If you move containers through PortMiami or Port Everglades, “how much does drayage cost?” is rarely answered with a single number. The base rate is only the starting point. The real total depends on fuel, chassis, wait time at the terminal, and whether your container sits anywhere longer than it should. This guide breaks down each line item you’re likely to see on a Miami drayage quote in 2026, shares the base rates we publish, and offers practical ways to keep the final invoice close to the number you were quoted.
Published base drayage rates for Miami ports
Go Drayage publishes its base rates directly on our homepage: $500 for container drayage from PortMiami and $450 from Port Everglades. These are starting rates for a standard local move, and actual pricing can vary based on distance, container type, cargo characteristics, and current accessorial costs. Still, having a published baseline matters. It gives importers and freight forwarders a real anchor for budgeting instead of a “call for pricing” black box.
Because we’re an asset-based carrier with our own trucks, drivers, and a 5-acre yard in Miami, we quote from our own cost structure rather than reselling another carrier’s capacity. That tends to make quotes more stable and easier to explain line by line.
What goes into a drayage quote
A complete quote for container drayage typically includes some or all of the following components.
Base rate
The base rate covers the linehaul: picking up your loaded container at the terminal and delivering it to your warehouse, distribution center, or transload facility. It’s usually priced by lane or mileage band. A move from PortMiami to Doral costs less than a run up to Fort Pierce, so always confirm what delivery zone your base rate assumes.
Fuel surcharge
Most drayage carriers apply a fuel surcharge calculated as a percentage of the base rate, tied to published diesel price indexes. It moves with the market, so a quote from January may carry a different surcharge by July. Ask whether fuel is included in the quoted number or added on top.
Chassis fees
Containers don’t roll on their own; they ride on a chassis, and chassis usage is billed by the day. If a chassis provider’s daily rate applies for three days because a container couldn’t be unloaded promptly, that shows up on your invoice. Carriers with their own equipment and yard space have more flexibility to keep chassis days down.
Wait time and detention
Terminals get congested, and warehouses run behind. Most quotes include a window of free time at pickup and delivery (often one to two hours), after which driver detention is billed in increments. During peak season at PortMiami, turn times can stretch, so it pays to work with a carrier that runs the port every day and knows which hours to avoid.
Pre-pull and storage
A pre-pull means the carrier retrieves your container from the terminal before your delivery date and stages it in a secure yard. There’s a fee for the extra move, but it’s routinely cheaper than the demurrage that accrues once a container sits past its last free day. Go Drayage stages containers at our 5-acre secured Miami yard with 24/7 access and capacity for more than 450 containers and trailers, which makes short-term yard storage a genuine cost-control tool rather than an afterthought.
Demurrage and per-diem exposure
These aren’t carrier fees, but they belong in every cost conversation. Demurrage is what the terminal or ocean carrier charges when your container stays at the port past its free time. Per-diem is what the ocean carrier charges when you keep their container past the allowed days after it leaves the terminal. Both can dwarf the drayage rate itself if a move is poorly timed. Understanding your last free day is the single most important date on any import move.
How to keep Miami drayage costs under control
- Share documents early. Delivery orders, customs release status, and appointment details sent ahead of time prevent missed windows and repeat trips.
- Watch the last free day. Build your dispatch plan around it, not around when your warehouse happens to have dock space.
- Use pre-pulls strategically. If your receiving schedule is tight, paying for a pre-pull and a night of yard storage usually beats a demurrage bill.
- Turn containers quickly. Live unloads that run long generate detention; empties returned late generate per-diem. Fast turns protect both sides of the invoice.
- Track every container. Go Drayage customers get real-time visibility through our Go Truck Hub TMS, so you always know where a box is and can plan labor around actual arrival times.
Getting an accurate drayage quote in Miami
The fastest way to know your true cost is to quote the actual move: origin terminal, delivery zip code, container size (20ft, 40ft, or 45ft), commodity, weight, and any special handling. As a U.S. Customs bonded carrier headquartered ten minutes from Miami’s port corridor, we can usually price a lane the same day. Request a drayage quote online or call (786) 445-0150 to talk through your lane with a dispatcher who runs these terminals daily.
Frequently asked questions
How much does container drayage cost in Miami?
Go Drayage publishes base rates of $500 from PortMiami and $450 from Port Everglades. Final pricing varies with distance, fuel surcharges, chassis days, wait time, and any storage or per-diem exposure, so quote your specific lane for an exact number.
What is the difference between demurrage and per-diem?
Demurrage is charged when a container sits at the port terminal past its free time. Per-diem is charged by the ocean carrier when you keep the container past its allowed days after it leaves the terminal. Both are avoidable with good scheduling.
Is a fuel surcharge included in the base drayage rate?
Usually not. Most carriers add a fuel surcharge as a percentage of the base rate, tied to current diesel prices. Always ask whether a quoted rate is all-in or whether fuel and accessorials are billed separately.