Charleston, SC

Charleston drayage, run by people who know what a release looks like before they roll a truck.

We pull import and export containers out of every SCPA container terminal — Wando Welch, North Charleston, and Hugh Leatherman — and run them to warehouses, transload yards, and consignees across South Carolina and the Southeast. Cate Freight is built to make Charleston drayage feel boring on purpose. Booking in. Container moves. POD back same day.

Request a Charleston drayage quote (843) 998-7820 dispatch
USCHA — Wando Welch USNCH — North Charleston USCHL — Hugh Leatherman
3SCPA terminals
52'Deepest E.C. harbor
60 minAvg quote turn
24/7Email coverage

The Port of Charleston: built for drayage

Charleston is the second-largest container port on the East Coast and the only major one without on-dock or near-dock rail (the Navy Base Intermodal Facility is finally arriving in 2026, but until then drayage is the only mode that moves a Charleston container). That makes Charleston a drayage town in a way Norfolk, Savannah, and New York are not.

It also means the ground game matters. The carrier who knows which gate is moving today, which chassis pool is closest to your container, and when SCPA has a holiday "no work day" that doesn't accrue free time — that carrier saves you real money. Cate Freight is built to be that carrier.

Charleston drayage services

Every drayage move that goes through Charleston, we do.

Port pickup & return

Loaded import pickup and empty returns at all three SCPA terminals.

Port drayage

Import container drayage

Release-checked imports from Charleston to your DC, dock, or transload.

Import drayage

Export container drayage

Loaded export delivery to terminal, ERD-aware scheduling, VGM coordination.

Export drayage

Port-to-warehouse

Direct moves from terminal to warehouse with appointments confirmed at both ends.

Port-to-warehouse

Transload & coordination

Container delivery to a transload yard plus the warehouse coordination.

Transload

Pre-pull service

Pull from the terminal early to stop the demurrage clock when free time is tight.

Pre-pull info

Reefer drayage

Genset chassis, set-point verification, pre-trip inspection on every move.

Reefer

Overweight & OOG

Tri-axle chassis, route permits, and the experience to handle 60,000+ lb containers.

Overweight

Charleston coverage area

Local Charleston drays plus regional Southeast lanes.

Most of our work is local Charleston drayage. We also run regional lanes inside South Carolina and into Georgia and the Carolinas. If your delivery ZIP is east of the Mississippi, we can probably get it there.

Local Charleston drayage zones

  • Charleston & downtown peninsula
  • North Charleston, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Ladson
  • Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, Cainhoy
  • Summerville, Lincolnville, Moncks Corner
  • Ravenel, Hollywood, Adams Run
  • James Island & Johns Island
  • Walterboro, Yemassee, St. George

Regional Southeast lanes we run

  • Columbia, Cayce, Lexington, Lugoff
  • Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Inman
  • Florence, Darlington, Hartsville
  • Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort
  • Savannah, Augusta, Atlanta metro
  • Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia, Statesville
  • Wilmington NC, Fayetteville NC
Don't see your destination? Send us the ZIP. If it's a one-off we don't run regularly, we'll either quote it directly or hand you a clean referral to a carrier who does. We don't pretend to cover lanes we can't run well.

How Charleston drayage pricing works

The line items that matter, explained.

Charleston drayage rates aren't one number. Here are the components that show up on every quote, and how Cate Freight handles each.

Base linehaul

The drive itself, terminal to delivery and back. Driven by mileage, wait time, and equipment type. Set up front in your quote.

Chassis

Daily chassis usage — TRAC, DCLI, or Flexi-Van. We avoid chassis split fees by routing to the depot that carries your line.

Fuel surcharge

Indexed to DOE diesel prices, refreshed weekly. Fuel is a line item, not a hidden markup.

Detention & per diem

Pass-through only. We tell you when the clock starts and we work hard to stop it. Live unloads are scheduled to fit free time.

Pre-pull & storage

If your dock isn't ready, we pre-pull and store. Quoted as a single package so you see the trade vs. demurrage.

Permits & specialty

Overweight permits, hazmat handling, OOG escort. Quoted up front when known. No surprise lines.

Watch out for: Carriers that quote a low base and load up the invoice with chassis splits, fuel multipliers, and "admin fees" you didn't see coming. Ask any quote — ours included — for an itemized rundown. If you can't get one, that's your answer.

Why customers stay

Smaller, sharper, and built around the receiver.

Charleston has good drayage carriers. It also has a lot of bad ones. The bad ones don't check releases, can't reach a dispatcher after 4 PM, and don't email PODs back without three follow-ups. We were built to be the opposite of that.

The advantage is operational, not magical. Cate Freight came out of the warehouse and 3PL world. We know what a clean ASN looks like, what a customs broker needs back, and what a dock manager wishes drayage drivers understood. That experience is the whole differentiator.

More about us

What "operationally sharp" actually means

  • Release verificationCustoms, freight, and line holds checked before dispatch.
  • Live terminal statusGate moves and chassis pool tracked daily.
  • Quote within an hourBusiness hours. Off hours, by next morning.
  • Same-day PODSigned BOL imaged, named, emailed.
  • Honest accessorialsChassis, fuel, OW permits — all up front.
  • One dispatcher per fileYou don't get bounced. You get a person.

Common questions

Charleston drayage FAQ

What is Charleston drayage?
Charleston drayage is the trucking of ocean shipping containers between the SCPA terminals at the Port of Charleston (Wando Welch, North Charleston, and Hugh Leatherman) and a nearby destination — typically a warehouse, transload facility, or a shipper's loading dock. Drayage is what moves a container its 'last mile' on or off the port.
How much does Charleston drayage cost?
A Charleston local dray (terminal to a Charleston-metro consignee) is generally a few hundred dollars before accessorials, with the exact number depending on the destination ZIP, container size, weight, and any specialty handling. Regional drays into Columbia, Greenville, Charlotte, or Savannah are quoted by mileage. Send your booking and delivery ZIP for a real number.
Which Charleston terminals does Cate Freight cover?
All three SCPA container terminals: Wando Welch in Mount Pleasant, North Charleston Terminal on the former Navy base, and the Hugh Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston. We also work Columbus Street when needed for breakbulk and RoRo.
Can you drayage overweight containers from Charleston?
Yes. We run tri-axle chassis configurations and pull state-issued overweight permits where required. Overweight drays are quoted up front including the permit cost so there are no surprise line items.
Do you handle reefer drayage in Charleston?
Yes. We run reefer drays with genset chassis, verified set points on pickup, and a pre-trip inspection. Reefer set point and supply temperature are confirmed at pickup and again at delivery, then noted on the POD.
How quickly can you pick up a container from a Charleston terminal?
Same-day pickup is possible if the container is released and the booking is in our hands by mid-morning. Next-day pickup is the norm. Pre-pull service is available when free time is tight or your dock isn't ready.

Quote a Charleston drayage move

Booking, terminal, delivery ZIP — that's all we need to start.

Request a quote Call dispatch