Port of Houston Drayage Services

Your container cleared customs and it’s sitting at Barbours Cut. Or maybe it’s grounded at Bayport waiting for a chassis. Either way, the terminal clock is running and you need a carrier who knows these gates.

Bravo Motor Carriers runs port drayage at both Port of Houston terminals every single day. Our trucks, our drivers, our chassis. We pick up imports, return empties, and handle the scheduling and terminal coordination that makes the difference between a clean move and a demurrage bill.

Freight forwarder, customs broker, or importer — we’re the drayage carrier that doesn’t make you chase down a driver.

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Our Port Drayage Services

Here’s what we run out of both Port of Houston terminals:

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Import Container Pickup

Your box gets released, we pick it up. 20-foot, 40-foot, high cubes, overweight. We match the right chassis to the container and get it off the terminal before free time expires.
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Export Container Delivery

Loaded export containers going back to the terminal for vessel loading. We handle the gate-in, chassis drop, and documentation so the box makes the cut-off.
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Empty Container Return

Getting empties back to the right terminal and the right chassis pool before per diem charges stack up. We run returns on the same dispatch cycle as pickups.
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Pre-Pull and Yard Staging

Container burning free time at the terminal before your dock’s open? We pull it to our yard so terminal storage stops
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In-Bond Port Drayage

Replace with: Containers moving under CBP control out of the port? We’re a bonded carrier
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What is Port Drayage

Port drayage is the truck leg between a marine terminal and wherever that container needs to go next. Warehouse, rail ramp, container yard, CFS facility. The ship drops it off. We pick it up.

Houston runs two container terminals and they don’t work the same way. Bayport has its own appointment system, gate procedures, and congestion patterns. Barbours Cut runs differently. A carrier expecting one terminal’s rules at the other is going to waste your time and your free days.

Every driver needs a TWIC card. Every chassis has to match the container. Every pickup has to hit the appointment window or you lose a free day.

Port Drayage Coverage and Terminals

We run daily operations at both container terminals. Not weekly. Daily.

Bayport Container Terminal handles the majority of Houston’s container volume. Deep-water berths, the biggest vessels on the Gulf Coast, and an appointment system that doesn’t care if your carrier is running late. Our drivers know the gate lanes, the staging areas, and the berth rotation because they’re there every morning.

Barbours Cut Terminal is the port’s original container facility. Different gate system, different flow, different rhythm. We maintain daily presence at Barbours Cut too.

Congestion cycles, vessel bunching, chassis shortages — we’ve worked through all of it at both locations.

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Why Shippers Choose Us

Bravo Motor Carriers is the container drayage company shippers turn to when freight has to move clean from port to border without handoffs.

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We own the trucks

The chassis too. No broker layer, no load board, no subcontractor showing up with someone else’s equipment. The driver who picks up your container works for us. Period.

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TWIC cards on every driver.

Not some of them. All of them. When a load needs to move, we don’t scramble for a credentialed guy who might be available.
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Bonded carrier

Containers under CBP control move under our bond, on our authority. T&E, IT — we carry the credentials.
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Connected network

Port terminals, rail ramps, and the border corridor through Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville all run through one carrier. Your freight doesn’t get handed off between companies to get where it’s going.
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Daily operations.

We don’t show up when a load pops up. Our trucks are running Houston’s terminals and ramps every day. The drivers know the gates, the appointment systems, and the timing because they live in it.

Why Shippers Choose Us

You don’t have to take our word for it. Here’s what people who actually use us say:

Frequently Asked Questions About Port Drayage

Port Drayage Basics

What is port drayage?
The short-haul truck move that takes containers in and out of a marine terminal. Import pickups, export deliveries, and empty returns all fall under port drayage.
How is port drayage different from container drayage?
Port drayage covers all truck movements at the terminal, including empties and repositioning. Container drayage specifically means the port-to-warehouse delivery of a loaded box.
What do I need to know about the Port of Houston terminals?
Houston runs two container terminals with different gate systems, different appointment platforms, and different congestion patterns. Your carrier needs to know both.
What's a TWIC card and why does it matter for port drayage?
It’s a federal credential from TSA required for unescorted access to secure port areas. Without one, the driver can’t enter the terminal gate.
Can any trucking company do port drayage?
Not without TWIC credentials, terminal registration, the right chassis inventory, and experience with Houston’s appointment systems. General freight carriers wash out fast.

Working with Bravo

Does Bravo own its trucks?
Every truck and every driver is ours. No brokerage, no subcontracting.
Does Bravo serve both Bayport and Barbours Cut?
Daily. We’re registered, credentialed, and running loads at both terminals every day.
Can Bravo handle export containers going back to the terminal?
Yes. We handle gate-in, chassis drop, and documentation for export loads making vessel cut-offs.
Does Bravo move bonded freight out of the port?
We hold bonded carrier credentials and move in-bond containers under CBP control. Call operations for T&E and IT moves.
How fast can I get a rate?
Give us the container details, terminal, and destination. Same business day turnaround on quotes.

Terminal Operations and Timing

How do port appointments work in Houston?
Each terminal runs its own online booking system. We schedule based on vessel discharge timing and your receiving window to keep containers moving inside free time.
What happens if the appointment gets missed?
The terminal bumps you to the next available slot. That could mean another day of free time burned, which is why we book early and show up on time.
What are demurrage charges?
Fees from the steamship line when a container sits at the terminal past the allowed free time. Picking up on schedule is the only way to avoid them.
What are detention charges?
Fees for holding the chassis or container past the return window. We track return deadlines on every move to keep per diem from stacking.
What if the vessel is late or the terminal is congested?
We monitor vessel schedules and terminal conditions daily. When congestion hits, we adjust appointment timing and pre-pull strategy to keep your freight moving.

Coverage and Pricing

Where does Bravo deliver from the Port of Houston?
Across the Houston metro and connecting to our border corridor through Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville. Extended coverage through our intermodal network.
How does port drayage pricing work?
Based on terminal, container size, delivery distance, and special requirements like overweight or in-bond. We quote per-move or on contract for regular volume.
Does Bravo handle overweight containers at the port?
Yes. Tri-axle chassis, TxDOT permits, and scale-certified routing. We run the loads other carriers turn down.
Can Bravo connect port drayage to rail or border moves?
Containers from the port connect to BNSF and UP rail ramps in Houston and to our Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville corridor. One carrier.
Does Bravo offer contract rates for regular port volume?
Yes. Dedicated scheduling, priority dispatch, and consistent pricing for importers and forwarders with recurring container volume.

110 Cypress Station Dr. Suite 108
Houston, TX, 77090

Contact Bravo Motor Carriers

Ready to contact drayage carrier Bravo? Here’s what we need from you: container size, pickup terminal or ramp, delivery address, and any special handling. That’s it. We’ll come back with a rate.

(281) 768-8843
9009 North Loop East, Suite #200 Houston, TX 77029
Request a Rate
Got bonded freight or an in-bond move? Call operations directly so we can sort out compliance before booking.