The invoice that taught me to write things down

A new carrier picks up a 40′ import box at Long Beach. Three weeks later the broker forwards the settlement statement with twelve line items the carrier has never seen. Per-diem $480. Demurrage $720. Chassis split $125. CTF $20. TMF $77.56. Tri-axle $150. VACIS $325. Reefer plug $310 (on a dry box). The broker shrugs. “Yeah, that one got hit.”

The carrier is staring at $1,800 in surprises on a load that paid $850 net. About half of that bill is wrong. The other half could have been priced into the rate confirmation.

This article gives you the framework to know which is which at any US port, no matter how the local rules differ. Drayage charges look like one number on a quote and explode into a dozen on the invoice. The reason is that no two ports run the same playbook. The fix is not memorizing every fee at every terminal. It is a portable documentation method that works the same way in Long Beach, Newark, Houston, or Savannah.

The mental model: four clocks, four owners

Every loaded import container has four meters running on it from the moment it discharges, and they belong to four different parties. New carriers blow up rate sheets because they think there is one “demurrage clock.” There are four.

Clock	Who owns it	Starts when	Free time
Demurrage	The marine terminal (the port)	Container is available for pickup (“last free day” / LFD)	3 to 7 calendar days, varies by terminal
Per-diem	The ocean carrier (steamship line)	Container leaves the terminal gate	3 to 5 calendar days typical
Chassis usage	The chassis IEP (DCLI, TRAC, FlexiVan, regional pool)	Chassis pulled from the pool	0 to 1 day, then daily
Detention	The motor carrier (you)	Truck arrives at shipper or consignee	Usually 2 hours free at the stop

Two rules to write on the visor:

1. Demurrage and per-diem cannot run on the same day on the same container. The moment your truck pulls the box out of the terminal gate, demurrage stops and per-diem starts. If you see both billed for the same calendar day, it is an invoice error.
2. Chassis usage runs on its own clock parallel to per-diem. Chassis stops when you return the chassis to the pool, not when you return the container.

Those two rules alone protect you from about a third of bad invoices.

What you owe vs what the BCO owes

Most port charges default to the Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO), the importer of record. They become your problem only when you swallowed them by quoting “all-in” without exclusions. Default ownership map:

Charge	Default biller	Trucker exposure
Demurrage	BCO	Only if quoted all-in
Per-diem	BCO	Only if quoted all-in
Chassis day rate	Trucker	Yes, you own it
Detention at the dock	Trucker bills broker	You own the wait if not contracted
TMF / CTF	BCO	Pass-through
Customs exam fees	BCO	Pass-through; your drayage to CES is yours
Sustained Import Dwell (Houston)	BCO direct	Not your bill, but flag it
Reefer plug at terminal	BCO	Pass-through

Half of the audit work is just keeping the BCO charges from being silently bundled into your rate. The broker is not going to do that work for you.

The base move

Even the cleanest drayage invoice has five line items before any accessorial:

1. Linehaul. Per mile on long lanes. Flat by zone on short city lanes. Houston to Dallas runs by mile. LA to Carson runs by zone.
2. Fuel surcharge. Indexed against the EIA weekly diesel average, published Monday at 5 PM Eastern. Formula is (current diesel price minus baseline) divided by your assumed MPG. Most drays add 15 to 25 percent on top of linehaul.
3. Chassis day rate. $25 to $45 per day from whichever IEP serves that terminal.
4. Terminal handling and lift fee. The crane fee at the port. Roughly $280 to $345 per standard container lift on the Pacific coast.
5. Port surcharges. TMF and CTF in LA / Long Beach. Nothing standing in most other ports.

Anything past those five is an accessorial. Accessorials are where the money goes sideways.

The six accessorial families

Stop trying to memorize 40 fee names. Group them by what triggered them. At quote time, run the move through the six families and ask whether you are exposed.

1. Time-based

The four clocks above, plus terminal storage, off-terminal yard storage, layover, and the new wave of port-imposed dwell fees. Houston launched a Sustained Import Dwell Fee in January 2026 that hits the BCO directly starting day 8 past LFD. About $45 per day for a dry, $51.60 to $150+ per day tiered for a reefer. That sits on top of the carrier’s per-diem clock and the steamship line’s demurrage. Three different parties charging for the same overstayed box.

Range to expect on demurrage when it does fall on you:

• Tier 1 (days 1 to 5 past LFD): $150 to $300 per day
• Tier 2 (days 6 to 10): $300 to $500 per day
• Tier 3 (11+ days): $500 to $800+ per day

Per-diem from the steamship lines tracks similar shape. Maersk pushed nationwide rates up January 1, 2026 ($10 across all tiers on dry containers, $40 on operating reefers in Newark, $20 on Newark dry tiers). The trend is up.

2. Equipment-type

Charges that exist only because of what is in the box or what kind of box it is.

Overweight. Federal GVW limit is 80,000 lbs. Cross that and you need a state permit before the wheels turn. Drayage carriers commonly add an overweight surcharge of about $250 plus pass through the permit cost.

Tri-axle chassis. A 20′ container with more than 36,000 lbs of cargo or a 40′ with more than 44,000 lbs needs a tri-axle. The third axle spreads the weight across more contact points and lets you legally haul up to about 43,000 lbs of cargo on a 20′. Adds roughly $150 per day to the chassis rate. Standard call for steel coils, paper rolls, stone, dense food product.

Reefer plug-in and monitoring. While the reefer sits at the terminal it has to be plugged into shore power and someone has to log temperature checks on a schedule. The fee for that ranges from $5 to $125 per day depending on the terminal. Total Terminals International in LA charges $123.54 per unit per day. Jacksonville Port Authority charges $66.49 per plug per day. Same service. Florida is half the price.

Genset. When the box is on the road and away from shore power, a genset (clip-on or underslung on the chassis) provides the cooling. Daily rental from a genset pool. Underslung is the common drayage configuration.

Hazmat. Driver needs CDL-H endorsement (renews every five years), TWIC, and hazmat training. Documentation must include UN number, hazard class, packing group, total quantity, SDS for Class 1 through 8, and a 24-hour emergency response phone number. Placards on all four sides of the trailer must match the shipping papers exactly. A mismatch is a federal violation, not a paperwork mistake. Drayage carriers commonly add about $150 per hazmat move on top of base.

ISO tank. Tanker endorsement plus hazmat. Higher center of gravity. Liquid surge under braking. Specialized tank chassis (often in shortage). If you are not already running tanks, do not take a one-off ISO tank load to chase a rate.

Open top container. Standard chassis. The fee bump is small, mostly for tarping and the slightly slower lift. Watch for cargo extending above the rails. That triggers OOG handling.

Flat rack. 20′ or 40′. Built for cargo that will not fit a closed container in width or height. Lifted on and off by crane (LoLo). If your cargo stays inside an 8′ wide by 13’6″ total height envelope, it drays as a normal load. Cross either dimension and you are in oversize permit territory. That is heavy-haul work, not standard drayage. See Heavy-Haul Accessorials for that side of the work.

Breakbulk. Pieces handled individually, not in a container. Stevedoring on the vessel side runs $5,000 to $10,000 per lift, billed to the BCO. The trucker side requires a flatbed or step-deck, not an intermodal chassis. Treat as heavy-haul, not drayage.

45′ high cube. Right at California’s 14′ height limit. Single-trip Caltrans permit is $16 (valid 7 days). Annual is $90. Drayage providers commonly charge a premium of about $200 over a standard 40′ move, partly because the 45′ chassis is harder to find in most pools.

3. Routing and movement

Chassis split. The container is at one terminal, the chassis is at a different pool location. You drive extra to fetch the chassis, then back to the terminal, then to delivery, then return both to two more locations. $25 to $125 per occurrence. Houston runs $75 to $125. The fee can hit you twice if chassis returns to a separate depot from the container.

Chassis flip. Container is on a chassis already, but you have to swap it onto a different one (the first is damaged, or the receiving pool requires its own equipment). Done at the terminal. Smaller fee than a split, same family.

Pre-pull. Container pulled from the terminal early, parked at your secured yard, delivered the next day. About $150 plus chassis day rate plus storage (around $50 per day). Often cheaper than a single day of demurrage. The math: if LFD is tomorrow and your appointment is the day after, pre-pull avoids one tier-1 demurrage day at $150 to $300 and you spend $200 to $250 on the pre-pull instead. The 10 minutes you spend doing that math at quote time is the difference between a profitable load and a flat one.

Dry run. Driver dispatched, cannot get the box. Missed appointment. Gate down. IT outage at the terminal. Paperwork wrong. TWIC expired. $150 to $300 per occurrence. TWIC enforcement is automatic. A driver without a valid TWIC is denied entry, no warnings.

Bobtail. Truck moving without a chassis. Up to 100% of the drayage rate per published schedules. Translation: you bill the move as if you ran it loaded, because you committed the asset and lost the day.

Stop-off. First additional stop $75 plus $2 per mile. Subsequent stops $125 plus $2 per mile.

Tolls. Pass-through, billed at cost.

4. Compliance and regulatory

VACIS exam. X-ray scan, container does not move. $300 to $400 typical, range $100 to $600. Adds 1 to 2 days. Demurrage continues to accrue during the hold.

Tail Gate exam. Officer opens the back doors at the terminal, may cut into boxes near the door. $350 to $500. Adds 2 to 4 days. Seal broken and replaced.

Intensive exam (CET). Container drayed to a Centralized Examination Station, fully unloaded, contents inspected, reloaded, returned. Exam fee alone is $1,500 to $3,500. Hidden costs stack on top: drayage to and from the CES ($300 to $600), CES storage ($50 to $150 per day), and the port demurrage clock keeps running the entire time. NY and LA are most expensive because of union labor at the CES. Total bill on a 40′ commonly $2,000 to $3,000 plus the demurrage tail.

USDA and FDA holds. Same cost neighborhood as CET when they trigger a CES move. Sometimes resolved at the terminal.

In-bond. Container moves between two US points without clearing customs. T&E (transportation and exportation, headed for export) or IT (immediate transportation, headed for inland clearance). Bonded carrier required. Bond filing fees $50 to $150.

Oversize permit. California single-trip $16, annual $90. Other states higher and route-specific.

Escort. CHP escort in California for over-height (typically over 14′) or over-width (typically over 11′). Private pilot car other states. Insurance for oversize loads commonly runs $200 to $500 per trip.

5. Port and terminal-specific

LA and Long Beach: PierPass TMF. $38.78 per TEU, $77.56 per non-TEU container as of August 2025. Adjusts every August 1. Funds night and weekend gate hours plus the appointment system.

LA and Long Beach: Clean Truck Fund Rate. $10 per TEU, $20 per non-TEU container. In effect since April 2022. Zero-emission trucks exempt. Low-NOx trucks registered before December 2022 exempt through December 2027. TMF and CTF stack. A 40′ import through LA pays $77.56 + $20 = $97.56 in port-imposed fees before any other accessorial.

NY and NJ. No TMF equivalent. The PANYNJ rule is emissions-based: trucks must meet model year 2014 federal standards or be alt-fuel/hybrid. No per-container fee, just a gate eligibility requirement. PNCT and APMT each publish their own terminal tariff.

Houston. Sustained Import Dwell Fee from January 2026, $45 per day dry from day 8, $51.60+ tiered for reefer. Billed to the BCO. Tri-axle around $150 per day on heavy boxes is the normal call here.

Savannah and Charleston. Free time generally 4 to 7 days. Hazmat handlers limited at Savannah; not all dray carriers are licensed for the placard work. Charleston average dwell is 4.2 days at Wando Welch and 5.1 days at North Charleston, so free time gets eaten fast even on a clean move.

Norfolk and Oakland. Often excluded from broker-imposed congestion surcharges. The C.H. Robinson $175 per container surcharge during the 2021 wave skipped both. Spot drayage rates in Norfolk run $2.54 to $2.83 per mile, lower than the West Coast.

Seattle and Tacoma (NWSA). Tariff No. 300 governs. SSA Marine added a $300+ surcharge for container overstays of 15 days or more.

Episodic congestion surcharges. Brokers add these per move when terminals fall behind. Not standing fees. Watch the rate confirmation language for “subject to surcharge” and ask what the trigger is.

6. Administrative

Document fees, EDI billing fees, factor base fees (1 to 3 percent off the top if you factor), broker handling fees, after-hours and weekend gate premiums. Each one is small. Together they take 5 to 10 percent off the bottom of a move if you let them slide.

The portable form

Every port has different rules. The form below stays the same. Fill it out once per move and the post-move audit takes ten minutes instead of an hour of arguing.

DRAYAGE MOVE RECORD

PRE-MOVE (at rate confirmation)
  Container #: _________________   Size/type: _____   Hazmat class: ____
  Gross wt (lbs): ________   Tare: ________   Cargo wt: ________
  Discharge port + terminal: ________________________
  Vessel + voyage: ________________________
  LFD (terminal demurrage): _____________  At $______/day after
  Per-diem free days (line: __________): _____  At $______/day after
  Chassis source: [ ] customer's  [ ] IEP pool: __________  Day rate: $______
  Delivery address: _________________________
  Receiver hours: ___________  Appointment: [ ] yes [ ] no  Window: _______
  Empty return location: ______________  Same as discharge? [ ] y [ ] n
  Quoted accessorial caps:
    Chassis split: $______  Pre-pull: $______
    Detention: ___ hrs free, $______/hr after
    Other: ______________________________________

DURING MOVE (driver writes the times)
  Outgate timestamp: ____________   (per-diem starts)
  Chassis #: _________  Pull timestamp: ____________
  Arrival at consignee: ____________
  Departure from consignee: ____________   (detention clock)
  Empty return timestamp: ____________   (per-diem stops)
  Empty return terminal: ______________
  Chassis return timestamp: ____________  Return location: ______________
                                          (chassis fee stops)
  Exam notice received? [ ] none [ ] VACIS [ ] MET [ ] CET   Date: __________

POST-MOVE INVOICE AUDIT (check off each)
  [ ] Demurrage and per-diem do not overlap on any day
  [ ] Chassis fee stops at chassis return timestamp
  [ ] No reefer plug or monitoring on a dry box
  [ ] TMF / CTF only on applicable container size and trip type
  [ ] Tri-axle only if cargo crossed weight threshold
  [ ] Fuel surcharge matches DOE/EIA week corresponding to move date
  [ ] Detention only counted from end of free window forward
  [ ] Exam fee tier matches actual exam type
  [ ] Charges that belong to the BCO are not in your line items

Print it. Tape it to the dispatch board. Or build it into your TMS as a required-fields page on the dispatch screen. The point is one form, every port, every move.

What to dispute on every invoice

Run this checklist when the broker invoice hits your inbox. Every item is a frequent error in the wild:

1. Demurrage and per-diem billed for the same calendar day. Mathematically impossible. One stops the moment the other starts.
2. Chassis fee continuing past your documented chassis return timestamp.
3. Reefer plug or monitoring on a dry container.
4. TMF or CTF charged on an exempt move (empty container, in-transit, zero-emission truck).
5. Tri-axle surcharge on a container that did not cross the weight threshold.
6. Fuel surcharge calculated off the wrong week’s DOE/EIA index. The price published Monday at 5 PM Eastern applies Wednesday through the following Tuesday.
7. Detention started before the free window expired.
8. Exam fee tier wrong (Intensive billed when the actual notice was VACIS).
9. Charges that belong to the BCO billed to you because the rate confirmation said “all-in” without exclusions.

You will not win every dispute. You will win enough to pay for the time you spent on the form.

When to walk away from the load

Some loads expose you to charges you cannot price. Decision rule:

• Consignee has no appointment system and the terminal restricts same-day return. You own per-diem you cannot control.
• Chassis pool serving that terminal is in shortage. Split-fee risk is unbounded.
• Reefer load and the consignee has no plug-in capacity. You own genset rental and monitoring fees the broker may dispute later.
• OOG or flat rack cargo and the broker has not pulled the route permit. You eat the permit cost or the layover.

Generalist version of this decision is in The Load You Should NOT Take. Drayage adds one rule to the standard list: if you cannot identify which counterparty owns each clock on the move, do not take it.

What to put in your rate confirmation

The fix for “the broker swallowed me on accessorials” is to put caps and pass-throughs in writing before the wheels turn. The rate confirmation should specify:

• Linehaul rate and fuel surcharge formula (or the FSC index source)
• Chassis day rate cap and which IEP pool
• Free detention hours and per-hour rate after
• Pre-pull authorization (yes/no) and the rate if yes
• Chassis split rate, with a cap if pool location is uncertain
• Pass-through items: tolls, port surcharges (TMF, CTF), exam fees, permits
• BCO-owned charges that are explicitly excluded from your rate

A standard format makes this fast. The broker-carrier rate confirmation template in W-003 builds this directly into the doc.

Bottom line

Drayage looks like one fee until you start documenting the move. Then it looks like four clocks, six accessorial families, and a port-specific layer on top. The carriers that survive their first year of port work are the ones who fill out the same form on every move and audit every invoice against it. The dollar amounts will shift. The structure will not.

If you want the form above as a printable PDF plus a per-port reference card and an invoice-audit checklist with worked examples, that is what the upcoming Drayage Documentation Kit packages.

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Internal links

• W-001 Heavy-Haul Accessorials, sister wedge piece on cost attribution
• W-003 Rate Confirmations That Protect Both Parties, the form upstream of this one
• A-005 The Load You Should NOT Take, generalist version of the walk-away rule
• Future product: Drayage Documentation Kit (one-page form, invoice-audit checklist, per-port reference card)

Voice notes (working)

• Lead remained the four-clocks table, per the wedge structural insight.
• Real charge names used throughout. No euphemisms.
• Numbers throughout. Where ranges vary by port, two real ports named.
• Distinguished trucker-owed vs BCO-owed charges explicitly, twice.
• Walk-away rule connects to A-005, not duplicated.
• Real invoice example placeholders left in the lead so Ryan can swap in the actual dollar lines from his files when ready.

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Research appendix

Source-stocked 2026-05-09. Numbers are 2026 ranges from public sources and vary by carrier, terminal, and chassis pool. Authoritative numbers are the carrier tariff, terminal tariff, and IEP rate sheet in force on the move date.

A. Charge taxonomy

Time-based

Demurrage (terminal/port). Charged by the marine terminal on import containers that overstay free time before pickup. Free time runs 3 to 7 calendar days at most US terminals. Rail terminals often only 48 hours. Typical 2026 tier structure: Tier 1 (days 1-5 past LFD) ~$150-$300 per container per day, Tier 2 (days 6-10) ~$300-$500 per day, Tier 3 (11+ days) $500-$800+ per day. Billed to the BCO. Carrier inherits if quoted “all-in.”

Per-diem (ocean carrier). Charged by the steamship line for use of their container beyond free time once it leaves the terminal. 3 to 5 free days typical. Maersk update effective 2026-01-01: Newark all tiers +$20 (dry, NOR, SOC, tanks) and +$40 operating reefers. Miami and Port Everglades Tier 1 +$20. Philadelphia all tiers +$20. Dry/NOR/special equipment all tiers +$10 nationally. Free days unchanged. MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, COSCO, OOCL each publish their own per-diem tariff.

Chassis usage. $25 to $45 per day typical 2026 daily rate from the IEP. DCLI passes through any toll/citation administration as a $5 per incident surcharge. Rate clock starts at chassis pull from pool, stops at chassis return, not container return.

Detention (motor carrier at customer dock). Driver waiting at shipper or consignee beyond free window (usually 2 hours). Range varies wildly. Published carrier rate cards show $75 to $150 per hour. One Atlanta source quoted $1,000 per hour as a punitive ceiling. Carrier-billed.

Layover. Driver held overnight. ~$300 per occurrence typical.

Terminal storage / off-terminal yard storage. ~$50 per day at the dray carrier’s secured yard.

Sustained Import Dwell Fee, Houston. Effective Jan 2026, Port Houston bills BCO directly starting day 8 past LFD. Dry: ~$45 per container per day. Reefer: tiered from $51.60 per day escalating past $150 per day.

Container Excess Dwell Fee, LA/LB. Threatened in 2021 ($100 per container per day, escalating), never permanently activated. Structure exists in the LA/LB tariff and could resurface during a future congestion event.

Equipment-type

Overweight container. Federal GVW limit 80,000 lbs. Single axle 20,000. Tandem 34,000. Containers exceeding 80,000 GVW require a state oversize/overweight permit. ~$250 per occurrence overweight surcharge typical from carrier. Permit costs vary by state.

Tri-axle chassis. Required for 20′ containers >36,000 lbs cargo or 40′ containers >44,000 lbs cargo. Allows up to ~43,000 lbs cargo on a 20′ container legally. Surcharge ~$150 per day on top of chassis rental. Houston source confirms ~$150 per day for tri-axle on heavy containers. Standard for steel, paper, stone.

4-axle tractor + tri-axle chassis. Required for 100,000+ GVW. LA/LB I-710 corridor permits 97,000-105,500 lb GVW under permit on the designated heavy-haul route.

Reefer. Plug-in/monitoring fee while at terminal: Total Terminals International (LA) charges $123.54 per unit per day. Jacksonville Port Authority charges $66.49 per plug per day. Range across terminals ~$5 to $125 per day, with the higher end including active monitoring (temperature checks logged on schedule). Genset rental when away from shore power: budgeted ~1-2 days for loading + drayage.

Genset. Two configurations: clip-on (mounted on side of container) or underslung (mounted to chassis). Underslung is the common drayage configuration. Daily rental from genset pools.

Hazmat. ~$150 per occurrence drayage surcharge. Driver requirements: CDL-H endorsement (5-year renewal), TWIC, hazmat training. Documentation: proper shipping name, UN number, hazard class/division, packing group, total quantity, SDS for Class 1-8, 24-hour emergency response phone. Placards on all four sides of trailer/chassis must match papers; mismatch is a federal violation. Lithium batteries (Class 9, UN 3480/3481) require state-of-charge ≤30% for large batteries.

ISO tank. Specialized tank chassis (less common, periodic shortages). Driver needs tanker endorsement plus hazmat. Higher center of gravity, different handling.

Open top container. 20′ or 40′. For cargo too tall for a closed container, tarped. Standard chassis. Lift fees often slightly higher than dry containers due to tarping/inspection. No standard public surcharge schedule, quoted per move.

Flat rack (20′ or 40′). For OOG cargo. Cargo lashed to deck with strapping. Loaded by lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) at terminal. If cargo footprint stays within 8′ wide and ~13’6″ total height with cargo, drays as standard. If overwidth or overheight: oversize permit territory, ties into heavy-haul accessorials.

Breakbulk. Non-containerized cargo handled piece by piece. Stevedoring fees $5,000 to $10,000 per lift (vessel-side, billed to BCO). Drayage typically requires flatbed or step-deck, not intermodal chassis. Heavy-haul rules.

45′ high cube. California height limit 14′. 45′ HC near or over that. Single-trip Caltrans permit $16 (7 days). Annual $90. Drayage premium common (~$200 over standard 40′).

Routing and movement

Chassis split. Chassis pool location different from container pickup terminal. ~$25 to $125 per occurrence. Houston quotes $75 to $125. May apply twice if chassis returns to a separate depot.

Chassis flip. Container is on a chassis but must be transferred to another (damaged chassis, pool-specific chassis required). Done at terminal. Fee usually less than a split.

Pre-pull. Container pulled from terminal early to avoid LFD problem, parked at trucker’s yard. ~$150 per occurrence + chassis day rate + storage. Often cheaper than a single day of demurrage.

Dry run / wasted trip. Driver dispatched, can’t get container. ~$150 to $300 typical. TWIC enforcement: driver entering restricted port area without TWIC is denied entry, automatic dry run.

Bobtail. Truck running without trailer/chassis. Up to 100% of drayage rate per Atlanta source.

Stop-off. First stop ~$75 + $2 per mile. Subsequent stops ~$125 + $2 per mile.

Tolls. Pass-through, route-dependent.

Compliance and regulatory

VACIS exam (X-ray, NII). Non-intrusive. ~$300 to $400 (range $100 to $600). 1-2 day delay. Demurrage continues during hold.

MET / Tail Gate exam. Officer opens rear doors at terminal, may cut into boxes near door. ~$350 to $500. 2-4 day delay. Seal broken and replaced.

CET / Intensive exam (Stuffing exam). Container moved to CES, fully unloaded, contents inspected, reloaded, returned. $1,500 to $3,500+ exam fee. Hidden costs: drayage to/from CES $300 to $600, daily storage at CES $50 to $150 per day, port demurrage continues to accrue. NY and LA most expensive due to union labor. Total bill commonly $2,000 to $3,000 for a 40′.

USDA / FDA hold. Same range as CET when triggering a CES move.

In-bond move (T&E or IT bond). Container moves between two US points without clearing customs. Bonded carrier required. Adds documentation fees and bond filing costs (~$50 to $150 typical filing).

Oversize / overweight permit. State by state. California single-trip $16 (7 days), annual $90. Other states higher and route-specific.

Escort. Required for over-height (>14′ typical) or over-width (>11′ typical) loads. CHP escort in California, private pilot car other states.

Port and terminal-specific

PierPass TMF (LA/LB). $38.78 per TEU, $77.56 per non-TEU container as of Aug 2025. Adjusted annually each August.

Clean Truck Fund Rate (LA/LB). $10 per TEU, $20 per non-TEU container. Effective April 2022. Zero-emission trucks exempt; low-NOx trucks registered before Dec 2022 exempt through Dec 2027.

NY/NJ Clean Truck requirement (PANYNJ). Drayage trucks must meet/exceed model year 2014 federal emissions standard. Alt-fuel and hybrid exempt. No published per-container fee.

Congestion surcharges. Carrier-imposed when terminals add wait time. C.H. Robinson example: $175 per container at major US ports during congestion events. Norfolk and Oakland excluded in that round.

DCLI / chassis pool admin pass-throughs. $5 per incident toll/citation administration on DCLI chassis usage.

Missed appointment / no-show. Most California ports use mandatory appointments. Missing or no-show triggers rebooking fee + dry-run risk.

Administrative

Document/billing fees, factor base fees (1 to 3% off top if factoring), broker handling/surge fees, after-hours/weekend gate premiums.

B. Equipment-type matrix

Type	Chassis required	Type-specific charges	Common gotchas
20′ standard	Standard 20′ or combo	Tri-axle if >36k cargo	Tri-axle pool may be different IEP, split risk
40′ standard	Standard 40′	Tri-axle if >44k cargo	Same
40′ HC	Standard 40′	Same as 40′ standard	Height usually under 13’6″, legal on most routes
45′ HC	45′ chassis (less common)	~$200 premium per move; Caltrans permit if >14′	Chassis availability, pool may force a split
20′ reefer	Reefer chassis (often combo)	Plug-in $5-$125 per day at terminal; genset on road; monitoring fee	Plug request must be made at gate-in or container thaws
40′ reefer	Reefer chassis	Same	Same; reefer Sustained-Dwell tier in Houston steeper
20′ open top	Standard or specialty	Tarping, slight lift premium	Inspection delays if cargo extends above rails
40′ open top	Standard or specialty	Same	Same
20′ flat rack	Standard chassis	LoLo handling at terminal; OOG surcharge if cargo overhangs	Permit territory if width or height exceeded
40′ flat rack	Standard chassis	Same	Common for over-length pipe and machinery
ISO tank	Tank chassis	Tank chassis day rate higher; hazmat almost always	Tanker + hazmat endorsements; surge handling
Breakbulk	Flatbed / step-deck	Stevedoring $5k-$10k per lift (BCO); per-piece securement	Not standard drayage, heavy-haul rules apply

C. Port matrix

Port	Free time (terminal)	Per-diem free days	Chassis pool(s)	Port-specific	Gotchas
LA / Long Beach	4-5 days typical (POLB confirmed 4)	5 days typical (Maersk)	Pool of Pools (DCLI, TRAC, FlexiVan)	TMF $38.78 TEU / $77.56 over; CTF $10 TEU / $20 over	I-710 overweight corridor; appointments mandatory
NY / NJ (PANYNJ)	4-5 days typical	4-5 days typical	TRAC Metro Pool (~17k chassis), DCLI	MY2014 emissions requirement; PNCT/APMT each have own tariff	Cross-harbor splits common
Houston	7 days typical	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	Sustained Import Dwell from day 8 (~$45 dry, $51.60+ reefer)	Tri-axle ~$150/day; Jacintoport / Barbours Cut accessorials vary
Savannah	4-7 days	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	Strict hazmat protocols	Hazmat handlers limited
Charleston	4-5 days; avg dwell 4.2 / 5.1 days	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	Standard	Shorter free time eats fast
Norfolk	4-5 days	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	None unique	Lower spot rates ($2.54-$2.83/mile); often excluded from broker congestion surcharges
Oakland	4-7 days; avg dwell 5.7 days	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	None unique vs LA	Often excluded from broker congestion surcharges; appointments required
Seattle / Tacoma (NWSA)	4-7 days	4-5 days	DCLI / TRAC	SSA Marine $300+ overstay surcharge for 15+ day boxes	Tariff No. 300 governs

D. Sources

Primary structural references:

• Maersk 2026 detention/demurrage tariff update (effective 2026-01-01)
• PierPass TMF rate schedules (Aug 2025 increase to $38.78/TEU)
• Port of Long Beach / Port of Los Angeles CTF rate ($10/TEU, $20 per non-TEU)
• Port Houston Tariff 15 (Jan 2025) and Sustained Import Dwell Fee announcement (Jan 2026)
• Northwest Seaport Alliance Tariff No. 300
• DCLI Daily Market Rates
• TRAC Intermodal Marine Chassis Pools

Secondary research (range data and accessorial taxonomy):

• Port City Logistics, 2026 Drayage Rates Guide
• All Points Atlanta, Drayage Accessorial Charges (specific dollar table)
• More Than Shipping, Container drayage additional charges
• DrayDex, Accessorial charges glossary
• GoArmstrong, Drayage rates guide
• SeafreightGo, US Customs Exam Types 2026
• Precision Inc, Customs Hold / Hazmat / Overweight Long Beach guides
• Royal Cold Storage, Reefer plug-in fees at port
• Total Terminals International tariff (reefer monitoring $123.54)
• Jacksonville Port Authority (reefer electrical $66.49)
• Heavy Weight Transport / Evans Delivery (tri-axle chassis specs)
• Atlantic Project Cargo / Hansatic (OOG, flat rack, open top)
• Caltrans (California oversize permits)
• C.H. Robinson, drayage congestion surcharge announcement
• Land Line Media, SoCal CTF coverage
• FreightWaves, LA/LB CTF approval; Seattle/Tacoma dwell surcharge
• Supply Chain Dive, Houston dwell fee approval
• Gnosis Freight, Port Houston import dwell fee announcement
• TSA, TWIC fee ($125.25 / $93 reduced)

Numbers in this appendix are 2026 ranges from public sources. Authoritative numbers for any given move are the carrier tariff, terminal tariff, and IEP rate sheet in force on the move date. Build the article around the documentation method, not the dollar amounts. The dollars will move.