Trade Show Drayage Explained (2026 Rates)

What drayage covers

At US trade shows you cannot drive your freight to your booth. The show's official contractor (Freeman, GES or Shepard at most large shows) unloads it at the dock, moves it to your space, stores your empty crates during the show, returns them at the end and loads your freight onto your carrier. That service is material handling, usually called drayage.

It is charged separately from your booth space and separately from shipping. Your carrier's bill gets the freight to the building; the drayage bill covers the last few hundred feet, twice.

How it is billed in 2026

There are two systems, and each show uses one:

Per pound. Freeman has moved many shows to a flat rate per actual pound. Its SEMA Show sheet describes it as no minimums, no hundredweight billing, no overtime and no rounding. At SEMA 2026 (Las Vegas Convention Center) the rate is $1.11 per pound, rising to $1.39 per pound for freight after the October 22 deadline, and booths of 800 sq ft or less get the first 500 lb free. At the NAMM Show 2027 (Anaheim) Freeman charges $1.55 per pound above a 1,000 lb allowance per 100 sq ft.
Per hundredweight (CWT, 100 lb). Many GES shows still bill by the hundredweight, "rounded up to the nearest hundred". At IMEX America 2026 (Mandalay Bay) crated freight costs $122.25 per CWT sent to the advance warehouse and $131.25 per CWT sent direct to the show. At MRC Vegas 2026 (Aria) crated freight to the warehouse is $159.75 per CWT on straight time.

Some GES shows bill per pound too: one 2026 Las Vegas GES show lists $2.30 per pound for standard freight of 25 lb or more and a flat $57.48 for under 25 lb.

The rate is set per show. Always check the material handling form in your show's exhibitor kit.

What makes drayage more expensive

GES's 2026 Las Vegas forms list the surcharges plainly:

Uncrated freight: +60%. Loose, pad-wrapped or unskidded items take more handling (Be+Well Las Vegas 2026 and MRC Vegas 2026).
Special handling: +30% to +35%. Ground loading, side-door loading, constricted space or mixed loads.
Late arrival at the warehouse: +30%.
Overtime: about +30% to +60%. At MRC Vegas 2026 the same crated freight is $159.75 per CWT on straight time, $207.25 when one end is overtime and $255.00 when both are.
Mixed loads. GES bills the whole load at the uncrated rate if crated and uncrated freight share one bill of lading.
Late at Freeman per-pound shows: +25% (SEMA 2026: $1.11 becomes $1.39).

Small parcels have their own rates: GES charges per package up to 50 lb (IMEX America 2026: $53.25 for the first, $17.80 each after), and Freeman's SEMA 2026 sheet handles shipments of 10 lb and under for free.

Advance warehouse or direct to the show

You can ship to the contractor's warehouse before the show or straight to the venue on your target day.

Advance warehouse. Ships early, arrives in your booth before move-in starts, includes storage (GES: up to 30 days). Freeman's warehouses do not accept uncrated freight. Miss the warehouse deadline and the late surcharge applies.
Direct to show site. Your carrier must arrive at the marshaling yard at your target time, where freight is weighed. Trucks that sign in late can be billed at overtime rates.

Moving out: forced freight

At the end of the show, every shipment needs an outbound bill of lading or material handling agreement. If your carrier does not check in on time, Freeman's standard rule applies: it "reserves the right to re-route your freight onto another carrier", at your expense. Neither Freeman nor GES publishes a price for forced freight, which is why it is one of the most painful surprise bills.

What you may carry in yourself

Hand-carrying avoids drayage, within strict rules. At SEMA 2026 (LVCC) items must be carried by full-time company employees, by one person at a time, unloaded within 30 minutes, with no hand trucks, pallet jacks or dollies (lightweight luggage carts are allowed). Rules differ by show: check the hand-carry section of your kit.

How BoothJet handles drayage

Drayage is included in every BoothJet booth price. We ship the booth, the show contractor moves it to your space, and we pay that bill. You do not fill in a material handling form, and nothing is billed after the show. A 10×10 booth is $3,999 to $8,999 all-in.

Questions

How much is drayage in Las Vegas?

It depends on the show. At SEMA 2026 Freeman charges $1.11 per pound ($1.39 after the deadline). At IMEX America 2026 GES charges $122.25 per 100 lb for crated freight to the warehouse. Uncrated, late or overtime freight costs 25–60% more.

Is there a minimum drayage charge?

Freeman per-pound shows such as SEMA have no minimum. GES per-hundredweight shows round up to the next 100 lb and may apply a minimum per shipment; check your show's form.

Is drayage included in my booth space?

No. Booth space and material handling are billed separately by the show organizer and the show contractor. In a BoothJet rental, drayage is included in the booth price.

How do I lower my drayage bill?

Crate and skid your freight, ship to the advance warehouse before the deadline, keep crated and loose items on separate bills of lading, and schedule your carrier on straight time.

Rent a booth with one all-in price

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Trade Show Drayage Explained: How Material Handling Is Billed