What Is an "Off-Dock Yard" and How Does It Affect Container Pickup Efficiency?
Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-10-15 Origin: Site
Generally, loaded containers and empty containers are stored at terminals. Why do off-dock yards exist? And why is cargo pickup sometimes fast, while other times it takes several days? Today, we¡¯ll discuss the relationship between container yards and pickup efficiency!
"Container Yards" and "Pickup Efficiency"
A container yard refers to a location inside or around a container terminal used for the transfer and storage of containers. It is sometimes also called a "container depot." Imported cargo is stored in yards, and shippers must go to the yard to pick up containers when needed.
The speed of container pickup mainly depends on whether the shipping company stores the cargo in a public terminal yard or a dedicated terminal yard. A dedicated terminal is a cooperation between a specific shipping company and the terminal, where the shipping company¡¯s container ships have priority for berthing and cargo loading/unloading. A dedicated yard specifically stores containers belonging to that shipping company. For example, CMA CGM¡¯s EXX service has a dedicated yard at the TraPac Terminal.
Additionally, pickup efficiency is affected by whether the container matches the chassis (the wheeled frame for containers). If a container is matched with a chassis, the truck driver only needs to bring the truck tractor to pick up the container directly.
Take U.S. container yards as an example: In the U.S., truck tractors and chassis are separate. During peak shipping seasons, many truck fleets delay container pickup because they cannot get matching chassis.
"On-Dock Yards" and "Off-Dock Yards"
Container yards are divided into on-dock yards and off-dock yards¡ªanother key factor influencing pickup efficiency.
On-dock yards: Located within terminal boundaries, with a certain distance from the port¡¯s hinterland.
Off-dock yards: Located outside terminal boundaries, usually along the transportation corridor between the port and its hinterland.
Off-dock yards use two storage methods, which directly impact efficiency:
Wheeled storage: Containers are stored individually with pre-matched chassis. Truck drivers only need to bring the tractor to pick up the container immediately. This method offers extremely high pickup efficiency, and no advance reservation is required for containers stored this way.
Ground storage (stacked storage): Containers are stacked in layers. Unlike terminals (which have gantry cranes for moving containers in all directions), off-dock yards only have reach stackers¡ªequipment that can only lift the top container in a stack. Thus, ground storage requires extra time for chassis matching, container locating, and lifting. This significantly slows down pickup efficiency.
