Pre-carriage

Pre-carriage is the inland leg that moves cargo from the shipper or an inland point to the port of loading before the main ocean carriage begins. It is the road, rail, or barge feed into the gateway, the first mile of a container’s journey, and is named on the bill of lading in the pre-carriage field when the carrier arranges it. The mirror term at the destination is on-carriage, from the discharge port to the final inland point. Under combined-transport bills the carrier accepts responsibility for pre-carriage and on-carriage as part of one through movement.