Port-to-warehouse drayage with appointments confirmed at both ends.
Most Charleston imports end at a warehouse dock — yours or a 3PL's. Cate Freight runs port-to-warehouse drayage with the appointment booked on both sides before the truck rolls, so the container shows up when your dock is ready and not before.
Why "port-to-warehouse" deserves its own service
Most carriers treat the warehouse delivery like an afterthought — show up, hope for a dock, push the appointment if it slips. That's how containers end up sitting on chassis with the per-diem clock running, or how drivers get bounced from one DC to another all afternoon.
Cate Freight comes from the warehouse side. We know what an ASN window means, what a dock manager needs to schedule a live unload, and how 3PL receivers expect to be notified. So we book the delivery slot at the consignee, confirm it before the terminal pickup, and tell you the moment something changes.
Live unload vs. drop & hook
The right choice depends on your unload speed and your chassis cost tolerance:
- Live unload. Driver stays for the unload. Best when you can crack the doors within an hour of arrival and have crew on dock. No chassis per-diem exposure.
- Drop & hook. Driver drops on a chassis. You unload on your timeline. Chassis per-diem accrues; we'll quote daily so you can decide.
Charleston port-to-warehouse lanes we run constantly
- Wando Welch / North Charleston / Leatherman → Charleston metro DCs
- Wando → Mount Pleasant 3PL warehouses
- SCPA → Summerville and Goose Creek industrial parks
- SCPA → Columbia distribution center cluster
- SCPA → Greenville and Spartanburg manufacturing
- SCPA → Florence, Hartsville, and the I-95 corridor
Communication you can build a plan around
Port-to-warehouse drayage breaks down most often at the comms layer — the dispatch that doesn't return calls, the driver whose ETA is "soon." Cate Freight treats communication as part of the move:
- Daily morning ETA update for in-flight containers
- Inbound text or email when the driver is en route to the consignee
- POD scanned and emailed back the same day
- One dispatcher per file — you talk to the same person all the way through
What you should expect on a port-to-warehouse move
- Day -1Release verified, terminal appointment booked, delivery slot confirmed.
- Pickup morningContainer pulled, gate transaction captured, driver dispatched.
- In transitGPS-tracked. ETA shared. Any change communicated immediately.
- DeliveryLive unload or drop & hook per your spec. Driver waits on signature.
- Same daySigned POD imaged, named to your reference, emailed back.
Pairs well with
Other Charleston drayage services we run.
Common questions