Drayage (material handling) is billed by weight, either per 100 pounds with a minimum per shipment or, more and more, per pound. To pay less, consolidate into fewer crated shipments, hit the posted warehouse or target window, avoid overtime and special handling, document accurate weights, and hand-carry small items where the venue allows.
Drayage is the charge for moving your freight from the loading dock or the advance warehouse to your booth, storing your empty crates during the show and bringing everything back out at move-out. It has nothing to do with what you paid the truck to get there, which is why it surprises so many first-time exhibitors. Here's how it's billed in 2027, why the invoice is often bigger than expected, and the seven things I'd do to bring it down.
How is drayage billed in 2027: per 100 pounds or per pound?
Both, depending on the contractor. Here's how two real 2027 manuals and one general contractor's published model compare.
Rates last verified: October 2026. Sources: NEWEA 2027 manual, Fintech Meetup 2027 material handling, GES.
NEWEA's $155 per 100 pounds works out to $1.55 a pound, which makes it easier to compare with the per-pound sheets. GES sets its rates show by show, so look up yours on the show's ordering site. Under GES's model, items up to 4,400 pounds can go to the advance warehouse for the same rate as direct-to-show when that option is offered, and carpet is included in the pricing structure, while machinery labor and equipment aren't (GES).
These are two manuals I checked, one from a hotel show and one from a resort expo center. Big convention-center shows set their own rates, so treat the table as a way to read your manual, not as a price list.
Why was your bill higher than you expected?
A few charges are easy to miss.
Minimums. Under per-100-pound pricing, every shipment is billed at a minimum weight. At NEWEA 2027 it's 200 pounds, so a single 60-pound box to the warehouse is billed like 200 pounds, a minimum of $310. If it arrives by FedEx, UPS or DHL, NEWEA puts it in the additional-handling category, which makes the minimum $388.
Additional handling. NEWEA's manual bills "additional handling" at $194 per 100 pounds at the warehouse, versus $155 for standard crated freight. The triggers include multiple shipments, pad-wrapped or uncrated loads, ground or constricted unloading, missing weight tickets or inaccurate weights, and deliveries by FedEx, UPS, DHL, airfreight, local cartage, personal vehicles and company trucks (NEWEA 2027 manual).
Surcharges. At Fintech Meetup 2027, T3 Expo adds 30% for freight that reaches the warehouse after Feb. 12, 2027, 30% for off-target delivery, and 30% per pound per occurrence for overtime, which there means before 8 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday. That overtime charge applies even when your freight is moved into the hall on overtime "due to scheduling beyond T3 Expo's control." Shipments sent back to the warehouse after the show cost another 30% per pound (Fintech Meetup 2027). NEWEA charges $11 per 100 pounds ($80 minimum) for post-show returns to the warehouse.
Rising base rates. The Exhibitor Advocate's 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, based on 224 public manuals in 23 cities, reports material handling base rates rose 9.5% in 2025 to an average of $2.28 a pound, up 21.3% since 2022. Secondary, non-standard rates are up 26.4% since 2022 (The Exhibitor Advocate). So last year's invoice is not a safe budget for next year.
Michael's Tip
The charge I'd watch for first is the minimum on a small box. Sent on its own to NEWEA's warehouse by FedEx, UPS or DHL, a single 60-pound box is billed as additional handling with a $388 minimum. If you have a few small boxes, pack them into a crate with your main freight instead.
7 ways to pay less on drayage
1. Consolidate into fewer, heavier shipments
Every shipment hits the minimum, so two small ones can cost more than one bigger one. Here's an example using NEWEA 2027's warehouse rates (my arithmetic). Two separate 120-pound crates each get billed at the 200-pound minimum: 2 x $310 = $620. Put the same contents in one 240-pound crate and, because NEWEA rounds weight up to the next 100 pounds, it's billed at 300 pounds: 3 x $155 = $465. Sending that one crate by freight carrier also helps you avoid NEWEA's additional-handling rate of $194 per 100 pounds. That rate covers uncrated and pad-wrapped loads and courier deliveries by FedEx, UPS and DHL. It also applies to carriers that drop off shipments for more than one exhibitor, booth, location or venue at once.
2. Crate or palletize everything
Loose, pad-wrapped or uncrated freight costs more to handle, and some warehouses won't take it at all. NEWEA's advance warehouse doesn't accept uncrated freight, and its direct-to-show uncrated rate is $207 per 100 pounds versus $153 crated. T3's warehouse for Fintech Meetup won't accept loose or unpackaged pieces either.
3. Hit the window
Every manual has an advance warehouse cutoff and, at most larger shows, a target move-in time. Miss either and the surcharges start. On Fintech Meetup's rates, 600 pounds that arrives at the warehouse on time costs 600 x $1.80 = $1,080. The same freight arriving late is $1,080 x 1.30 = $1,404 (my arithmetic). Give your carrier the cutoff date, not the show date.
4. Compare the advance warehouse with direct-to-show for this show
There isn't one right answer. T3's warehouse rate ($1.80 a pound) is lower than its direct rate ($2.25). Capital's direct crated rate ($153 per 100 pounds) is slightly lower than its warehouse rate ($155). GES charges the same either way when you're within the posted dates. So check the two columns in your own manual before you book the truck.
Michael's Tip
For anything your booth can't open without, I'd lean toward the advance warehouse, even when its rate is a little higher. Freight that's already at the warehouse doesn't depend on a truck making it to the dock on move-in day. Get it there before the cutoff, though, or a late surcharge lands on top of the higher rate.
5. Stay off overtime
Overtime is usually defined by the clock, not by anything you did. At Fintech Meetup it's anything before 8 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, plus Saturdays. NEWEA adds $54.25 per 100 pounds for crated freight handled on overtime at the warehouse. Ask your carrier for a delivery appointment that lands on straight time, and build a little slack into the schedule so a late truck doesn't push your unload into the evening.
6. Get accurate weights on the paperwork
Contractors bill on the weight shown on your shipping documents. GES says it bills UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon shipments on the carrier's weight and may reweigh at show site (GES), and NEWEA lists missing weight tickets and inaccurate weights among its additional-handling triggers. NEWEA also says all charges are based on inbound weight certificates and quoted on a round-trip basis, meaning the rate covers moving it in and moving it back out (NEWEA 2027 manual). Get a certified weight ticket for every shipment and keep a copy with you at the show.
7. Ship less, and hand-carry what the venue allows
The cheapest pound is the one you don't ship. Lighter exhibit components and fewer boxes of printed literature both help. Small-package rates help too. T3 charges a flat $79 for a small-package shipment of 1 to 50 pounds total, and GES has a flat rate under 25 pounds.
Hand-carrying is the other option, and the rules are set by the venue. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, exhibitors can hand-carry their own materials as long as they don't use material-handling equipment. The work has to be done by full-time company employees with proof of employment, vehicles in the lots have to be personally owned rather than rented, and escalators are off limits (LVCC Facility Guide, July 2026). The full details are in my Las Vegas convention center guide, and every other venue guide has a drayage section with that city's rules, including Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta and New York.
Michael's Tip
Printed literature is the first thing I'd cut from the crate. Paper is heavy and billed by the pound like the rest of your freight, and whatever you don't hand out still has to go back out at move-out. Bring a small supply and offer to email the rest.
What should you check on the invoice before you leave?
Don't wait for the bill to show up a month later. Before you leave the show, ask the service desk for your material handling charges and compare the weights and piece counts with your bill of lading. If you see a special handling or overtime line you didn't expect, ask about it while the people who handled your freight are still on site. It's a lot easier to sort out a weight that got keyed wrong on Wednesday afternoon than by email in March.
Michael's Tip
Before move-out, I'd ask the service desk for your material handling charges and lay them next to your bill of lading and weight tickets. Check the weight and piece count on every shipment, and look for special handling or overtime lines you didn't expect. If anything is off, ask about it at the desk that day.
How should you budget drayage for a 2027 show?
Start with the total weight of everything you're shipping, multiply by the rate in this show's manual, and then add a cushion for surcharges. Use the rate in the current manual, not last year's invoice, because base rates have been rising. If you're still building the full budget, my post on why trade shows cost what they do explains where drayage fits, and the Budgeting and Logistics sections have more. You can also see which January and February 2027 shows are coming up, or find trade shows by industry.
Michael's Tip
Size the cushion from the surcharges in this show's manual instead of picking a round number. At Fintech Meetup 2027, late, off-target and overtime freight each add 30%, so I'd want the cushion to cover at least one of them on your biggest shipment. If every truck hits its window, that money stays in the budget.
Drayage cost FAQs
How is drayage calculated?
By weight. Some contractors charge per 100 pounds (CWT) with a minimum per shipment, often 200 pounds; others charge per pound. Late, off-target, overtime and special-handling freight costs more.
What is the 200-pound minimum?
Under per-100-pound pricing, every shipment is billed at least 200 pounds even if it weighs less. Two small shipments can cost more than one bigger one.
Is the advance warehouse cheaper than shipping direct?
It depends on the show. For Fintech Meetup 2027 the warehouse rate is $1.80 a pound versus $2.25 direct; at NEWEA 2027 the direct crated rate is slightly lower. Check your manual.
What triggers special or additional handling?
Loose, pad-wrapped or uncrated freight, multiple shipments, ground unloading, missing weight tickets, and deliveries by couriers, cars and company trucks, among others. Crate or palletize and document weights.
What is an off-target fee?
If a show assigns delivery times and your freight arrives outside yours, you pay a surcharge. Fintech Meetup 2027 adds 30% to material handling for that shipment.
Can I hand-carry booth materials to avoid drayage?
Sometimes. Venues set the rules. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, full-time employees can hand-carry what they can move without material-handling equipment, using personally owned vehicles.
How much does drayage cost in 2027?
It varies by show and city. The Exhibitor Advocate reports the average base rate rose to $2.28 a pound in 2025, and the two 2027 manuals I checked list $1.53 to $2.25 a pound for standard crated freight.
Ask me about your freight plan
Planning freight for a January or February show? Tell me what you're shipping and where, and I'll tell you where I'd cut.
Written by Michael Flavin, a trade show pro since 2006.
Sources
All checked Oct. 6, 2026.
- The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates release (May 12, 2026): https://www.exhibitoradvocacy.com/blog/the-exhibitor-advocate-releases-2025-annual-survey-of-exhibition-rates
- GES, "Material Handling Made Easy": https://insights.ges.com/exhibitor-resources/material-handling-made-easy
- Fintech Meetup 2027, Material Handling (T3 Expo, PDF): https://t3expo.s3.amazonaws.com/cms4_t3expo/files/2_fintech_27/original/fintech_meetup_27_mh_freight_ship-7.pdf
- NEWEA Annual Conference 2027 Exhibitor Service Manual (Capital Convention Contractors, PDF): https://www.newea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/NEWEA-Annual-Conference-2027-Exhibitor-Service-Manual.pdf
- LVCVA, LVCC Facility Guide, July 2026 (PDF), Hand Carry Policy, pp. 22-23: https://assets.simpleviewcms.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/lasvegas/LVCC_Facility_Guide_FNL_July2026_0d265c29-da46-4518-8aff-2df3c60b2b6e.pdf