Short answer: At the Port of Charleston, drayage is the truck move of a container between the terminal and a warehouse, and transloading is unloading that container and moving the freight into domestic trailers or into inventory. Argents Express Group, an FMC-licensed NVOCC and customs broker founded in 1977, arranges the drayage through owner operators and trucking partners and does the transloading itself inside its Argents-operated warehouse in Ladson, SC. The warehouse is about 30 minutes from the port, so a container can be transloaded the same day when everything is arranged properly.
Drayage is the short truck haul that carries an ocean container from the port terminal to a warehouse, rail ramp or transload facility. It is normally booked by the freight forwarder, the customs broker or the warehouse, and performed by a licensed motor carrier or owner operator. Key timing items are the terminal appointment, the free time on the container, and the chassis and per diem clocks that start if a container sits.
Argents does not leave this step to chance. We arrange drayage for our customers through owner operators and trucking partners, and we schedule it around customs clearance and our receiving appointments so containers move when they are ready, not before.
Transloading means unloading the freight from the ocean container. The freight can then go into inventory, or onto a domestic trailer or pallets for onward shipment. It makes sense when you want to break a container into smaller pallet moves, sort goods by destination, or avoid sending an ocean container inland.
At Argents the transloading is done by our own team in our Argents-operated warehouse in Ladson, SC, not handed to a third party. Imported inventory can be unloaded, counted and put away for DTC, retail or B2B orders from the same building.
A container cannot move until it is released. Argents is a licensed U.S. customs broker with in-house brokerage, and we are CTPAT Validated, so entries are prepared and filed by the same team that books the drayage and receives the freight. Learn more on our customs brokerage page.
With forwarding, customs brokerage, drayage coordination, transloading and fulfillment under one company, there are fewer handoffs where delays happen. Argents operates warehouses in Elgin, IL, Ladson, SC and Tacoma, WA, over 430,000 square feet across three U.S. hubs. See our Charleston 3PL and fulfillment center or contact us to plan an import.
Drayage is usually booked by the freight forwarder, the customs broker or the warehouse, and carried out by a licensed motor carrier or owner operator. Argents Express Group arranges drayage for its customers through owner operators and trucking partners, and coordinates it with customs clearance and warehouse receiving.
Drayage is the truck move of a container between the port terminal and another location. Transloading is unloading the container and moving the freight into domestic trailers or into warehouse inventory. At Argents the transloading is done by our own team inside our Argents-operated warehouse in Ladson, SC.
Yes, when the warehouse can unload containers and the container has been cleared and scheduled for pickup. Argents arranges the drayage and unloads the container in its own Ladson, SC warehouse, which is about 30 minutes from the port.
Because the warehouse is about 30 minutes from the port, a container can be transloaded the same day when customs clearance, the terminal appointment and the drayage are all arranged properly. Timing still depends on terminal availability and any customs holds.
The container must be released by the terminal and carriers, which depends on customs clearance and freight charges being in order. Argents is a licensed U.S. customs broker, so clearance is handled in-house and can be coordinated with the drayage pickup.