---
title: "Cartage"
description: "Cartage is the transportation of cargo to and from a container freight station (CFS) via truck within a local area. If the destination is not local, an LTL trucker delivers the shipment to its final destination."
language: en
canonical: https://www.flexport.com/glossary/cartage/
lifecycle: live
dateModified: 2026-10-08T14:52:03Z
topics:
  - "Trucking"
---

# Cartage

Cartage is the transportation of cargo to and from a container freight station (CFS) via truck within a local area. If the destination is not local, an LTL trucker delivers the shipment to its final destination.

## What is cartage?

Cartage is the transportation of cargo to and from a [CFS](https://www.flexport.com/glossary/container-freight-station/) via truck within a local area.

If the destination is not local, an [LTL](https://www.flexport.com/glossary/less-than-truckload/) trucker will deliver the shipment to its final destination.

## How does cartage work?

A cartage company picks up cargo at a port, airport, or container freight station and delivers it to a warehouse or customer in the same local area, or does the reverse. The trip is short, usually within one metro region, and often takes a single day. Cartage is common for LCL freight, where each customer's cargo is small and has to be separated before delivery.

Carriers typically charge cartage by the trip or by weight, and the price changes with wait time, liftgate or inside delivery needs, and fuel costs. Cartage differs from drayage, which moves containers by truck over short distances, usually between a port or rail yard and a nearby facility.

Back to the [full glossary](https://www.flexport.com/glossary/).

---

*This is a markdown version of [https://www.flexport.com/glossary/cartage/](https://www.flexport.com/glossary/cartage/) for AI/LLM consumption.*