup, On-Time Delivery, Full Tracking
Container Pickup Before Per-Diem Charges Hit
The clock starts the moment your container is available at the terminal. Platton's port drayage network covers every major US gateway, including NY/NJ, LA/Long Beach, Savannah, Houston, Seattle, and Oakland, with pre-positioned chassis and drivers who pick up inside the free-time window, so you do not pay $200 to $400 a day in per-diem and demurrage.
Container Delivery That Hits the Appointment Window
Warehouses and distribution centers do not accept deliveries outside their slots. Our drayage dispatchers book the delivery appointment in advance, track drivers by GPS, and reschedule early if a delay appears, so your container does not sit on a chassis waiting for a missed window to reopen.
FCL, Reefer, and Overweight Container Drayage
Drayage moves full containers, so that is what Platton is built for: standard 20ft and 40ft boxes straight from the terminal to your warehouse, refrigerated containers with genset power, and overweight loads on a tri-axle chassis. For heavy or out-of-gauge containers, we handle the permits and routing. One point of contact for every container type, at every gateway in the US.
GPS Tracking on Every Truck and Every Load
You get real-time visibility from the moment the driver gates out of the terminal until the box is dropped at your warehouse. ETA updates push to your Platton dashboard, so nobody has to call dispatch to find out whether the truck has left.
Nationwide Drayage and Rail-Ramp Coverage
Platton's drayage connects every major US port to inland warehouses, distribution centers, and rail ramps. We move standard 20ft and 40ft boxes that arrive by ocean freight, refrigerated containers, and overweight loads that need permits, plus bonded container moves for in-bond cargo transiting between ports or FTZs.
When a destination sits inland, we run rail drayage: dray the container to the rail ramp, move it by rail, and dray it from the destination ramp to your door. You set the priority, and we route the container to it.
Major US drayage ports and rail ramps
West gateways
Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix
South Central and border gateways
El Paso, Laredo, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, New Orleans
Midwest and Southeast inland ramps
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic gateways
Major US Drayage Ports and Rail Ramps
Platton runs drayage at US container ports and inland rail ramps nationwide. Coverage includes:
West: Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix
South Central and border: El Paso, Laredo, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, New Orleans
Midwest: Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Chicago, Decatur, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus
Southeast: Memphis, Huntsville, Mobile, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Norfolk, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Boston
Wherever your container enters the US, Platton has chassis and drivers at the gateway to pull it and run it to your door.
Platton's Drayage Network and Coverage
Platton holds contracted chassis pools and dedicated drivers at every major US container gateway, capacity that stays in place through peak season instead of evaporating when terminals back up. From those gateways the network reaches inland warehouses, distribution centers, and rail ramps coast to coast, so the box keeps moving from the terminal to your dock on one dispatch.
Drayage Performance by the Numbers
Platton runs drayage to measured results, not promises:
Same-day port pickup rate
93%
Average gate-out-to-delivery
36 hours
On-time delivery rate
97.4%
Average fees saved per container
$280
The Drayage Problems That Cost Importers the Most
When a Container Sits at the Port for Days
"My container sat at the port for 9 days." Every day past free time costs $200 to $400 in per-diem and demurrage. Platton monitors container-availability notifications, pre-assigns drivers and chassis, and dispatches pickup inside the free-time window rather than after it expires. Our team confirms pickup within 30 minutes of gate-out.
When an $800 Drayage Quote Is Invoiced at $1,400
"Drayage quoted at $800, invoiced at $1,400." Hidden accessorials like chassis fees, port congestion surcharges, fuel adjustments, and tri-axle charges blow up container trucking costs. Platton quotes all-in rates that already include chassis, fuel, and standard port fees. What we quote is what you pay, unless the load itself changes.
When Peak Season Dries Up Truck Capacity
"It's peak season, nobody has trucks." During peak, roughly August to November, chassis shortages and driver scarcity at major ports can push pickups out a week or more. Platton holds contracted capacity at every major gateway, with pre-positioned chassis pools and dedicated driver networks that do not vanish when demand spikes.
What's Actually in Your Drayage Quote
Optimized Routing That Cuts Empty Miles Multi-stop and round-trip drayage runs reduce empty miles and cut your per-container cost by 15% to 20% when you move several loads from the same port in the same week.
All-In Quoting With No Hidden Accessorials Every quote includes chassis, fuel surcharge, port fees, and standard wait time. There are no surprise line items on the invoice. Overweight, reefer, and hazmat loads are quoted separately, with full disclosure upfront.
Shipment-Level Cost Visibility You see the exact trucking cost per container, per delivery, and per mile through your Platton dashboard. Compare lane rates over time, spot savings, and build landed-cost models that include the inland leg, alongside your customs and freight costs.
Route optimization
Fuel saved, tons
1 430
TOTAL PROFIT
86%
Calculate your drayage cost online
Built for Importers Who Can't Afford Port Delays
Platton's drayage trucking services are built for US importers, manufacturers, and retailers who need containers off the port and into the warehouse on schedule. Whether you move 5 containers a month or 50, the same dispatch team, tracking, and all-in pricing apply. Average port-to-warehouse delivery time is 24 to 48 hours after customs release at major gateways.
All-in drayage quotes with no hidden accessorials
Live GPS tracking from port gate-out to warehouse delivery
A 24/7 US-based dispatch team for every pickup and delivery
What you get on every move:
- Container drayage at every major US port and rail ramp
- Rail drayage to and from inland ramps and destinations
- Bonded drayage for in-bond and FTZ container moves
- Tri-axle chassis for overweight containers, plus reefer genset power
- GPS-tracked container delivery with appointment scheduling
- Intermodal rail drayage where it cuts cost on inland moves
- All-in quoting, with chassis, fuel, and port fees included
Where Drayage Connects to the Rest of the Move
Drayage is the inland leg of a longer journey. These services cover the rest of it.
Ocean Freight
FCL and LCL into US ports, the containers we pull from the terminal
Customs Clearance
ISF, HTS classification, and entry
Customs Compliance
Bonded movements, FTZ, Section 301, and duty drawback
LTL Delivery
Less-than-truckload inland freight with consolidation
Door-to-Door Shipping
Origin pickup to your US door on one file
Amazon FBA Prep
Labeling and appointment booking into Amazon fulfillment
Shipping from China to USA
The lane most of our import containers run
Drayage FAQs
Port drayage (container pickup from the terminal to your warehouse), rail drayage to and from inland ramps, refrigerated containers with genset power, overweight containers on a tri-axle chassis, bonded and in-bond container moves, and container delivery with appointment scheduling. Every move includes GPS tracking and all-in pricing.
We monitor container-availability notifications from the steamship line and the port terminal. As soon as your container is flagged available, our dispatch team assigns a driver and chassis and schedules pickup inside the free-time window, typically 3 to 5 days depending on the port. If there is a terminal congestion issue, we reroute or reschedule early to keep your exposure down.
Yes. Every truck is GPS-tracked from the moment the driver gates out of the terminal. Your Platton dashboard shows live location, current ETA, and any delay alerts. For warehouse deliveries, you see when the driver checks in, when unloading starts, and when the empty container is returned, so you have visibility on chassis-return timing too.
Yes, and that is where most drayage delays happen. We pre-schedule the delivery appointment, track the driver against the appointment time, and reschedule early if a delay puts the slot at risk. For retail-compliant deliveries (Walmart, Costco, Target), we follow the routing guide and MABD requirements to avoid chargebacks.
Everything: driver, truck, chassis rental, fuel surcharge, port terminal fees, and standard wait time (typically 1 to 2 hours). If your container is overweight (over 44,000 lbs), needs a tri-axle chassis, or needs a reefer genset, those are quoted separately but disclosed upfront. No hidden accessorials on the invoice.
At most major ports, same-day or next-business-day pickup once the container shows as available and customs-cleared. During peak season (August to November), we hold contracted chassis pools and dedicated drivers at high-volume terminals to avoid the 5 to 10 day delays common on the spot market. Pre-pull service is available if your free time is running short.
Every Day Your Container Sits at the Port Costs You Money
Per-diem, demurrage, missed delivery windows, and detention charges all land on the inland leg, where import costs quietly spiral. Platton's drayage trucking services get your containers off the port and into your warehouse before those charges stack up. Get an all-in quote for your next shipment.