Container Drayage from the Port of Vancouver

What container drayage is

Drayage is the short truck move that connects a container ship to the rest of your supply chain. When an import container comes off a vessel at a Port of Vancouver terminal, a drayage carrier picks it up on a chassis and delivers it to your warehouse, distribution centre or job site. Once it's unloaded, the empty goes back. Export moves run the other way: an empty comes to you, you load it, and the full container goes back to the terminal before the vessel cutoff.

It sounds simple, but the timing is tight. Terminals run on appointment windows, containers only get a set amount of free time before storage charges start, and empties need to go back before per diem charges add up. A good drayage carrier keeps all of that moving so the ocean leg of your shipment doesn't stall on the ground in BC.

How container drayage works with Ferndale

1. Send us the details. Use the quote form or call dispatch with the container number, size, pickup terminal, delivery address and when the container is ready.
2. We confirm the plan. Dispatch confirms the pickup and a delivery window that works for your receiving team.
3. We pick up at the terminal. Our driver collects your container on our own 20ft or 40ft chassis.
4. We deliver to your door. Tell us how you receive freight and we'll plan the delivery around it.
5. We handle the return. After unloading, we take the empty back. For exports, we deliver the loaded container to the terminal.

Dispatch keeps you updated from pickup to delivery, so you're not chasing anyone for an answer.

Import, export and warehouse moves

Most of our drayage falls into three kinds of moves:

• Import moves: a full container from the terminal to your facility, and the empty returned after unloading.
• Export moves: an empty delivered for loading, and the full container taken back to the terminal.
• Port to warehouse: the container comes to our Annacis Island warehouse for unloading, transloading, storage or cross-docking, then goes out on our dry vans when you need it.

If your freight needs more than a straight delivery, tell us at the start. Planning the trucking and warehouse steps together is simpler for you and keeps the container moving.

Equipment

Every drayage move runs on company-owned equipment:

• 20ft and 40ft container chassis
• Reefer containers for temperature-controlled freight
• Flat rack and open top containers for out-of-gauge cargo
• Step deck and double drop trailers for tall and heavy loads
• 20ft and 40ft dry vans for local delivery after transloading

Because we own our equipment, your move doesn't depend on a broker finding a truck.

Areas we serve

We run container drayage from the Port of Vancouver to businesses across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Delta, Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack.

Our dispatch is based in Abbotsford, we run a yard in Richmond, and our warehouse is on Annacis Island in Delta. We stay local on purpose. We don't run long haul or US cross-border freight, so our trucks and drivers are focused on the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley every day.

Why shippers choose Ferndale for drayage

• 20 years moving containers in BC
• Family-owned, with a team that picks up the phone
• Company-owned trucks and chassis. We don't broker your loads out.
• One company from the terminal to your door, including warehousing if you need it
• Focused only on the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley

Many of our customers have worked with us for years. See what they say in our Google reviews.