Haulage
Haulage is the road transport of cargo or containers over the inland portion of a journey — between port, depot, warehouse and the customer's door. In container shipping a key distinction is who arranges it: carrier haulage (the shipping line organises and prices the inland move) versus merchant haulage (the shipper or forwarder arranges its own trucking).
The choice affects cost, control and flexibility — merchant haulage can be cheaper and more responsive but puts the responsibility on the shipper, while carrier haulage bundles the inland leg into the through rate. Related charges include Inland Haulage Charges (IHC). Haulage capacity, driver availability and turnaround times directly shape whether goods reach their destination on schedule, making inland transport a core piece of end-to-end logistics.
The inland leg is where many shipments actually run late — trucking capacity and turnaround are tight, and the carrier-versus-merchant haulage choice changes both cost and control. Getting haulage right, and knowing when merchant haulage beats carrier haulage, is a practical lever on landed cost and delivery reliability.
What is carrier haulage versus merchant haulage?
Carrier haulage means the shipping line arranges the inland road move; merchant haulage means the shipper or forwarder arranges its own trucking.
What are Inland Haulage Charges (IHC)?
The charges for moving a container between the port and an inland point, applied when the carrier provides the inland leg.