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The Drayage Cookbook

22 recipes for moving and pricing containers.

Each one is a job you do every week. What you need, the steps, the numbers and the mistakes that cost money.

Start with recipe 1 → See all recipes
Jonathan Sinton By Jonathan SintonCo-founder of Dray Insight
Jonathan Sinton, co-founder of Dray Insight Who wrote this

I have seen the container from the ship and from the truck.

I'm Jon Sinton. I have worked in international supply chain for more than 20 years.

I spent 17 of them at Maersk, from 2004 to 2022. I started as a trade analyst in New Jersey and ran the global out-of-gauge and break bulk product from London. Then I moved to Charlotte and headed capacity, then equipment, then procurement for North America.

In 2022 I joined PortPro, which builds a TMS for drayage carriers. That is where I saw how truckers price a move: from memory, from a spreadsheet, from the last email.

In 2024 Towns Agnew and I started Dray Insight to fix that. This book is the same knowledge, written down.

20+ years International supply chainOcean carrier, then drayage software.
2004–2022 Maersk, 17 yearsRegional Head of Procurement, North America. Before that: Regional Head of Capacity and Equipment, Global Product Head for Out of Gauge and Break Bulk.
2022–2024 PortProSenior Global Accounts Director. A TMS built for drayage carriers.
2024 Co-founder, Dray InsightDrayage quoting and rate management. Charlotte, NC.
Jonathan on LinkedIn →

Every recipe has the same five parts

01 You need Documents, numbers and accounts to have ready.
02 Steps What to do, in order.
03 The numbers A worked example, or the real fees and limits.
04 Watch out The mistakes that cost money.
05 Look it up Links to the reference for terms, ports and rules.

Contents

Part 1

The basics

How a container move works and what you need before the first pull.
1 Follow an import from ship to door 6 steps 2 Read the paperwork 5 steps 3 Know who pays: carrier or merchant haulage 4 steps 4 Get set up to pull from a port 6 steps
Part 2

Pricing

From one lane rate to a full bid.
5 Build a base rate for a lane 6 steps 6 Set a fuel surcharge 5 steps 7 Write an accessorial schedule 5 steps 8 Quote an overweight 20 ft 6 steps 9 Quote a reefer or hazmat load 5 steps 10 Answer an RFQ with hundreds of lanes 6 steps 11 Send a quote the customer can accept 5 steps
Part 3

Running the move

Terminal, chassis, ramp, empty.
12 Pull an import before the last free day 7 steps 13 Prepull and store a container 5 steps 14 Pick the right chassis and avoid a split 5 steps 15 Pick up at a rail ramp 5 steps 16 Return the empty or street turn it 5 steps 17 Run an export 6 steps
Part 4

Getting paid

Wait time, per diem, proof.
18 Bill driver detention 5 steps 19 Check a per diem or demurrage invoice 6 steps 20 Invoice with proof 5 steps
Part 5

The business

Know your cost and your pass-through fees.
21 Know your cost per hour 5 steps 22 Pass through port fees 4 steps
Checked November 14, 2026. Numbers come from the drayage reference, where each one has a source.

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