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Are you interested in moving intermodal freight and expanding your owner operator business? Download the free DrayNow app from the App Store or Google Play store, or click the button below.

To successfully complete an intermodal load, carriers need to arrive at the shipper or consignee, with the container, within the appointment provided. This can be either a hard appointment time, or an appointment window that the carrier must arrive within.

When using the DrayNow app, it’s important for carriers to understand that the appointment time displayed is for the shipper/consignee, which is the second stop of the trip. Driving to the equipment location is the first stop and is typically a rail yard. They need to arrive at this location well before the appointment time to pick up the equipment and make their appointment at the shipper/consignee.

Before starting a trip, carriers should double check the date of the appointment, whether there is a hard appointment time or window, and check the time zone of the appointment time in case they are crossing time zones. And be aware that appointments are in military time, so a 06:00 appointment is going to be for 6:00am, not 6:00pm, which would be 18:00.

When selecting loads, carriers need to look at the appointment time and make sure that they can complete each load at the time required. Showing up late for an appointment or picking up too much freight can cause issues at the shipper/consignee.

The key takeaway from this guide is that the appointment time shown in the app is for the shipper/consignee and not the equipment location. Carriers need to make sure that they are double checking all the appointment information before starting a trip. Keeping these in mind will help intermodal carriers complete all their trips on time, which will prevent problems down the road.

For a visual accompaniment to this information, feel free to watch the video below going over tips on managing appointment times for intermodal loads on the DrayNow app.