Questions importers ask
Answers to the questions importers ask about container fees
Straight answers about freight bills, demurrage, detention, chassis, customs exams and port fees. Each one starts with what importers were actually billed, and the numbers update every month.
Your freight bill
Why the invoice differs from the quote, what a container costs after it lands, and how to tell a fair charge from a padded one.
43.6% Shipments with at least one extra charge
Why is my freight bill higher than my quote?Charges that happen after the container lands, such as chassis days, storage and delay fees, are billed later and are rarely priced in the quote.
$174 Average extra charges per shipment
How much does an import container cost after it lands?Beyond the ocean rate, budget for delivery, customs clearance and duties, plus extra charges that vary widely by port.
$250 1 in 10 chassis split bills are over
Is my freight forwarder overcharging me?Possibly, if a fee is far above what other importers paid at your port, or a pass-through charge doesn't match the invoice behind it.
Demurrage and detention
The daily charges for time at the terminal and time out of it: what they are, who pays, how they are billed and how to dispute them.
$2,370 1 in 10 per diem bills are over
How do I dispute a demurrage or detention invoice?Check the invoice against the FMC's billing rule, ask the billing party for a waiver or refund in writing inside the window it gives you, and escalate to the FMC if you need to.
2.4% Shipments that paid demurrage
What is the difference between demurrage, detention and per diem?Demurrage is for time inside the terminal; detention, usually billed as per diem in the US, is for time the carrier's container spends outside it.
$100–$245 A day of demurrage, where the bill states the days
How much is demurrage per day?Demurrage is charged per container for each day past the last free day, usually at daily rates that climb the longer the box sits. Most bills arrive as one lump sum.
$172 Per diem per container per day
How much is detention (per diem) per day?Detention, billed as per diem in the US, is charged per container for each day the carrier's box is out past its free days, until the empty is returned.
$160 Median pre-pull bill
Is a pre-pull cheaper than paying demurrage?It can be. A pre-pull swaps the terminal's daily demurrage for a one-time move plus yard storage and chassis days, and it starts the per diem clock.
$2,870 1 in 10 demurrage bills are over
Who pays demurrage, the shipper or the consignee?Usually the importer, because demurrage builds up at the destination, but the sale terms and the carrier contract decide who finally bears it.
$490 Median demurrage bill, when charged
Why did I get a demurrage bill weeks after delivery?Demurrage and per diem can only be invoiced once they stop running, and the FMC's billing rule then gives each billing party up to 30 days.
Ports, rail hubs and surcharges
Where fees run highest and lowest, why inland rail hubs cost more, and what happened to congestion surcharges.
74.4% Minneapolis–St. Paul: paid a delay fee
Why are container fees higher at inland rail hubs?Rail adds a second handoff: the container waits at the ramp, often needs a chassis from somewhere else, and spends more days on the road.
$35 Lowest average extra charges: San Juan
Which US port has the lowest container import fees?Ports where containers wait less and trucking is simpler cost less after arrival, but a low-fee port only helps if it is near where your goods are going.
1.1% Shipments that paid a congestion surcharge
Are port congestion surcharges coming back?They return when terminals and rail ramps back up. Ask whether your quote includes them, what triggers them and how they are calculated.
Customs exams
How often containers are examined, what an exam costs the importer, and what lowers the odds.
0.5% Shipments that paid customs exam charges
What percentage of containers does US Customs examine?A small share. CBP screens shipment data before arrival and examines the containers it flags, and the importer pays to move and handle the box.
Choosing a forwarder and a quote
What to check before you hire a forwarder, and what a complete quote should spell out.
7.3% Lowest delay-fee share: San Juan
How do I choose a freight forwarder for my imports?Check the licenses, then judge each quote on what happens after arrival: free time, chassis days and accessorial rates at your port, in writing.
43.6% Shipments with at least one extra charge
What should a good freight quote include?Everything from origin to door, plus the terms that price what can't be known yet: free time, chassis days and the rate for every extra charge.
Every answer here starts from Freight Benchmarks’ own figures: what US importers were billed for ocean container shipments, line by line, from forwarder invoices that reach us anonymized through our data partner program. The numbers on each page refresh with the data every month, and each figure has its own “Cite this figure” link. The answers are general information, not legal or customs advice. How the figures are made is in the methodology.
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