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The base drayage charge

This is the core truck movement between the port/rail facility and the delivery or pickup location.

The rate can reflect:

  • mileage,
  • local market,
  • port/ramp,
  • terminal difficulty,
  • equipment,
  • delivery requirements,
  • time window.

But drayage has more operational dependencies than a simple point-to-point linehaul.

Fuel

Dray carriers may apply a fuel surcharge or build fuel into the rate.

Ask whether fuel is:

  • included,
  • a separate percentage,
  • a separate per-mile amount,
  • subject to a published index.

Do not assume two quotes use the same structure.

Chassis

Possible charges include:

  • chassis rental/use,
  • split chassis,
  • tri-axle/special chassis,
  • extra chassis days,
  • chassis repositioning.

The container and chassis are separate assets.

Who supplies the chassis matters.

Pre-pull

A pre-pull means the container is retrieved before the final delivery appointment and staged at a secure yard.

Why do it?

  • beat the last free day,
  • secure the container while an appointment is available,
  • avoid a terminal closure,
  • position the box for an early delivery,
  • manage warehouse scheduling.

A pre-pull normally adds a yard movement and often storage/chassis time, but can prevent larger demurrage exposure.

Yard storage

If the box sits at a dray carrier's yard, storage may be charged by day.

Confirm:

  • rate,
  • when the day begins,
  • whether weekends count,
  • chassis charges while staged,
  • reefer power/genset charges if applicable.

Private yard storage is not the same thing as marine-terminal demurrage.

Driver waiting / detention

If the driver waits at:

  • terminal,
  • warehouse,
  • customer facility,
  • exam site,

there may be waiting-time/detention charges under the dray carrier's terms.

Do not confuse a dray carrier's driver-waiting charge with an ocean carrier's container detention charge. The same word can be used in different contexts.

Demurrage / terminal storage

The FMC describes demurrage as a charge connected to cargo exceeding free time on a marine terminal.

The exact charge, payer relationship, tariff/contract and free-time calculation depend on the carrier/terminal arrangement.

These charges can escalate daily.

The dray provider may quote the truck move without including future demurrage that has not yet accrued.

Container detention / per diem / equipment use

After the full import container leaves the terminal, the ocean carrier's container is still equipment that has to be returned.

Beyond applicable free time, equipment-use charges may accrue.

Terminology varies. “Per diem” is often used for daily equipment-use charges in intermodal practice.

Always identify who is charging, for what asset, and for which dates.

Port-specific programs

Some ports have their own programs/fees.

Example: the Los Angeles/Long Beach OffPeak program uses terminal appointments and a Traffic Mitigation Fee structure managed through PierPASS.

That fee changes over time and is port-specific.

Do not treat a Los Angeles fee as a universal drayage charge.

Toll and access costs

Local tolls, bridge tolls, congestion programs, clean-truck programs or facility charges can apply depending on location.

Overweight / permits

Heavy boxes can create:

  • special chassis charges,
  • permits,
  • additional axles,
  • route limitations,
  • additional distance,
  • scaling/rework,
  • transload costs.

A “heavy container” needs a road-legal plan, not just a stronger truck.

Redelivery / dry run / rejected move

Extra charges may result when the truck cannot complete the planned transaction because:

  • container is not released,
  • terminal rejects transaction,
  • appointment is missing,
  • warehouse rejects delivery,
  • cutoff/ERD is wrong,
  • chassis/equipment issue,
  • empty-return location changes.

Responsibility depends on the contract and cause.

Government exam work can create:

  • transfer drayage,
  • CES movement,
  • exam facility charges,
  • storage,
  • extra chassis days,
  • additional handling.

CBP says an intensive exam can require physical transfer to a Centralized Examination Station and cargo cannot legally move without authorization.

Transload costs

If freight is stripped from the ocean container, charges can include:

  • unloading,
  • palletizing,
  • labor,
  • storage,
  • domestic trailer,
  • reloading,
  • disposal/dunnage,
  • special handling.

A better way to compare quotes

Compare the assumptions.

Ask:

Included

  • linehaul,
  • fuel,
  • chassis,
  • free waiting,
  • tolls?

Not included

  • demurrage,
  • container detention/per diem,
  • storage,
  • exam,
  • overweight permit,
  • pre-pull,
  • special chassis,
  • redelivery?

The lowest base rate is not always the lowest total move.

Related:

Want to know what a container move will actually cost?

Send the shipment details and we will separate the line haul from the charges that depend on the terminal, the chassis and the clock.

Request a Freight Quote

Official references

  • FMC detention/demurrage: https://www.fmc.gov/detention-and-demurrage/
  • UIIA: https://www.uiia.org/
  • PierPASS: https://www.pierpass.org/