Seaport
Port of Palm Beach drayage
Drayage off the Port of Palm Beach. Small, shallow and export-heavy: the Bahamas and Caribbean port, not the big-ship import port. Roughly 70 miles north of Miami.
The export port, and that changes what it is for
Palm Beach is the fourth busiest container port in Florida and about 80% of what moves through it is going out rather than coming in. The Bahamas takes roughly 60% of its goods through here. Add Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the wider Caribbean and you have most of the port.
It also handles sugar, molasses, cement, produce and breakbulk, which is a different mix from the pure container business at the two southern ports.
Small and shallow on purpose
Berths take vessels up to about 700 feet with an operating draft of 33 feet. PortMiami is 50 and Port Everglades is 42, so this is not where a large ship calls, and nobody is trying to make it one.
For a shipper that means a simple decision. If you are sending containers to the islands, Palm Beach is often the right port and the sailing is frequent. If you are importing on a big vessel, it is not going to be here.
It is 70 miles from Miami, and that is a real cost
The drayage leg from Palm Beach is longer than from Everglades or Miami, and the rate reflects it. That is worth knowing before you compare quotes across ports, because a cheaper ocean leg into Palm Beach can be undone by the road leg out of it.
We pull from all three, so tell us where the booking is and we will price it honestly rather than steer you to the one that suits us.
Checking it yourself
Schedules, hours and container status live on their own site: www.portofpalmbeach.com. Charges and holds sit between you and the line or the terminal. We move the box.
Terminals at this port
What we do with the box from here
Equipment we pull from here
Where it goes
More in this section
Questions
Straight answers
Do you pull containers from Port of Palm Beach?
Yes, daily. 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, high cube, reefer with genset, flat rack, open top, overweight and bonded.
What happens if my last free day is tomorrow?
Tell us today. A pre-pull gets the container out of the terminal and onto the yard before per diem and demurrage start, and it is almost always cheaper than the charges it avoids.
Are your drivers TWIC-carrying?
Yes. Every driver working the terminals holds a valid TWIC, which is required to enter.
What is a pre-pull?
We collect the container from the terminal before you are ready for it and hold it on a yard. It stops demurrage running at terminal rates and it takes the pressure off your receiving schedule.
What is the difference between demurrage, per diem and detention?
Three different charges from different parties. Demurrage is the terminal charging you for cargo sitting inside the gate past free time. Per diem is the shipping line charging you for keeping their container out past free time. Detention is the trucker's time, charged when a driver waits at your dock beyond the free window. They can run at the same time, which is how a bill gets ugly fast.
What is a chassis split?
When the chassis you need is not at the same location as the container, so the truck makes an extra trip to collect it before it can even pick up. It costs a move and it is the single most common surprise line on a drayage invoice.
Is it a live unload or a drop and pick?
Either. Live means the driver waits while you unload, which starts detention once the free window is up. Drop and pick means we leave the container and collect it later, which usually costs less if you have the yard space.
Do your drivers carry a TWIC?
Yes. Every driver working the terminals holds a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential, which is required to get through the gate at all.