Cabotage is the transport of goods or passengers between two points within the same country by a carrier from another country—and most nations, including the United States, restrict it to protect domestic carriers. In practice, cabotage rules determine who is legally allowed to move freight on a purely domestic leg, which matters for importers, ocean shippers, and anyone coordinating cross-border trucking.
What cabotage means in plain terms
The word comes from coastal shipping, but today it covers all modes—sea, road, and air. A cabotage restriction says, in effect, “only our own carriers may carry domestic loads between domestic points.” A foreign vessel or truck can deliver an international shipment into the country, but it generally cannot then pick up a separate domestic load and haul it from one in-country city to another.
The Jones Act: U.S. maritime cabotage
The most well-known U.S. cabotage law is the Jones Act (the Merchant Marine Act of 1920). It requires that goods shipped by water between two U.S. ports be carried on vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-crewed. This is why moving cargo by sea from, say, Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico, or to a mainland U.S. port involves Jones Act–qualified vessels. The law shapes domestic ocean and coastal freight pricing and capacity throughout the country.
Cabotage and trucking
Road cabotage governs whether a foreign-domiciled truck can carry domestic U.S. freight. A Canadian or Mexican carrier may deliver an international load into the U.S., but rules limit its ability to then move purely domestic loads between U.S. points. For shippers in a gateway like Miami, this is one reason a domestic, asset-based carrier handles the local and regional legs—port drayage, transload, and delivery—after international freight arrives. Go Freight’s owned-truck drayage fleet moves containers from PortMiami and Port Everglades to warehouses and final destinations without cabotage complications.
Why cabotage matters to importers
Cabotage rules affect cost, capacity, and compliance. They can raise the price of domestic legs compared with open-market international rates, and they require careful planning of who handles which segment of a multi-leg journey. Getting it wrong—having an ineligible carrier perform a domestic move—can mean penalties and delays. Working with a domestic carrier for in-country transport keeps the move compliant and predictable.
Frequently asked questions
Does cabotage apply to air freight too?
Yes. Air cabotage rules generally bar foreign airlines from carrying passengers or cargo between two points within the same country, reserving those domestic segments for national carriers.
Is the Jones Act the same as cabotage?
The Jones Act is the U.S. maritime form of cabotage. Cabotage is the broad concept; the Jones Act is the specific statute that applies it to domestic waterborne freight.
How does cabotage affect my imported container?
The international ocean leg is unaffected, but once the container lands, the domestic drayage and delivery are best handled by a U.S. carrier to stay within cabotage rules and avoid penalties.
Keep your domestic legs compliant
Once your freight lands in Miami, an asset-based U.S. carrier handles the rest cleanly. Request a quote or call Go Freight at (786) 445-0150 for compliant drayage, transload, and delivery.