Port of Vancouver drayage guide: terminals, TLS licences and pick-up rules

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, and container trucking there is more tightly regulated than almost anywhere else in the country. This guide covers the four container terminals, the licences a truck needs to enter them, and how to plan a pick-up or delivery.

Last updated: 24 October 2026

The port at a glance

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) reports that the port handled a record 3.78 million TEUs of containers in 2025. Trucking carries much of that. The port authority says the trucking sector moves about half of all container shipments to facilities across the Lower Mainland. Much of the rest moves inland by rail.

The four container terminals

Terminal	Location and operator (per the port authority)
Centerm	South shore of Burrard Inlet, Vancouver. Operated by DP World. Six gantry cranes on two berths and on-dock rail.
Vanterm	South shore of Burrard Inlet, Vancouver. Operated by GCT Canada. Six gantry cranes and on-dock rail.
Deltaport	Roberts Bank, Delta. Operated by GCT Canada. Canada’s largest container terminal, with three berths, 12 ship-to-shore cranes and extensive on-dock rail.
DP World Fraser Surrey	Fraser River, Surrey. A multi-purpose terminal handling containers as well as bulk and breakbulk cargo.

For drayage, the terminal matters. Centerm and Vanterm are on the Burrard Inlet waterfront in Vancouver. Deltaport is far to the south at Roberts Bank, and Fraser Surrey is on the Fraser River. Travel time, and so the price, depends on which terminal your container is at and where it is going.

Who is allowed to haul containers at the port

This is the most important difference between Vancouver and other Canadian gateways. A trucking company can’t simply show up at a Vancouver container terminal. Two layers of licensing apply.

1. The port’s Truck Licensing System (TLS)

The port authority runs the Truck Licensing System (TLS). It sets requirements that all trucking companies and their vehicles must meet before they can access federally owned port property. This applies to both local and long-haul companies. According to the port authority, the requirements include:

GPS units on all trucks, used to calculate terminal turn and wait times and to make sure drivers are properly paid
a minimum truck age standard, for lower emissions and better safety
common data interfaces that connect trucking companies to container terminals

The port authority publishes a list of TLS companies on its website, split into local and long-haul companies, with the date each list was last updated. Before you book a carrier for a Vancouver terminal move, check that the company appears on the current list.

2. A Container Trucking Services (CTS) licence

Under B.C.’s Container Trucking Act (2014), the Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner (OBCCTC) issues Container Trucking Services licences within the Truck Licensing System. It also enforces the Act. The Commissioner sets minimum rates that licensees must pay their drivers for container trucking in the Lower Mainland. The OBCCTC raised those minimum rates by 2.1% from 1 July 2026, based on the consumer price index. Driver pay is a regulated floor, so drayage pricing in the Lower Mainland reflects it.

Booking terminal access

The container terminals run appointment systems for trucks. GCT publishes appointment availability for Deltaport by date and time slot, and DP World publishes instructions for booking a truck visit appointment in Vancouver. In practice your drayage carrier makes these bookings. As the shipper or forwarder, your job is to make sure the container is released (customs, shipping line and any terminal charges) so the carrier can book a slot.

Ask your carrier how far ahead it books appointments at your terminal, and what happens if a slot is missed.

Rail terminals in the Vancouver area

Not every Lower Mainland drayage move is at a marine terminal. CN lists its Vancouver intermodal terminal at 17569 104th Avenue in Surrey, open 24 hours a day. CPKC also runs a Vancouver-area intermodal terminal. These ramps handle domestic containers and some international ones, and rail drayage rules there are set by the railway, not by the port’s TLS. Check the access rules for your exact pick-up point.

Planning a Vancouver drayage move

Identify the terminal from the arrival notice or the shipping line’s tracking.
Confirm the carrier is licensed. Check the TLS list on the port authority site.
Clear customs early and make sure the shipping line has released the container.
Share delivery details with the carrier: receiving hours, live unload or drop, weight, and any dangerous goods.
Agree on the empty return location. Shipping lines often name a specific terminal or depot.
Watch free time. Terminal storage and shipping-line demurrage and detention rules vary by line and terminal. Check your arrival notice and the line’s tariff.

Questions to ask a Vancouver drayage carrier

Are you on the port’s current TLS list, and do you hold a CTS licence?
Are you licensed as a local or a long-haul TLS company?
Which terminals do you serve regularly: Centerm, Vanterm, Deltaport, Fraser Surrey?
How do you handle appointment booking, and who pays if a slot is missed?
What extra charges apply (fuel, waiting time, chassis, pre-pull, yard storage)?
Can you handle overweight, reefer or dangerous goods containers if you need them?

FAQ

Can any trucking company pick up a container at the Port of Vancouver?

No. Trucks entering port container terminals need the port authority’s Truck Licensing System licence and a Container Trucking Services licence issued by the BC Container Trucking Commissioner.

Where can I check whether a carrier has a TLS licence?

The port authority publishes the list of local and long-haul TLS companies on its Truck Licensing System page.

What is the difference between a local and a long-haul TLS company?

The port authority lists them separately. For the conditions that apply to each, check with the port authority’s TLS team (contact details are on its TLS page) or ask the carrier.

Which Vancouver terminal is my container at?

Your arrival notice or the shipping line’s tracking will show it. The four container terminals are Centerm, Vanterm, Deltaport and DP World Fraser Surrey.

Find Port of Vancouver drayage carriers

See the carriers in our directory that name the port: Port of Vancouver drayage carriers. You can also browse all drayage carriers in Metro Vancouver. To request a quote, open a carrier’s page and contact that company directly. Our listings link to the public source for each detail; see how we verify carriers.

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