Charleston drayage from all three SCPA terminals — quote in under an hour, releases checked before we roll.
Cate Freight is a Charleston drayage carrier pulling import and export containers from Wando Welch, North Charleston, and Hugh Leatherman to warehouses, transload yards, and consignees across South Carolina and the Southeast. One dispatcher per file. Same-day POD. Honest accessorials.
What we need to quote you
Four fields and we can come back with a real number — usually inside an hour during business hours.
Who we move for
Built for the people who book drayage every week.
If you've ever had a driver no-show on a release, lost a free day to a dispatcher who didn't return the email, or paid demurrage because nobody pre-pulled — you're the kind of customer Cate Freight is built for.
3PLs & warehouses
Drop-and-hook coordination, ASN-friendly arrival windows, and a dispatcher who answers when the dock is waiting on a 40HC.
3PL drayage detailsFreight forwarders
Booking visibility, terminal-aware pickup timing, and clean PODs back fast so you can close the file the day it's delivered.
Forwarder workflowCustoms brokers
Release-status checks before the truck rolls. Nothing rolls until customs and freight are released and the line lifts the hold.
Broker handoffImporters & exporters
You ship volume in or out of Charleston and want one number to call. Direct, no broker layer — unless you want one.
Direct shipper detailsCore drayage services
Containers in. Containers out. Containers anywhere they need to go inside the Southeast.
Port drayage
Pickup or return at all three SCPA container terminals — Wando Welch, North Charleston, and Hugh Leatherman.
Port drayageImport container drayage
Release-checked, customs-cleared imports from Charleston to your DC — live unload, drop, or pre-pull to our yard.
Import drayageExport container drayage
Loaded export delivery to terminal, ERD-aware scheduling, and SOLAS VGM coordination on every move.
Export drayagePort-to-warehouse
Direct port-to-DC moves with appointments confirmed at both ends. We don't roll until your dock is ready.
Port-to-warehouseTransload & coordination
Container delivery to a transload yard, plus the warehouse muscle to coordinate the cross-dock if you need it.
TransloadOverweight & OOG
Tri-axle chassis, route permits, and the experience to pull 60,000+ lb containers without breaking the chain.
Overweight drayageReefer drayage
Genset chassis, set-point verification on pickup, and pre-trip inspection so the box stays in temp the whole way.
Reefer drayageSpecialty & project
Hazmat, flat-rack, open-top, and project moves with proper permits, escort coordination, and clean documentation.
All servicesWhy Cate Freight
Drayage that thinks like the receiver.
Most drayage carriers were built around the truck. We were built around the receiver — the warehouse manager who needs containers in the right order, the broker who needs the release confirmed before the chassis leaves the yard, the 3PL who needs an ETA they can actually post.
Greg Cate ran warehouses and 3PL operations for years before starting Cate Freight. That experience shows up in the way every container is handled: paperwork before the wheels turn, terminal status checked before dispatch, and one number to call when something changes.
More about Cate FreightWhat you get on every move
- Release checked before dispatchCustoms, freight, and line holds verified — no dry runs.
- Quote inside the hourDuring business hours, you'll have a number on your screen before lunch.
- One dispatcher per fileYou aren't bouncing between people. The person who quoted is the person who runs the move.
- Clean PODs back same daySigned BOL emailed back the day of delivery. Imaged, named, filed.
- Honest accessorialsChassis splits, detention, overweight permits — quoted upfront. No surprise lines on the invoice.
Charleston terminal coverage
All three SCPA container terminals. Every shift.
We monitor terminal hours, gate moves, and chassis pool status across the Port of Charleston so we can route around the bottlenecks instead of waiting in them.
Wando Welch Terminal
USCHA · Mt. PleasantSCPA's highest-volume container terminal. Deep-water berths handling the largest vessels calling the East Coast.
- Pickup & return Container moves & pre-pulls
- Specialty Reefer, overweight, OOG
North Charleston Terminal
USNCH · Former Navy baseDirect interstate access via I-26 and I-526. Diverse mix of containerized and breakbulk cargo.
- Pickup & return Container moves & pre-pulls
- Specialty Hazmat coordination
Hugh Leatherman Terminal
USCHL · North CharlestonSCPA's newest terminal. Purpose-built for efficiency with current ship-to-shore equipment and gate technology.
- Pickup & return Container moves & pre-pulls
- Specialty Newer ship-to-shore lines
How a container actually runs
The five steps every move passes through.
No magic. Just discipline. Here's exactly what happens between "we got the booking" and "your POD is in your inbox."
Booking received
You send a booking, MBL, or release notice. We confirm size, line, terminal, weight, and any specialty (reefer, hazmat, OOG).
Releases verified
We check freight release, customs release, and line holds before we put a truck on it. No dry runs.
Appointment booked
Terminal slot booked when required. Delivery appointment confirmed at the consignee. Driver gets a clean dispatch.
Container moves
Driver pulls, GPS-tracked. We watch gate transactions and chassis pool status — and route around them when needed.
POD & close
Signed POD imaged, named with your reference, and emailed back same day. Empty returned and per diem clock stopped.
Charleston-specific intelligence
The Port of Charleston has its own rhythms. We work them.
Charleston is the only major East Coast port without on-dock or near-dock rail. That makes drayage the dominant mode here — and makes the difference between a sharp drayman and a sloppy one painfully visible.
- Pre-pull when free time is tight to avoid Terminal Demurrage
- Chassis pool awareness across TRAC, DCLI, and Flexi-Van
- Holiday "no work day" calendar tracked so you don't burn free time
- Tri-axle equipment for the heavy SE manufacturing flows
- Connections to Charleston transload yards and CFS facilities
- Same-day return coordination to stop per diem fast
Charleston port intel
Real numbers and rules that affect your container, not generic logistics talk.
- 3 SCPA container terminalsWando Welch, North Charleston, Hugh Leatherman
- 52' deepest harbor on the East CoastLargest vessels call here directly
- Free time varies by lineTypically 3-5 days at SCPA — we track it
- Chassis splits cost real money$25-$75 per move in the wrong configuration
- Navy Base intermodal arrivingNear-dock rail finally landing in 2026 — we'll route to it day one
Documentation
Paperwork that doesn't slow you down.
Every document is named with your reference number, archived for the file, and emailed back when the move closes — so your auditors and your customs broker never have to chase us.
Common questions