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HRBT Expansion: What It Means for Port of Virginia Freight

HRBT Expansion: What It Means for Port of Virginia Freight

What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

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How the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Is Changing Freight Timing at the Port of Virginia

If moving containers through the Port of Virginia, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion is not just a commuter story- it’s an operational variable that belongs in every dispatch plan, every drayage appointment, and every conversation about last free day timing at the Norfolk International Terminal and Virginia International Gateway.

At $3.9 billion, the HRBT expansion is the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history. The goal is to expand I-64 from two lanes to four across the 3.5-mile bridge-tunnel corridor between Hampton and Norfolk. When complete, that corridor will carry the same 100,000-plus daily vehicle movements with significantly more capacity. Getting there, however, means years of lane reductions, weekly overnight closures, ramp detours, and shifting traffic patterns across the primary I-64 route that serves both terminal approaches.
For carriers and shippers operating in and out of NIT and VIG, the construction timeline matters as much as the completion date. Here is what is happening, how it affects port freight, and what you can do to protect your cargo from the timing exposure the project creates.

What the HRBT Expansion Project Is and Where It Stands

The expansion adds two new bored tunnels beneath Hampton Roads harbor, each approximately 45 feet in diameter and three new bridge spans to accommodate the widened roadway. The tunnel boring machine known as Mary completed both new tunnel tubes in fall 2025, breaking through on the second bore after beginning the first in spring 2023. Mary has since been disassembled and returned to Germany, and the interior tunnel work converting the raw bores into drivable roadways are now underway.

Above ground, new bridge spans are nearing completion. According to VDOT’s July 2026 construction update, the first phases of new westbound lanes on I-64 in Norfolk began opening on July 27, 2026, with traffic shifted to newly widened roadway from Oates Creek to Bay Avenue.

VDOT and project contractor Hampton Roads Connector Partners have targeted Fall 2026 for opening the new structure, with full substantial completion projected into 2027. Weekly lane closure alerts will continue to be published by VDOT’s Hampton Roads district every Friday, and long-term continuous lane reductions on I-64 between Settlers Landing Road and LaSalle Avenue remain in place through construction.

How HRBT Lane Closures Affect Freight Movement in Hampton Roads

The impact on commercial freight is not limited to slower travel times through the construction corridor. The more significant issues for port drayage is that the weekly and long-term lane restrictions alter the reliable timing of terminal approaches, and that timing uncertainty works directly against the tight windows that port freight operates within.

The table below summarizes the current active restrictions most relevant to carriers approaching NIT and VIG.

Route / Corridor Current Restriction Freight Impact
I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (both directions) Continuous single-lane reduction between Settlers Landing Rd and LaSalle Ave; overnight lane closures and ramp detours on a weekly basis through completion Increased congestion during morning and late-afternoon port delivery windows; gate access timing from Hampton-side routes compressed
I-64 westbound Norfolk — new lanes First new westbound lane phases opened July 27, 2026 as traffic shifted to newly widened roadway from Oates Creek to Bay Avenue Short-term lane shifts and signage changes around 1st View St and Mason Creek Rd bridges while remaining work completes
I-564 East / Little Creek Road interchange Long-term traffic shift on I-564 east off-ramp to Little Creek Road; lane reduction on East Admiral Taussig Blvd Affects routing to Norfolk International Terminal from the north; carriers should allow additional transit buffer on this approach
I-564 East / Little Creek Road interchange Long-term traffic shift on I-564 east off-ramp to Little Creek Road; lane reduction on East Admiral Taussig Blvd Dispatchers routing trucks from south Norfolk toward the tunnel must use alternate on-ramp approach via Thole Street

What the table above does not capture is the compounding effect. A carrier approaching the tunnel from Hampton during a single-lane restriction, hitting a ramp closure at Tidewater Drive, and then encountering a lane shift near the 1st View Street bridge is not facing one delay. That driver is navigating three overlapping constraints within a two-mile corridor. For a drayage move where the appointment window at the terminal is 60 to 90 minutes, that compounding effect is meaningful.

The Demurrage Risk at NIT and VIG When Pickup Timing Slips

The connection between HRBT construction delays and demurrage charges is direct. At NIT and VIG, containers moving in the import stream accumulate demurrage from the ocean carrier once the free time window expires, typically three to five business days from vessel discharge. Every day past that window carries a charge, and those charges compound daily regardless of the reason the container was not picked up.

When a driver’s approach to the terminal is delayed by construction congestion and a same-day appointment is missed, the shipper is left with two options: rebook for the following day, absorbing another day of demurrage, or dispatch a second driver later in the day if availability allows. Neither outcome was in the original plan, and both carry cost.

The risk is highest on containers already close to their last free day. A container with one day of free time remaining and a terminal appointment in the afternoon window has no margin if the HRBT approach adds 45 minutes to the driver’s transit time. That is not a hypothetical scenario during active construction. It is a routine exposure for any carrier moving freight across the I-64 corridor in 2026.

For a full breakdown of how demurrage and detention charges calculate at the Port of Virginia and what free time windows typically look like by carrier, the guide to demurrage vs. detention charges covers the mechanics in detail.

How Shippers Should Adjust Their Planning Right Now

The construction timeline is not going away in the near term. Fall 2026 is the target for the new structure to open, but the interior tunnel work and remaining bridge spans mean that lane restrictions and traffic shifts will continue through that window. Shippers and logistics operators moving freight through Hampton Roads need planning practices that account for that reality.

  • Build a transit buffer into every terminal appointment. The standard assumption that a driver departing at a given time will arrive within a predictable window is less reliable during active HRBT construction. Particularly for afternoon appointments near the end of the operating day, that 30 to 45 minute buffer needs to be in the dispatch plan, not treated as a backup.
  • Check VDOT’s weekly traffic alerts before each dispatch. VDOT publishes new HRBT lane closure alerts every Friday at hrbtexpansion.vdot.virginia.gov/traffic-alerts. Closure patterns shift week to week as construction phases change. A ramp that was open last Tuesday may be closed this Tuesday, and the detour route changes the approach timing to the terminal.
  • Identify containers approaching their last free day and prioritize them for early window appointments. The safest HRBT approach for time-sensitive containers is a morning appointment before afternoon lane restriction effects compound with general traffic volume. Containers with two or fewer days of free time remaining should be booked for the earliest available terminal window.
  • Use container yard storage to remove containers from terminal demurrage exposure when timing is uncertain. Moving a container to a secure off-terminal yard after pickup stops the demurrage clock immediately and removes the container from the terminal’s congestion equation. If the receiving facility is not ready to accept the delivery, a Norfolk or Portsmouth yard holds the container without daily terminal charges accumulating.
  • Communicate last free dates to your drayage carrier at the time of booking, not the day before. Carriers who know the LFD at the point of load tendering can plan the route, appointment window, and driver assignment with the right buffer from the start. Last-minute LFD communication forces a reactive dispatch approach, which is the highest-risk scenario during a construction period when timing margin is already reduced.
  • For rail drayage moves connecting to inland destinations via the Norfolk Southern or CSX intermodal facilities, note that the HRBT corridor also affects routing between the port and inland rail ramps. Confirm with your carrier whether the planned routing uses the I-64 corridor and build the same buffer into intermodal transfer timelines.

What Century Express Virginia Is Doing to Maintain Turn Times

Century Express Virginia has operated from the Port of Virginia since 2007. That means the team has navigated every phase of HRBT construction that has affected freight movement along I-64, and the current expansion phase is part of that ongoing operational awareness. Drivers who work the NIT and VIG gates daily know which approaches are restricted, which ramps have active closures, and how the alternate routing from Tidewater Drive, I-564, and the south Norfolk corridors compares on any given day.

That local knowledge is not something that can be substituted by a GPS routing app updated weekly. It is the accumulated pattern recognition of a team that runs the same terminals day after day, watching how construction shifts change approach timing across seasons and phases. When a new lane shift goes into effect on a Monday morning, the dispatchers and drivers at Century Express Virginia know about it before the first appointment of the day.

The dual yard locations in Norfolk and Portsmouth give shippers a practical tool for managing the timing uncertainty the expansion creates. For containers that cannot be delivered immediately after pickup, those yards absorb the container off-terminal, stop the demurrage clock, and hold it until the delivery window is ready. That flexibility matters more during active construction than during a normal operating period.

If you are moving port drayage through Hampton Roads right now and your current carrier is not accounting for HRBT construction timing in dispatch planning, that is a gap worth addressing before peak season freight volumes arrive. Century Express Virginia is accessible seven days a week and can assist with port drayage, refrigerated drayage, hazmat drayage, and transloading across the Port of Virginia terminals.

To understand how drayage works within the broader port logistics picture at NIT and VIG, the complete guide to port drayage covers the mechanics from vessel discharge through final delivery.

Contact the Century Express Virginia team today to talk through how HRBT construction timing affects your port freight. We are accessible seven days a week at (757) 494-9200, or reach out through the contact page.

If you are ready to enhance your supply chain, call or request a quote online from Century Express Virginia. Our door is always open to new customers who are looking to improve their logistics. Do you have questions about whether we are the right company for you? View our full service offerings to see just how many unique solutions we offer.
The Class 8 EV Infrastructure Deficit

The Class 8 EV Infrastructure Deficit

The Class 8 EV Infrastructure Deficit: What Electric Drayage Actually Looks Like at the Port

CDL School Closures Are Tightening the Truck Driver Pipeline

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The Class 8 EV Infrastructure Deficit: What Electric Drayage Actually Looks Like at the Port

There is a version of the Class 8 electric truck story that gets told in press releases, and there is a version that gets told in dispatch offices. The two do not match. Battery electric drayage trucks are real, they work, and several models are genuinely capable of handling port duty cycles. That much is true and worth saying plainly. What is also true is that the charging infrastructure required to run them at scale does not yet exist in most port markets, published range figures assume conditions that container hauling rarely provides, and the economics only work where subsidy programs carry a large share of the cost.
For carriers and shippers moving freight through the Port of Virginia, this is not an abstract policy debate. It affects equipment planning, capacity forecasting, and whether the drayage partner you use three years from now is running the same fleet they run today. Here is an honest accounting of where things actually stand.

What Class 8 Electric Trucks Actually Deliver Under Container Loads

Start with the number everyone quotes and almost nobody qualifies. Manufacturer range figures for Class 8 battery electric trucks are typically generated under favorable conditions: moderate temperatures, steady speeds, and loads well below the maximum the truck is rated to carry. Container drayage provides none of those conditions reliably.
The most useful data point comes from BYD, which publishes range at two different load states for its 8TT tractor. At half load, the truck is rated at roughly 167 miles. At full load, that figure drops to approximately 124 miles. That is a manufacturer disclosing, in its own specifications, that loading the truck to capacity costs about a quarter of its usable range. Most manufacturers do not publish that comparison so directly.

Model Battery Capacity Published Range The Caveat
BYD 8TT 422 or 563 kWh 167 miles at half load, 124 miles at full load BYD publishes both figures. Loading to capacity costs roughly 26 percent of range before weather enters the equation.
Kenworth T680E Configuration dependent Approximately 150 miles Range is stated as application dependent. A full recharge takes roughly three hours.
International eRH Configuration dependent Up to 300 miles The phrase up to is doing significant work. Actual range varies with battery capacity, axle configuration, and duty cycle.

Weather compounds the load penalty. Research assessing seasonal and geographic influences on electric drayage energy consumption found that a 60,000-pound truck consumed close to 250 kWh per 100 kilometers during harsh winter months, compared with 160 to 200 kWh per 100 kilometers in mild conditions. That is a swing of roughly 25 to 35 percent driven by temperature alone. Independent fleet analysis has documented average winter range degradation near 15 percent when overnight temperatures fall below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Hampton Roads winters are milder than the Pacific Northwest, but they are not mild enough for this to be irrelevant.

Then there is the charging band problem. In practice, fleets operate Class 8 electric trucks between roughly 10 and 80 percent state of charge to protect battery life and maintain charging speed. Charging from 80 to 100 percent is slow enough that it rarely makes operational sense. The usable range in daily service is therefore not the full published figure. It is closer to 70 percent of it.
Stack those three factors on a tractor rated at 150 miles: a full container load, a cold January morning, and a 10 to 80 percent operating band. The realistic working range lands well under 100 miles. For a carrier running two or three turns a day out of Norfolk International Terminal or Virginia International Gateway, that math gets tight quickly.

The Payload Penalty Nobody Advertises

The obvious answer to insufficient range is a bigger battery. The problem is that batteries are heavy, and heavy freight is exactly what drayage moves.
Current heavy duty electric truck batteries consume roughly 2 kWh per mile. Adding 100 miles of range therefore means adding approximately 200 kWh of battery capacity along with all the weight that comes with it. On a tractor already operating near gross weight limits with a loaded 40-foot container, that added tare weight comes directly out of legal payload capacity.
The research on seasonal energy consumption makes the tradeoff explicit. To maintain range in harsh conditions or over longer routes, either the payload must be reduced or the battery pack must be enlarged, which itself reduces payload capacity. No configuration escapes the tradeoff entirely. For shippers moving dense cargo where weight rather than volume is the binding constraint, this is not a minor specification detail. It determines whether the load is legal.

This is also where overweight container work becomes complicated. Carriers handling heavy cargo under heavy cargo permitting already manage tight weight tolerances across axle configurations. Adding several thousand pounds of battery to the tractor narrows that operating envelope further.

Where the Class 8 EV Charging Infrastructure Is Actually Failing

Range limitations are manageable if charging is fast, reliable, and available where trucks operate. That is precisely where the current picture breaks down, and it breaks down in four distinct ways.

Grid capacity and interconnection timelines

A depot capable of charging a meaningful number of Class 8 trucks requires electrical service on an industrial scale. Utilities are actively reassessing grid capacity, interconnection protocols, and rate structures in response to this load growth, and the make ready upgrades required to bring adequate power to a site frequently take longer than the trucks take to arrive. Fleets have found themselves holding delivered vehicles they cannot fully charge because the service upgrade is still sitting in the utility queue.

The constraint is significant enough that RMI published analysis in February 2026 arguing that drayage chargers should deliberately be sited away from ports rather than at them, specifically to preserve scarce port grid capacity for shore power and cargo handling equipment. When credible researchers recommend moving the chargers away from where the trucks work, that says something about how tight the power situation is.

Charger utilization and queuing

Shared charging depots run into a congestion threshold that is easy to underestimate. Modeling published in 2026 identified a critical utilization level near 70 percent, beyond which queuing delays begin to materially constrain fleet operations. A site that looks adequately sized on a spreadsheet becomes a bottleneck once real dispatch patterns cluster arrivals around shift changes and terminal gate hours.

Drayage makes this worse than most applications, because drayage demand is not evenly distributed across the day. Tractors return from terminal runs in clusters. If eight trucks need charging between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and the site has four dispensers, the last driver in line is waiting, and that wait is unproductive time.

Reliability and station downtime

The 2024 Zero Emission Drayage Truck Feasibility Assessment conducted under the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan reached a conclusion worth noting for its bluntness. The trucks are technologically capable of meeting port duty cycles, but charging and hydrogen station downtime threaten fleet operations and operator confidence. A diesel tractor with a fuel card can refuel at thousands of locations. An electric drayage truck dependent on one or two compatible charging sites has no fallback when a dispenser goes down.

The cost of the electricity itself

This is the failure mode that receives the least attention and may matter the most. Survey data from 2025 found that 73 percent of fleet operators identified energy procurement costs, not charging speed, as their primary operational concern. Commercial electricity rates include demand charges based on peak draw, and a bank of high-capacity chargers pulling simultaneously creates exactly the peak those charges are designed to penalize. Grid upgrade costs recovered through per kilowatt hour pricing can erase the operating cost advantage that made the truck attractive in the first place.

The Economics Behind Sub One Percent Adoption

Battery electric vehicles account for less than one percent of new Class 6 through 8 truck sales in North America. That figure is the honest summary of everything above.
Acquisition cost for a Class 8 battery electric tractor can run more than double a comparable diesel. Charging infrastructure is a separate capital line item on top of that, and one many small and mid-sized drayage operators cannot finance independently. Industry analysts expect adoption to keep advancing in specific operating segments, with port and drayage operations among the most favorable, rather than broadly across trucking. Drayage genuinely is one of the better use cases. It is still a use case where the economics depend heavily on incentive support.

Megawatt charging systems capable of bringing dwell times below 30 minutes are being deployed at a handful of sites, with broader integration targeted for 2027 and 2028. That timeline is worth watching. It is not a timeline that helps a fleet making an equipment decision this year.

What This Looks Like at the Port of Virginia

Hampton Roads occupies a different position than the California port complexes that dominate this conversation, and the difference matters.
Virginia has no equivalent to California’s Advanced Clean Fleets drayage mandate. Carriers serving Norfolk International Terminal and Virginia International Gateway are not facing a regulatory deadline requiring zero emission tractors. The transition here is incentive driven rather than compliance driven, which means it will move at the pace the economics support rather than the pace a rule dictates.

The Port of Virginia has committed to carbon neutrality by 2040 and has been electrifying its own equipment, including all electric yard tractors in terminal service. On the drayage side, the Virginia Green Operator program has run its GO-Zero initiative, offering up to $200,000 toward each zero emission truck purchased, with an additional $25,000 available to operators who scrap an older diesel drayage tractor. The most recent application window ran from July 10 through August 24, 2026, with awards expected to be announced in the fall.

Two hundred thousand dollars is a serious incentive. It is also a reasonable indication of how large the cost gap is that the incentive exists to close. And the incentive addresses the tractor, not the charging infrastructure required to operate it. An owner operator or small fleet awarded a GO-Zero grant still faces the depot power question, the utility interconnection timeline, and demand charge exposure on the monthly bill.

Where Electric Drayage Genuinely Works Today

None of this argues that electric drayage is a dead end. It argues that the current window of viability is narrower than the coverage suggests, and knowing the shape of that window is more useful than either optimism or dismissal. The conditions where the technology performs well are specific and identifiable.

  • Short, repeatable, return to base cycles. A survey of drayage operators in the greater Los Angeles area found that 81 percent of drayage trips were under 60 miles. Fleets running consistent short hauls between a terminal and a nearby warehouse, returning to the same yard each night, fit the technology well.
  • Operations with private depot charging. Behind the fence charging at a facility the fleet controls avoids the queuing and reliability exposure of shared public sites. It requires capital and a cooperative utility, but it carries the fewest operational unknowns.
  • Predictable, weight moderate freight. Loads that do not push against gross weight limits absorb the battery tare penalty without sacrificing legal payload.
  • Fleets with access to stacked incentive funding. Where federal, state, and port level programs combine to cover a substantial share of both vehicle and infrastructure cost, the total cost of ownership case becomes defensible in a way it is not at sticker price.

What does not fit yet: drayage runs beyond the local radius, heavy container work near weight limits, operations without dedicated charging access, and any duty cycle where an unexpected charger outage would strand a container against a demurrage deadline.

How Century Express Virginia Is Approaching the Transition

Century Express Virginia has operated at the Port of Virginia since 2007, and the approach to equipment decisions has stayed consistent through several technology cycles. Evaluate honestly, adopt when the operational case is real, and never put a customer’s freight behind an experiment.

The team is watching the GO-Zero program, the charging build out across Hampton Roads, and the megawatt charging timeline closely. When the infrastructure can support electric tractors without introducing new failure points into a customer’s supply chain, that will be the right time to move. The diverse background of the staff across ocean carrier operations, customs brokerage, and domestic transportation means that evaluation stays grounded in how freight actually moves rather than how a specification sheet reads.

Until then, the priority is what it has always been. Reliable port drayage at NIT and VIG, backed by specialized equipment for cargo that needs it, refrigerated drayage for temperature sensitive freight, and yard storage in Norfolk and Portsmouth when containers need to come off terminal quickly. If you are newer to how these pieces fit together, the complete guide to drayage covers the fundamentals.

If you are evaluating how the zero emission transition might affect your drayage capacity planning over the next several years, Century Express Virginia is here to assist you. From planning to forecasting, the team can walk through what is realistic on your lanes today and what is still several years out.

Contact the Century Express Virginia team today. We are accessible seven days a week at (757) 494-9200, or reach out through the contact page to start the conversation.

CDL School Closures Are Tightening the Truck Driver Pipeline

CDL School Closures Are Tightening the Truck Driver Pipeline

CDL School Closures Are Tightening the Truck Driver Pipeline

Freight Fraud: How Double Brokering and Fictitious Pickups Are Targeting the Supply Chain

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CDL School Closures and Regulatory Change Are Tightening the Truck Driver Pipeline

The truck driver shortage has been a persistent headline in the freight industry for years. What is different in 2026 is the source of the pressure. Rather than the familiar story of an aging workforce and insufficient recruitment, the driver pool is now being squeezed from two new directions simultaneously: a federal crackdown on CDL training schools that has shuttered more than 550 programs nationwide, and a pair of regulatory changes that are removing tens of thousands of licensed commercial drivers from the eligible workforce. Both developments are landing at precisely the moment import demand at major U.S. ports, including the Port of Virginia, is rising.

For shippers, BCOs, and logistics operators who depend on drayage capacity to move containers through Hampton Roads, understanding the structural forces reshaping the driver pool is no longer background reading. It is operational planning.

More Than 550 CDL Training Schools Have Been Forced to Close

In February 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation confirmed that more than 550 commercial driver’s license training schools had been shuttered following an FMCSA enforcement action. The closures were the result of a sweeping compliance review targeting what the agency described as substandard training operations, programs that collected thousands of dollars in tuition, handed graduates paperwork that met the minimum letter of the law, and sent them onto the road without adequate preparation.

The Entry-Level Driver Training rule, which took effect in February 2022, set minimum standards for CDL training programs and required instructors and facilities to register with FMCSA. The 2026 enforcement wave represents the follow-through: programs that registered but failed to meet the underlying standards during in-person inspections were ordered to close. According to the Department of Transportation, investigators visited programs in person to verify compliance with federal safety standards, and hundreds failed that review.

The immediate effect is a narrowing of the new-driver pipeline. Each class of CDL graduates that does not emerge from a shuttered school is a cohort that was never trained. For carriers who rely on new CDL holders to fill seats vacated by retirements and turnover, the closures compound a recruitment problem that was already severe. Industry analysts at ELDT Nation noted that training and testing bottlenecks that created backlogs in prior years showed up two to three years later as thin bands of mid-experience candidates, drivers with one to two years of tenure who would normally be filling co-driver and regional roles. The 2026 school closures are producing the same structural lag in a different part of the pipeline.

A March 2026 Federal Rule Is Removing Drivers Already Behind the Wheel

While the school closures reduce the flow of new drivers entering the workforce, a separate regulatory action is shrinking the pool of drivers already in it. A federal rule that took effect in March 2026 prohibits asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients from obtaining or renewing commercial driver’s licenses. The Department of Transportation cited compliance concerns and the need for stricter licensing standards as the basis for the change.

Foreign-born drivers account for roughly one in six commercial truck drivers in the United States, according to industry data cited by PLS Logistics. The new rule, combined with a Department of State pause on employment visas for commercial truck drivers and tighter English-language proficiency enforcement that is sidelining an estimated 5,000 additional drivers per month, represents a compounding regulatory squeeze. CDL Advantage, which tracks workforce data for the trucking industry, reported that the DOT’s elimination of non-domiciled CDLs alone could remove up to 200,000 drivers from the workforce over the next two years.

State-level renewal data is beginning to reflect the impact. O Trucking reported in June 2026 that Texas DPS recorded a 31 percent decline in CDL renewals in April compared to the same month in 2025, with California DMV tracking a similar 26 percent drop. These are not projections. They are enrollment and renewal numbers already showing up in state databases.

The Five Pressures Narrowing the Driver Pool in 2026

The following table summarizes the concurrent forces reshaping driver availability this year.

Pressure Point

What Changed

Estimated Driver Impact

CDL School Closures

550+ training schools shuttered by DOT FMCSA enforcement action, Feb. 2026

Pipeline of new CDL graduates reduced; exact cohort gap still being measured

CDL Immigration Rule

March 2026 federal rule bars asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients from obtaining or renewing CDLs

Up to 200,000 CDL holders potentially removed from the workforce over two years

English Proficiency Enforcement

FMCSA stricter enforcement of English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers

An estimated 5,000 additional drivers sidelined per month

Aging Workforce Retirements

Ongoing demographic trend; no significant offset from new entrants at current rate

ATA projects shortage to reach 160,000-175,000 drivers by 2028 (revised April 2026)

BLS Payroll Revision

Feb. 2026 Bureau of Labor Statistics annual revision erased 122,000 previously counted trucking positions

Real active driver count lower than previously estimated; gap wider than headline figures

What the Shortage Numbers Actually Look Like Right Now

The American Trucking Associations currently estimates roughly 60,000 unfilled driver seats in the United States. In April 2026, the ATA quietly revised its 2028 projection upward from 160,000 to 160,000-175,000 drivers and moved the timeline forward by approximately six months, according to O Trucking’s June 2026 industry report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics added further dimension in February 2026 when its annual payroll revision erased 122,000 previously counted trucking positions from its records, suggesting the actual active driver count has been running lower than headline figures for some time.

Large carrier turnover remains between 90 and 95 percent annually. Replacing a single driver costs an estimated $8,234 to $20,729 per departure according to ATRI data, meaning the retention math is as damaging as the recruitment math. The industry would need to recruit approximately 120,000 new drivers every year for the next decade just to replace retirements, absorb freight growth, and offset ongoing churn. That pace has never been achieved.

Why This Matters Specifically at the Port of Virginia

The driver pool pressures described above are national in scope, but their effects are not uniformly distributed. Port-adjacent drayage markets operate under tighter capacity constraints than general truckload freight because the work requires terminal authorization, specialized equipment knowledge, and familiarity with gate procedures that general market drivers do not bring from day one. When the national driver pool shrinks, the qualified drayage pool shrinks faster.

At Norfolk International Terminal and Virginia International Gateway, the timing is particularly sharp. Import volumes at the Port of Virginia have been trending upward through the first half of 2026, and peak season freight typically intensifies container throughput in the third and fourth quarters. A tighter driver pool arriving into a busier port period means two things for shippers: longer lead times to secure a drayage appointment, and greater exposure to demurrage charges when containers cannot be moved before the last free day.

For a closer look at how demurrage and detention fees accumulate when pickup timelines slip, the guide to demurrage vs. detention charges explains how the clock works at the terminal level and what steps reduce exposure.

The regional driver shortage landscape is also uneven within Virginia. PLS Logistics noted in its May 2026 analysis that the Southeast is experiencing some of the most pronounced regional imbalances in driver availability, and Hampton Roads, as a high-density port market with premium demand for specialized drayage capacity, sits squarely in that pressure zone.

What Port Shippers Can Do to Protect Capacity

The structural forces narrowing the driver pipeline are not short-term disruptions. The cohort gaps created by school closures will take two to three years to move through the system. The regulatory changes affecting foreign-born drivers are embedded in federal rulemaking, not market cycles. Shippers who plan as though normal capacity will return in the next quarter are likely to be caught short.

  • Book drayage partners early and maintain continuity. In a tightening driver market, carriers with established shipper relationships prioritize known accounts. Spot market drayage during high-demand periods becomes progressively harder to source as driver availability declines.
  • Monitor your containers’ last free days more closely than usual. When driver availability is constrained, the margin for error between LFD and actual pickup shrinks. A container that would have been an easy same-day pickup in a normal market becomes a two-day scheduling exercise when your carrier has fewer available drivers.
  • Consider yard storage as a buffer for containers approaching their LFD. Moving a container off-terminal into a secure yard preserves free time and removes it from demurrage exposure while your receiving location prepares. In a constrained driver market, this flexibility is more valuable than it has been in recent years.
  • Evaluate your drayage carrier’s driver stability. A carrier with low driver turnover and a tenured driver network is better positioned to maintain consistent service levels during a capacity squeeze than one dependent on rotating new hires. Driver continuity at the carrier level is a direct hedge against market-wide driver pool volatility.
  • For regulated cargo that requires specific credentials, plan further in advance. Hazmat drayage moves require drivers with endorsements that cannot be quickly substituted. In a tighter driver market, availability for endorsed moves becomes the first constraint.

A Stable Driver Network at the Port of Virginia

Century Express Virginia has operated continuously at the Port of Virginia since 2007. The company maintains some of the lowest driver turnover rates in the Hampton Roads region, a distinction that is directly relevant in the current environment. When market-wide driver availability tightens, operations built on a stable, tenured driver network hold their service levels in ways that high-turnover operations cannot.

The team is accessible seven days a week, and the dual yard facilities in Norfolk and Portsmouth provide shippers with the flexibility to move containers off terminal quickly when timing is tight. For shippers managing a growing volume of port freight through NIT and VIG, having a port drayage partner with proven driver continuity is not a nice-to-have in this market. It is the difference between a container that makes its appointment and one that doesn’t.

For a broader look at the forces reshaping driver capacity, read the related post on the truck driver shortage and what it means for Port of Virginia shippers.

Let Century Express Virginia help you navigate capacity uncertainty at the Port of Virginia. The team is accessible seven days a week at (757) 494-9200, or reach out through the contact page.

What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

Demurrage vs. Detention: What Port Shippers Need to Know

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What Is Drayage? A Complete Guide for Port Shippers 

If you have ever coordinated a container pickup at a marine terminal, worked with a 3PL on an import shipment, or reviewed a freight invoice and seen a line item labeled “drayage,” you already have a working relationship with this part of the supply chain. Drayage is the short-distance, overland transport of a shipping container, typically between a port or rail terminal and a nearby warehouse, distribution center, or importer facility. It is a narrow slice of the overall freight journey, but it is one of the most time-sensitive and operationally complex. 

For importers and exporters moving cargo through the Port of Virginia, understanding what drayage means, how it works, and what it costs is essential to managing port logistics effectively. This guide breaks it all down. 

What Is Drayage, Exactly? 

Drayage refers to the movement of freight over a short distance, usually as part of a longer overall journey. In the port context, drayage is the leg that connects the marine terminal to the next point in the supply chain, whether that is a warehouse, a transloading facility, a cold storage site, or an importer’s dock. 

The word itself is old. A “dray” was originally a low flatbed cart pulled by a horse, used to haul heavy goods short distances in port cities. The term survived into the trucking era, and today a drayage move is made by a tractor-trailer, typically operated by a carrier with specific authorization to work inside or adjacent to a marine terminal. 

In practice, a standard port drayage move works like this: a vessel arrives at the terminal, containers are offloaded and staged in the yard, the consignee or their 3PL arranges for a drayman to pick up the container after it clears customs, and the drayman moves it to the delivery point. The time pressure is significant, because every day the container sits at the terminal past its free time, the shipper accrues demurrage fees. 

If you want a deeper look at those costs, the guide to demurrage vs. detention covers how terminal free time works and how fees escalate. 

How Does a Port Drayage Move Work? 

A typical drayage move at a port like Norfolk International Terminal (NIT) or Virginia International Gateway (VIG) involves several coordinated steps. While the specific details vary by carrier, terminal, and cargo type, the general process follows a consistent pattern. 

  • Vessel discharge. The ocean carrier’s vessel arrives and containers are offloaded onto the terminal. The terminal management system updates container status, and the ocean carrier establishes a free time window, typically three to five business days, during which the shipper can arrange pickup without incurring demurrage charges. 
  • Customs clearance. Before a container can be picked up, it must receive a release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The importer or their customs broker files the necessary entry documentation. Delays in this step eat directly into free time. 
  • Pickup order. Once released, the importer or their 3PL contacts the drayage carrier with a pickup order. The carrier confirms availability, assigns a driver, and books a terminal appointment where required. 
  • Gate-in and container pickup. The driver arrives at the terminal gate with proper credentials and authorization documents. The terminal verifies the release, the driver picks up the container on a chassis and exits through the out-gate. 
  • Delivery. The container is transported to the designated delivery point. The driver may live-unload (wait while the container is emptied) or drop the container for later pickup. If the consignee cannot receive the container immediately, some shippers use a nearby yard storage facility to hold the container off-terminal and avoid additional demurrage accumulation. 
  • Empty return. Once the container is emptied, it must be returned to the ocean carrier’s designated depot or back to the terminal. The return must happen within the detention free time window to avoid additional charges. 

Types of Drayage 

Not all drayage moves are the same. The cargo type, origin or destination, and equipment required all determine which type of drayage service a shipper needs. 

 

Type 

Origin / Destination 

Common Use 

Century Express Virginia Service 

Port Drayage 

Marine terminal to warehouse, distribution center, or importer facility 

Import/export containers at NIT and VIG 

Core service — available 7 days a week 

Rail Drayage 

Intermodal rail yard to/from port or final destination 

Inland moves connecting rail to ocean freight 

Rail drayage from Hampton Roads intermodal facilities 

Refrigerated Drayage 

Port terminal to cold storage or temperature-controlled facility 

Perishable imports, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage 

Specialize in handling refrigerated freight 

Hazmat Drayage 

Port terminal to licensed hazmat facility or storage site 

Chemicals, flammables, regulated cargo 

FMCSA-compliant hazmat-certified drivers and equipment 

 

Each type requires specific driver expertise, equipment, and in some cases, special permits. A carrier that handles standard dry containers may not be authorized to move hazmat cargo, and a reefer move requires both the right trailer and a driver trained to monitor temperature settings in transit. 

What Does a Drayage Fee Cover? 

A drayage fee is the charge assessed by the carrier for completing the move. It typically covers the driver’s time, fuel, and the use of the carrier’s equipment. For port drayage specifically, the fee structure often includes several line items beyond the base rate. 

  • Base drayage rate. The core charge for the move itself, calculated by distance, container size (20-foot vs. 40-foot), and weight. 
  • Fuel surcharge. A variable surcharge tied to current diesel prices, adjusted periodically by the carrier. 
  • Chassis fee. If the carrier provides the chassis to transport the container, a daily chassis rental fee typically applies.  
  • Overweight or permit fees. Containers that exceed standard weight limits require special permits and may need a different chassis or axle configuration. Carriers with blanket overweight permits in Virginia and surrounding states can often handle these moves more efficiently than those without. 

Understanding the full fee structure before booking a move helps shippers compare carriers accurately and avoid invoice surprises. A low base rate that does not include chassis fees or fuel surcharges is not always the better value. 

How Is Drayage Different From Other Types of Freight? 

Drayage is frequently confused with other freight services because it involves a truck and a container, just like a truckload move. The distinction is in the scope and context of the move. 

A full truckload (FTL) move is a point-to-point shipment from shipper to consignee, typically over a long distance. The carrier is responsible for the entire journey. Drayage is a component move — it handles only one leg of a longer intermodal journey, and the carrier’s role ends when the container reaches the next handoff point. 

Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping consolidates multiple shippers’ freight into a single trailer. Drayage moves full containers and does not consolidate cargo in transit. 

Intermodal shipping describes a freight move that uses more than one mode of transportation, such as ocean vessel plus truck, or rail plus truck. Drayage is the trucking component that makes intermodal moves possible. Without drayage, containers arriving by ship have no way to complete the final leg to their destination. The same is true for containers moving through inland rail yards. 

For a closer look at how containers move between rail and port, the guide to rail freight transportation explains how intermodal rail connects to port drayage in practice. 

What to Look for in a Drayage Carrier 

Not every trucking company that can move a container qualifies as a capable drayage partner. Port drayage requires specific credentials, terminal relationships, and operational capacity that general freight carriers do not always have. 

  • Terminal authorization. Carriers must be registered and authorized with the specific terminal. At NIT and VIG, this means meeting the terminal’s operational and credentialing requirements. A carrier without this authorization cannot pick up a container, regardless of how available their drivers are. 
  • UIIA membership. The Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement governs how motor carriers interact with intermodal equipment providers. Carriers operating under the UIIA have met a standardized set of operational and insurance requirements. 
  • Hazmat certification if applicable. If your cargo includes any regulated hazardous materials, the carrier must have FMCSA-compliant hazmat authority and trained drivers. This is not optional, and it is not something a standard carrier can obtain quickly. 
  • Equipment availability and condition. Container moves require specific chassis types depending on container size and weight. A carrier with a diverse equipment inventory, including 20-foot, 40-foot, and triaxle chassis, can handle more cargo profiles without subcontracting. 
  • Driver continuity and stability. High driver turnover at a drayage company creates scheduling risk for shippers. Carriers with low turnover rates have more experienced drivers who know the terminals, the gate procedures, and the timing required to avoid demurrage. 
  • Availability. Drayage windows can be narrow, especially when a container is approaching its last free day. A carrier that operates seven days a week and is reachable after hours can respond when the timeline demands it. 

Port Drayage at the Port of Virginia 

Century Express Virginia has operated as a port-based drayage carrier at NIT and VIG since 2007. The company’s team includes professionals with backgrounds in ocean carrier operations, customs brokerage, and domestic and international transportation. That experience translates directly into the kind of operational awareness that prevents demurrage charges, handles weight permit requirements before they become problems, and keeps communication clear throughout the move. 

The full range of drayage services includes port drayage, rail drayage, refrigerated drayage, and hazmat drayage. For cargo that needs to move off-terminal before a delivery point is ready, yard storage is available at facilities in Norfolk and Portsmouth. For shippers evaluating whether to strip and reuse a container or transfer freight to a domestic trailer, transloading is also available. 

From planning and forecasting to last-minute pickups, Century Express Virginia is here to assist you. If given the opportunity, we will exceed your expectation. 

 

Contact the Century Express Virginia team today to discuss your drayage needs at the Port of Virginia. We are accessible seven days a week at (757) 494-9200, or reach out through the contact page. 

If you are ready to enhance your supply chain, call or request a quote online from Century Express Virginia. Our door is always open to new customers who are looking to improve their logistics. Do you have questions about whether we are the right company for you? View our full service offerings to see just how many unique solutions we offer.
Demurrage vs. Detention: What Port Shippers Need to Know

Demurrage vs. Detention: What Port Shippers Need to Know

Demurrage vs. Detention: What Port Shippers Need to Know

Transloading vs. Cross-Docking: A Shipper’s Decision Guide

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What Is Drayage? A Guide for Port Shippers

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Few things derail a smooth port pickup faster than an unexpected charge on a carrier invoice. Demurrage and detention are two of the most common fees shippers encounter at the Port of Virginia, yet the difference between them is frequently misunderstood. Getting them confused is more than a terminology problem. Acting on the wrong assumption can cost your company hundreds or even thousands of dollars per container in fees that were preventable.

Understanding how demurrage and detention work, why they accrue, and how experienced port drayage partners help you avoid them is essential for any importer, beneficial cargo owner, or 3PL moving freight through Hampton Roads.

What Is Port Demurrage?

Port demurrage is a fee charged when a container remains inside a marine terminal past its allotted free time. At the Port of Virginia’s two primary facilities, Norfolk International Terminal (NIT) and Virginia International Gateway (VIG), each ocean carrier establishes a free time window, typically three to five business days from the vessel discharge date.

Once that window closes, the terminal or ocean carrier begins charging a demurrage fee on a per-container, per-day basis. Rates vary by carrier and container size but can escalate significantly the longer a container sits unpicked. A container that sits unclaimed for a week past its free time can generate fees that rival the cost of the cargo itself.

The demurrage clock is running whether your container has been released by customs or not. Delays in documentation, holds, or slow customs examination all eat into free time, and the charges begin regardless of the reason for the delay.

What Is Container Detention?

Container detention is related but distinct. Where demurrage measures how long a container sits inside the terminal, detention measures how long a container spends outside the terminal in the hands of the shipper or trucking company.

Once a container is picked up by a drayman and the chassis leaves the gate, a separate free time window begins. The clock runs until the empty container is returned to the designated depot or terminal. If the return happens after the allowed window, the ocean carrier charges a detention fee, again assessed per container, per day.

For shippers who need to hold a container at a warehouse while product is unloaded or inspected, detention adds up quickly. The same applies when a receiving location has limited dock availability and turns take longer than planned. The container is still in someone’s possession, and the carrier is still charging for that time.

Demurrage vs. Detention: The Key Differences

The simplest way to separate the two: demurrage is about where the container is sitting (inside the terminal), and detention is about how long the container is in your hands after you pick it up.

What triggers it?

Container stays inside the terminal past free time

Container leaves the terminal but isn’t returned on time

Who charges it?

The ocean carrier or terminal

The ocean carrier or equipment provider

What is the asset?

The terminal slot / gate space

The chassis or container itself

Free time window

Typically 3 to 5 business days (varies by carrier/terminal)

Typically 3 to 5 business days after pickup

How fees accrue

Per container, per day

Per container, per day

Who pays?

The importer or BCO

The importer, BCO, or trucking company

Both fees share one trait: they compound daily. A container that generates demurrage for four days and then detention for three days after pickup has two separate charge streams running, and they are often billed by different parties.

What Is Per Diem, and How Does It Fit In?

Per diem is a term used interchangeably with detention in many contexts, but there is a technical distinction. Per diem specifically refers to daily charges assessed by a chassis provider and/or ocean carrier for the use of equipment beyond its allotted free time.

What Does LFD Mean in Shipping?

LFD stands for Last Free Day. It is the final day a container can remain at the terminal, or in the hands of a carrier, before fees begin to accrue. LFD is the single most important date in managing demurrage and detention costs.

At the Port of Virginia, LFD is assigned by the ocean carrier at the time of vessel arrival. It appears in the carrier’s online cargo tracking system and in most terminal management portals. Your drayman should verify the LFD on every container before scheduling a pickup, and again if there are any delays between booking and actual dispatch.

Missing an LFD by a single day can mean a full day of demurrage charges. Missing it over a weekend means three days of charges with no ability to intervene until Monday. That is why drayage companies with 24/7 availability and strong terminal relationships have a meaningful advantage in protecting shippers from unnecessary fees.

How to Avoid Demurrage and Detention Charges at the Port of Virginia

Avoiding these fees is entirely possible with the right practices in place. The following steps make the biggest difference:

  • Track your LFD from the moment the vessel arrives, not from when your freight is released. These are different dates and treating them as the same is a common and costly mistake.
  • Work with a drayage partner who monitors terminal availability in real time. Gate congestion, chassis shortages, and system outages at NIT and VIG can all compress the time available for a same-day pickup. An experienced drayman anticipates these conditions rather than reacting to them.
  • Use container yard storage strategically. If your receiving location cannot accept a delivery immediately after port pickup, moving the container to a nearby secure yard resets the detention clock and removes the container from terminal demurrage liability. This is one of the most practical and underused tools for fee avoidance in the Hampton Roads market.
  • Coordinate your customs documentation well in advance. Customs holds are one of the leading causes of demurrage accumulation. Submitting accurate ISF and entry documentation early, and monitoring exam status daily, protects your free time.
  • If you are moving freight through an intermodal move, clarify when rail drayage to or from the terminal is scheduled relative to the free time window. Rail drayage pickups at inland facilities operate on their own LFD schedule, which is separate from the ocean terminal’s clock.
  • For cargo that requires inspection before delivery, such as temperature-sensitive imports or regulated commodities, consider the time needed and whether transloading to a domestic trailer makes more sense than holding the container. This can eliminate detention exposure entirely once the cargo is transferred.

Working With a Port-Based Drayage Partner Who Understands the Timelines

Century Express Virginia has operated from the Port of Virginia since 2007. The team includes professionals with backgrounds in ocean carrier operations, customs brokerage, and domestic and international transportation. That breadth of experience means the company understands how every party in the chain, from the terminal to the ocean carrier to the chassis provider, runs their LFD and fee calculations.

Being accessible seven days a week matters when a container is approaching its LFD on a Friday afternoon and the only way to avoid weekend demurrage is a same-day dispatch. Century Express Virginia’s driver network and dual yard facilities in Norfolk and Portsmouth give shippers the flexibility to act quickly when timing is tight.

From planning and forecasting to last-minute pickups, Century Express Virginia is here to assist you. Managing your demurrage and detention exposure is part of every drayage move the team handles, not an afterthought. To learn more about the Port of Virginia’s terminal operations and how the right drayage partner fits into your supply chain strategy, visit the glossary or explore the full range of drayage services on the Century Express Virginia website.

Contact the Century Express Virginia team today to discuss how to protect your next shipment from preventable port fees. Reach the team at (757) 494-9200 or visit the contact page to get started.

If you are ready to enhance your supply chain, call or request a quote online from Century Express Virginia. Our door is always open to new customers who are looking to improve their logistics. Do you have questions about whether we are the right company for you? View our full service offerings to see just how many unique solutions we offer.