Transloading vs. drayage straight to your dock: which is cheaper?

The short answer

If your dock can take a container, you have the crew to unload it, and the freight is going to one place, delivering the container straight to your dock is usually the simplest and cheapest option. Transloading starts to pay off when freight is split between receivers, when receivers can't take a container, or when per diem and storage are adding up.

When direct drayage wins

Direct delivery has the fewest touches.

• You have a dock or can unload a grounded container
• One container, one receiver
• Your receiving schedule lines up with terminal free time
• The freight doesn't need to be palletized for your own warehouse

When transloading wins

Transloading means unloading the ocean container at a facility and putting the freight into a domestic trailer or truck.

• One container needs to go to several receivers on different days
• The receiver is a store or job site that can take a straight truck but not a container chassis
• Retail DCs require palletized, wrapped and labelled freight
• Per diem is a concern and you want the empty returned right away
• A 53' trailer holds more than a 40' container, so several containers can go out in fewer trucks

Compare the full landed cost

Put both options side by side: drayage to your dock plus unloading labour, chassis days and any per diem, against drayage to the transload facility plus handling, palletizing, short-term storage and the outbound truck. The cheaper option on paper is not always the cheaper one once waiting time and per diem are counted.

Send dispatch the container details and your receiving plan, and ask for both options quoted on separate lines.