Merchant haulage

Merchant haulage is inland container transport that the shipper or consignee arranges and pays for itself, collecting an empty box from or returning a full box to the carrier’s terminal or depot. It is the alternative to carrier haulage, where the shipping line organizes and prices the inland leg as part of a through movement. The cargo owner picks merchant haulage to use its own or a cheaper trucker and to control timing, accepting responsibility for the box during the inland move and for on-time return to avoid detention and demurrage. The bill of lading then runs port-to-port rather than door-to-door.