Drayage for shippers who'd rather call the carrier directly.
Some importers and exporters work through a forwarder or 3PL. Some prefer to deal directly with the Charleston drayage carrier. Cate Freight handles both — but we're particularly good for direct shippers who want operational visibility, no broker layer in the way, and a single dispatcher who knows their account.
What direct shippers get with Cate Freight
- One dispatcher per account. The person who quoted is the person who runs the move.
- Quote inside the hour. Business hours. Off-hours, by next morning.
- Operational visibility. Where the container is, when it's gating, when it's delivering — all in one email thread.
- Direct customs broker handoff. If you have a broker, we'll work directly with them on release timing.
- Honest accessorials. Chassis, fuel, OW permits — quoted up front, no surprise lines.
Setting up a recurring drayage relationship
If you're moving Charleston volume every week, set up a standing dispatch arrangement and you'll get:
- Faster quotes (we already know your typical fields)
- Equipment commitment for steady drop-and-hook flows
- Standardized POD format matched to your records system
- One monthly invoice with line-item detail
- A direct line to dispatch — not a routing tree
Where Charleston's direct importers and exporters ship from
Most of the shippers who call us directly are manufacturers and distributors with their own dock in the tri-county area — Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. The plant clusters we dray to and from every week sit in North Charleston along Palmetto Commerce Parkway and Ashley Phosphate Road, in Goose Creek at Bushy Park, in Ladson and the Jedburg Road industrial corridor outside Summerville, and at the Camp Hall build-out near Ridgeville off I-26. From Wando Welch, North Charleston, or Hugh Leatherman terminal, those are 10-to-35-mile drays that turn same day once the box is released. Export loaders in the Midlands (Columbia, Cayce), the Upstate (Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson), and along I-95 (Florence, Orangeburg) run the same lanes in reverse, timed against the booking's ERD and cut-off.
Direct shippers also tend to own the heavy and specialty freight in the Charleston market — machinery, steel, resin, forest products, and refrigerated commodities — which is why the overweight drayage and reefer drayage pages exist. If your ZIP is outside the tri-county, the Charleston drayage coverage area lists turn times lane by lane.
Common questions