Building a More Resilient Drayage Strategy: Questions Shippers Should Be Asking
Flexibility, visibility and velocity are becoming increasingly important as shippers navigate changing import patterns, potential disruptions and rising transportation costs. STG Logistics’ Megan Williams shares practical steps shippers can take to keep containers moving and build more resilience into their drayage strategies.
By Jane Bergos
Featuring insights from Megan Williams, SVP Operations, STG Logistics
For importers, the path from port to final destination rarely goes exactly according to plan.
Tariffs can shift sourcing and import patterns. Port congestion can develop. Equipment and chassis can become constrained. Warehouse appointments can back up. And when containers stop moving, costs can quickly begin adding up.
STG Logistics’ spring 2026 research showed just how quickly freight patterns can change: 85.6% of surveyed enterprise BCOs and shippers said they front-loaded shipments ahead of tariff implementation in 2025. Most also shifted between 26% and 50% of their freight to new routing or mode strategies as they responded to disruption.
The answer isn’t necessarily to try to predict every disruption. According to Megan Williams, it is to build a drayage strategy that gives shippers more options when conditions change.
We sat down with Megan to discuss what shippers can do to build more flexibility, visibility and velocity into their drayage strategies.
1. With import volumes increasingly being pulled forward or shifted in response to tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty, how should shippers rethink their drayage strategies?
Megan: Flexibility should be at the center of your strategy.
One of the smartest things shippers can do is avoid building a drayage program around a single gateway or a solution that only works when everything goes according to plan. Instead, think about where you could redirect freight if congestion, labor issues, tariffs or equipment constraints make your primary gateway less attractive.
That means having contingency plans in place before you need them and working with a transportation partner with a multi-market drayage network that can support you when freight patterns change.
If freight needs to shift from one port to another, you don’t want to start searching for capacity and developing new carrier relationships after the decision has already been made. A partner with an established presence across multiple gateways can make that transition much easier.
Shippers should also think about how they balance committed capacity with the ability to flex when volumes change. The goal is to maintain strong strategic relationships while still having access to additional capacity when a surge or disruption requires it.
As Megan explained in the follow-up discussion, the ability to pivot gateways only works if transportation capacity can move with the freight. A lower-cost port option isn’t necessarily a savings if containers arrive and there isn’t sufficient capacity to get them out quickly.
2. What can shippers do differently to reduce demurrage, detention, chassis costs, storage and accessorial charges?
Megan: Start planning earlier and give your transportation provider as much visibility as possible.
Container planning shouldn’t begin when the vessel arrives. Providing vessel tracking, forecasts and expected volumes earlier gives carriers more time to plan drivers, secure capacity and work on appointments.
That coordination may become even more important in 2027. STG’s fall research found that 52% of shippers expect to carry more inventory, while 41% anticipate adding warehouse capacity and 33% plan to reposition inventory closer to customers. As inventory strategies change, aligning port pickups with warehouse capacity and receiving appointments becomes increasingly important.
Where possible, shippers should also address customs clearance, paperwork, holds and other potential barriers before or as close to vessel arrival as possible. Every delay can consume valuable free time and increase the risk of demurrage. In some situations, CFS and transload capabilities can also provide additional options for moving freight out of the port environment and keeping cargo flowing.”
If a container is available but the receiving facility can’t accept it before the last free day, there may also be situations where pre-pulling it to a carrier’s yard is more economical than allowing it to remain at the terminal and incur demurrage.
Detention is a capacity killer. Time spent waiting at a facility for a live load or unload is time that could be spent moving additional freight. The longer the wait times at your shippers and receivers, the harder it will be to service your freight, so detention is an important metric to keep an eye on.
Drayage requires careful orchestration, with close coordination and collaboration among all parties.
The more visibility a carrier has into what’s coming — and the fewer obstacles that have to be resolved after the container arrives — the more opportunities there are to keep that container moving instead of paying for it to sit. Megan noted that earlier forecasting can also help carriers plan capacity instead of reacting to a vessel arrival containing dozens of containers with little notice.
3. What early warning signs should shippers watch before a gateway tightens?
Megan: Congestion rarely happens without warning. There are always signals.
One of the first is increasing container dwell time. When containers begin sitting longer at a terminal, it can indicate that fluidity is starting to deteriorate.
Another is appointment scarcity. If available appointments begin moving farther out, shippers and their transportation providers may need to start making different decisions about when and how freight is moved. Delayed warehouse appointments can signal congestion moving inland.
Chassis availability is another important indicator. A market can have drivers available, but containers still can’t move efficiently if the chassis supply becomes constrained.
Together, these warning signs allow shippers to act before a gateway becomes severely constrained.
Megan emphasized that these indicators often build on one another: more freight arriving can put pressure on chassis supply, longer appointment lead times can increase dwell, and warehouse appointment delays can further slow container velocity.
4. If you were advising a shipper’s transportation leadership team today, what are the two or three changes you would recommend?
Megan: Focus on three things: flexibility, visibility and velocity.
First, build flexibility into the network. Don’t wait until a disruption occurs to determine what your alternatives are. Understand which gateways you can use and work with transportation partners that can support you across multiple markets.
Second, improve visibility. Give your transportation partners information earlier so they can plan capacity, appointments and resources around what’s actually coming.
And third, pay close attention to container velocity.
The research reinforces the value shippers place on performance. In STG’s fall survey, 48% of respondents said they would pay a premium for faster transit, and the same percentage would pay more for higher on-time performance.
Every additional day a container spends waiting at the port, at a yard or at a facility can consume free time and potentially create additional costs. When the process is coordinated — freight is cleared, appointments are available and the receiving facility is ready — containers can move through the cycle significantly faster. Megan described container velocity as the full cycle from arrival through delivery and eventual equipment return, making it an important metric for identifying where delays are occurring.
The next disruption could be something we have faced before—or something entirely new. The specific event matters less than whether the supply chain is prepared to adjust.
As Megan puts it, the strongest drayage strategies are built around flexibility, visibility and velocity. Shippers that reduce dwell, diversify their gateway options and manage containers proactively put themselves in a better position to control costs and respond when conditions change.
Build More Flexibility Into Your Drayage Strategy
Port conditions, import volumes and capacity can change quickly. Your options should not have to.
STG Logistics helps shippers keep containers moving with drayage capacity across major North American gateways, supported by transloading, warehousing and inland transportation capabilities that can connect freight from port to final destination.
Ready to identify where more flexibility, visibility and velocity could strengthen your drayage network? Talk with STG Logistics about your port-to-door strategy.
Forward Starts Here.
Research note: Survey statistics referenced above are drawn from STG Logistics’ Spring 2026 shipper research and Fall 2026 shipper study. Percentages reflect survey responses and may not total 100% where multiple responses were allowed.
About the Author
Jane Bergos serves as Director of Marketing at STG Logistics, where she develops industry research, thought leadership and content focused on transportation, logistics and supply chain trends.
Subject Matter Expert
Megan Williams, SVP Operations at STG Logistics, provided the operational insights and recommendations featured in this article.
Editorial Note
This article was developed by the STG Logistics editorial team from an interview with Megan Williams and incorporates findings from STG Logistics’ 2026 shipper research.
