Ramar Transportation
OPS·01

Integrated Port Drayage

Port-to-plant under one operator. No broker margin stack, no schedule drift between vendors.

operating brief

Integrated port drayage is the operating decision Ramar makes on behalf of every customer who would otherwise sit in the middle of three carrier contracts. We pick up containerized hazmat freight directly from terminal at the port — Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Norfolk, Jacksonville, and four others on the Atlantic Coast — and we deliver it under our own USDOT, our own placards, and our own chain of custody.

That single decision eliminates the most common failure mode in dangerous-goods logistics: the handoff. Every time a Class 1 load changes hands between a broker, a drayman, and a long-haul carrier, the documentation, liability, and schedule reset. Ramar runs the full lifecycle in-house — so when a vessel arrives late or a terminal calls a hazmat exclusion window, one operator absorbs it and one operator answers for it.

We drayage every commercial port from Philadelphia to Jacksonville. For shipments that need staging before final delivery, drayage hands off seamlessly to our secure in-transit holding service without a paperwork reset.

capabilities

What this service covers

  • Direct terminal pickup at all 8 Atlantic Coast commercial ports
  • Class 1 explosives drayage with MOTSU coordination at ILM/Morehead City
  • Packaged Class 8 and Class 9 battery drayage in containers
  • Container drayage with full placarding and shipping-paper continuity
  • Drayage radius up to 200 miles from each operating port
  • Same-day dispatch for vessel-call requests (90-min window during business hours)
  • Bonded movement to FTZs and CBP-bonded warehouses
  • Dedicated drivers — no broker chain, no double-brokered loads
process

How a load runs

  1. 01 / 04

    Pre-arrival coordination

    Ramar dispatch confirms terminal slot, hazmat permit lanes, and any MOTSU staging windows 24-72 hours before vessel arrival. For Class 1 loads, DOD-approved routing is locked.

  2. 02 / 04

    Terminal pickup

    Driver presents at terminal with placards, shipping papers, and emergency response info as required by 49 CFR 172.602. Container is mounted, sealed where required, and inspection-ready before leaving the gate.

  3. 03 / 04

    Drayage execution

    Driver attendance maintained per 49 CFR 397.5 for attended-class freight. Real-time tracking shared with the shipper. Route avoids restricted tunnels and bridges per 49 CFR 397.101.

  4. 04 / 04

    Delivery or handoff

    Either final delivery to consignee, or seamless handoff to Ramar's secure in-transit holding or long-haul transport. No new carrier agreement, no documentation reset.

regulatory framework

Operates under

questions

Port Drayage — Frequently Asked

Which ports does Ramar drayage from?
Philadelphia (PA), Norfolk/Hampton Roads (VA), Morehead City (NC), Wilmington (NC) — Ramar's home port — Charleston (SC), Savannah (GA), Brunswick (GA), and Jacksonville (FL). All eight commercial ports on the U.S. Atlantic Coast.
Can Ramar drayage Class 1 explosives?
Yes. Ramar holds the routing approvals, regulatory familiarity, and driver certifications required for Class 1.1 through 1.4 drayage. We coordinate directly with MOTSU staging for Sunny Point-eligible loads.
What's the typical response time for a vessel-call drayage request?
From Ramar's home yard outside Wilmington NC, drayage to ILM gates dispatches within 90 minutes during business hours. Off-hours requests for placarded loads require a 24-hour pre-coordination window.
Does Ramar double-broker drayage loads?
No. Every drayage load runs under Ramar USDOT 1141064 with a Ramar driver and a Ramar tractor. We do not contract drayage out to third parties — that defeats the integrated-operator promise.