Merchant Haulage meaning in ocean freight.

Who books the truck under merchant haulage

The importer, exporter or their forwarder picks the trucker, agrees the rate and books any terminal appointment. The shipping line still releases the container and says where the empty must go back. In the UK and much of Europe, merchant haulage and carrier haulage are standard booking terms; in the United States the same split often shows up as port or ramp terms versus door delivery. The merchant gains control over cost and timing and takes on coordination the carrier would otherwise handle.

What the carrier still reports

Because the carrier did not hire the trucker, its tracking often covers only the edges of the move: a gate-out from the terminal and, days later, an empty return. A delivery event may never appear. CargoScope shows the milestones the carrier reports, so on a merchant haulage move the inland leg can look thin, and the trucker is the source for anything in between. Agree with the trucker how delivery and return times will be confirmed.

Return duties the merchant inherits

Detention free time usually starts counting when the box leaves the terminal and keeps running while the merchant's trucker has it. Returning the empty late, to the wrong depot or damaged generally becomes the merchant's cost, not the carrier's. Before booking, check the free days in the contract, the return location, and whether street turns are allowed. Keep the equipment interchange receipts, since they record when and where the container changed hands.

Example

Under merchant haulage, a New Jersey importer's own trucker collects MSKU4830212 at Port Newark and returns the empty to the depot the carrier names.

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