Container Drayage in Norfolk, VA: Port of Virginia Drayage Services
Asset-based container drayage from NIT and VIG with company drivers, company-owned chassis and a secure Norfolk yard for pre-pulls.
The short move that protects the entire shipment.
Your container just discharged at Norfolk International Terminals. The last free day is already on the calendar, the chassis situation is uncertain, and your consignee wants a delivery window by tomorrow. Container drayage is the short move that decides whether that box lands on budget or turns into a stack of demurrage and per diem invoices.
Carroll Trucking has provided container drayage out of Norfolk since 1977. We run the first mile with company drivers, company-owned chassis and a secure Norfolk yard a short haul from the port.
What Container Drayage Covers at the Port of Virginia
Container drayage is the short-haul movement of an ocean container between a marine terminal and its next stop. That stop might be your dock, a transload facility, a rail ramp or an empty-return depot. Every import move is really a round trip: the loaded box goes out, and the empty has to come back before the clock runs out.
At the Port of Virginia, our drayage services typically fall into five move types:
- Import delivery: pier to your door, with a live unload or a drop and hook.
- Pier to transload: containers come straight to our Norfolk transloading facility, where we pull the container before the last free day and stage it on our chassis in our yard until your receiving schedule opens.
- Export: empty pickup, loading at your facility and delivery to the terminal ahead of the vessel cutoff.
- Rail connections: moves between the terminals, local rail ramps and our facility for freight heading inland by intermodal rail.
- Empty returns: coordinated return to the correct depot or terminal before per diem starts running in your consignee’s lot.
NIT, VIG and the Terminal That Changed
Nearly all of our Norfolk container drayage runs through the port’s two primary container terminals: Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and Virginia International Gateway (VIG) in Portsmouth. Both require trucks to book appointments through the port’s PRO-PASS reservation system during mandatory reservation hours, and trucks that arrive without one are turned away.
If your routing guide still lists Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) for containers, update it. The port converted PMT from a legacy container terminal into a deep-water heavy-lift facility that now supports offshore wind and project cargo rather than box traffic. Out-of-state shippers still get caught by this.
Volume is also heading one direction. The Port of Virginia completed its 55-foot channel in February 2026, giving it the deepest harbor on the East Coast, and a fifth ultra-large vessel berth is underway.
Terminal equipment, container staging and secure yard capacity.
Why Drayage Is Where Demurrage and Detention Get Decided
Two separate clocks start when your container hits the terminal. Demurrage accrues while the loaded container sits inside the terminal past its free time. Detention, often called per diem, accrues once the container and often the chassis leaves the terminal and is not returned empty within the allowed days. Your ocean carrier sets the free time. Your drayage carrier’s speed and equipment decide whether you use it well.
Federal rules now give you more leverage when those charges land. Under the Federal Maritime Commission’s billing rule, in effect since May 28, 2024, ocean carriers and terminal operators must issue demurrage and detention invoices within 30 days from the date the charge was last incurred, and keep equipment interchange receipts (EIRs) organized so you have the records to back up a dispute.
How We Keep Both Clocks in Your Favor
- Pre-pulls before the last free day: When your dock is not ready, we pull the box off the terminal and stage it in our Norfolk yard. That stops demurrage while you schedule delivery. If freight needs to come out of the box before the final delivery date, our team can pair the pre-pull with container unloading and devanning.
- Company-owned chassis: The port’s HRCP II chassis pool is large, with more than 17,000 chassis, but a terminal reservation does not guarantee a chassis. Running our own removes that variable on the days it matters most.
- Reservations planned around your dates: Our dispatch team books PRO-PASS appointments around your last free day and delivery window, not whatever slot happens to be open.
- Fast empty returns: We schedule the empty return as part of the move, not as an afterthought, so per diem does not quietly run in your consignee’s lot.
- Transload and return: When freight comes to our facility, we unload on our schedule and send the empty back without waiting on your customer’s receiving hours.
What Separates Carroll From Other Drayage Companies in Norfolk
Carroll is an asset-based carrier, which means we own the equipment and employ the people doing the work.
- Company drivers, not a rotating bench of owner-operators, with TWIC credentials on every port move.
- Company-owned chassis, including configurations built for heavy containers.
- Overweight container capability: Virginia law allows overweight permits for sealed seagoing containers moving to or from a seaport, provided the contents are not changed in transit. We take the heavy-weight and specialized moves other carriers turn away.
- Hazmat certified, and an approved government carrier moving Department of Defense freight for more than 30 years.
- 170K square feet of gated, secure Norfolk warehousing for storage, transloading and distribution.
- 40+ drivers and power units, backed by a support staff averaging more than 22 years of experience.
Drayage Services That Reach Beyond Norfolk
Norfolk is home, but it is not the edge of the map. Carroll’s primary drayage ports also include the Port of Charleston, the Port of Savannah and the Port of Houston, and our authority and equipment let us serve other ports when a shipment requires it.
Once a container clears the pier, we keep the freight moving with full truckload delivery anywhere in the continental United States, intermodal rail for long distances, or LTL for partial loads. For freight forwarders, BCOs and brokers, that means one asset-based carrier from the terminal gate to the final door, with fewer handoffs and fewer places for a shipment to stall.
How to Get an Accurate Container Drayage Quote
Drayage pricing depends on details. Send these with your request and our team will respond with capacity, routing and pricing within one business hour:
- 01Container number, bill of lading and steamship line
- 02Terminal (NIT or VIG) and last free day
- 03Container size and type (20-foot, 40-foot, 40-foot high cube, reefer or flat rack) and gross weight
- 04Delivery address, receiving hours, and whether you need a live unload or a drop
- 05Hazmat classification, if applicable
- 06Whether you need a pre-pull, storage or transloading
Container Drayage FAQs
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Is port drayage the same as container drayage?
Container drayage refers specifically to ocean containers on chassis, which is most port work today. Our port drayage page covers our national service. This page focuses on Norfolk.
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What is a chassis split?
A chassis split happens when the chassis and the container sit at different locations, so the driver has to collect a chassis elsewhere before picking up the box. It adds time, miles and a separate charge. Because Carroll runs company-owned chassis, most Norfolk moves avoid splits entirely.
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What is a pre-pull, and when is it worth it?
A pre-pull means picking up the container before your delivery date and holding it in a secure yard. It usually pays for itself when demurrage would start before your dock can receive, or when a vessel surge will make terminal appointments scarce later in the week.
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Can you move overweight containers?
Yes. We run heavy-weight configurations and handle permitted overweight moves for sealed seagoing containers under Virginia rules. Share the gross weight with your quote request so we can assign the right equipment. For freight that does not fit a standard box, see our guide to oversize, overweight and out-of-gauge cargo.
Moving Containers Through NIT or VIG?
Send us your container details and last free day, and we will build the move around your dates. Reach out to our team at 757-853-1170 or request a quote.
Carroll has been providing dependable transportation services to the government and private industry since 1977. We are proud to offer a full suite of customizable services to our clients at competitive prices. When you need reliable port to door service, call Carroll.