Importers new to the United States budget carefully for ocean freight and then get a bill for the short truck move from the port that seems out of all proportion. Drayage is genuinely expensive in the US, for structural reasons that do not apply in most of Europe or Asia — and most of the surprise charges are avoidable once you know they exist.
The chassis problem
In most of the world, the trucker's trailer is the chassis. In the United States, the chassis is a separate piece of equipment that is frequently owned by a leasing pool rather than by the carrier or the trucker. So a container needs a chassis assigned to it, and that chassis is rented, usually by the day.
This creates cost lines that do not exist elsewhere:
- Chassis rental — a daily charge for the duration.
- Chassis split — when the chassis is not at the same terminal as your container, the trucker must collect it elsewhere first. That is a wasted trip, and it is billed.
- Tri-axle requirement — heavy containers need a specialised chassis in some states, which is scarcer and dearer.
Per diem versus demurrage versus detention
Three clocks run, and importers routinely confuse them:
| Charge | Runs when | Charged by |
|---|---|---|
| Demurrage | Container sits inside the terminal past free time | Terminal / carrier |
| Per diem / detention | Container is out of the terminal and not yet returned empty | Ocean carrier |
| Chassis rental | Chassis is in your possession | Chassis pool |
All three can run simultaneously on the same box. Estimate exposure with the detention and demurrage calculator, and note that free time differs by carrier and terminal — confirm the days in writing.
The charges that surprise people
- Pre-pull. Collecting the container before your warehouse can receive it, to stop demurrage, and storing it on the trucker's yard. Cheaper than demurrage, but it starts the per diem clock.
- Dual transaction versus single. Delivering a full container and collecting an empty in one terminal visit is a dual transaction and is cheaper. If the terminal will not accept the empty that day, you pay for two trips.
- Congestion and terminal appointment fees. Most large US terminals require an appointment; missing or rescheduling one carries a charge, and appointment scarcity is itself a delay driver.
- Driver waiting time. Billed hourly after a short free period, at both terminal and your dock.
- Empty return refusal. If the terminal will not take the empty back, the box stays with you and per diem keeps running through no fault of yours. Dispute these — but you must document the refusal at the time.
Why it costs what it costs
Drayage pricing reflects a short move with long unproductive time. A 30-mile round trip can consume most of a driver's day once terminal queuing, chassis retrieval and appointment windows are counted. You are effectively buying a day of truck capacity, not fifty miles of driving — which is why the per-mile arithmetic looks absurd and the price is nonetheless real.
How to control it
- Negotiate free time up front, not after the vessel arrives. It is the single biggest lever.
- Have your customs entry filed before arrival. A container held for clearance accrues demurrage the whole time — see the documentation checklist.
- Book the delivery appointment early and confirm your consignee can receive on that date — appointment scheduling.
- Ask for street turns where available, where your empty goes straight to another exporter instead of back to the terminal.
- Get drayage quoted as a line item, not folded into a door-to-door number, so you can see what you are paying for.
- Document everything at the terminal — refused returns, waiting times, appointment failures. Disputes are won on contemporaneous records.
If you are importing into the US for the first time, read this alongside the US small business shipping guide and how to find a forwarder in the USA.
Find US forwarders and drayage providers, or post a request and ask for drayage quoted separately.
