Demurrage and detention are the two fees importers confuse most, and the confusion costs money, because the two clocks run on different schedules and the free time for each is different. Demurrage is the charge for the container sitting in the terminal past its free time, billed by the terminal. Detention is the charge for the container held outside the terminal past its free time, billed by the carrier. On the China-UK lane the reference rate is 50 to 120 pounds per container per day for demurrage and detention, and on the Trans-Pacific lane the destination delivery charge and chassis fees sit alongside them. The container that sits for a week past free time costs $350 to $840 in fees alone, and the fees keep running until the box moves.
The free time is the part importers do not read. Terminals typically allow a few days of free time after the container is available for pickup, and carriers typically allow a few days after the container leaves the terminal. The free time is in the tariff and in the booking confirmation, and it is not negotiable after the fact. The container that is available on Friday and picked up on Tuesday has burned the weekend, and the weekend counts. The harbor maintenance fee has the same structure: the charge is small, the trigger is a date, and the date is in a document nobody read.
The box sits for four reasons, and three of them are the importer's. The first is the pickup not being scheduled before the container is available, so the truck arrives after free time has already started. The second is the customs hold: an exam, a document question, or a CBP hold that keeps the container in the terminal while the clock runs. The third is the chassis shortage: no chassis, no pickup, and the fee runs anyway. The fourth is the consignee not knowing the container is available, because the arrival notice went to the wrong inbox or the forwarder did not forward it. Each of these is preventable, and each of them costs the same $50 to $120 a day.
The exam is the one importers accept as unavoidable, and it is the one that costs the most, because a CBP exam holds the container for days and the demurrage runs the whole time. The exam itself is not the importer's fault, but the pickup schedule after the exam is, and the importers who pay the least are the ones who have the truck booked for the day the exam clears, not the day after. The chassis shortage is the same: the importers who pay are the ones who did not confirm the chassis before the container arrived. Insurance in landed cost works the same way: the coverage that matters is the one arranged before the goods ship, not after the loss.
The routine is three checks, and it takes ten minutes per container. First, confirm the free time in writing before the vessel arrives, and put the expiry date on the calendar with an alert a day before. Second, book the pickup for the day the container is available, not the day after, and confirm the chassis the same day. Third, check the arrival notice the day it arrives, and confirm the forwarder has the right inbox. The importers who do this pay demurrage rarely. The importers who do not pay it on every third container, and the fees add up to more than the freight on a bad month.
The other move is to dispute the charge when the delay was not yours. If the terminal was closed, the system was down, or the carrier failed to make the container available, the fee can be contested, and the Federal Maritime Commission monitors carrier surcharge practices on US trade lanes. The dispute needs the record: the arrival notice, the availability time, the pickup booking, and the terminal's own log. Without the record, the dispute is a complaint, and complaints do not get refunds. The exchange rate date matters the same way: the date on the document decides the money, and the document is the only evidence that counts.
Demurrage is the terminal charging for a container sitting in its yard past free time. Detention is the carrier charging for a container held outside the terminal past free time. Both run $50 to $120 per container per day, and both start when the free time expires.
It depends on the terminal and the carrier, typically a few days after the container is available. The free time is in the tariff and the booking confirmation. Put the expiry date on the calendar with an alert a day before.
Yes, when the delay was not yours: the terminal was closed, the system was down, or the carrier failed to make the container available. You need the record: the arrival notice, the availability time, the pickup booking, and the terminal's log.
Because the container is still sitting in the terminal, and the terminal charges for the space. The exam is not the importer's fault, but the pickup schedule after the exam clears is, so book the truck for the day the exam clears.