Import fee benchmark
Pre-pull: how often it hits and what it costs
Pulling the container out of the terminal before its last free day and parking it at the trucker's yard.
The short answer. When it was charged, the median bill was $160 per shipment. The middle half of bills ran from $150 to $200, and 1 in 10 was over $400.
Shipments from July 2024 to June 2026. Updated October 22, 2026.
What is a pre-pull?
A pre-pull stops the demurrage clock. When delivery cannot happen before the last free day, the trucker pulls the container out of the terminal early and parks it at their yard, then delivers it later. You pay a pre-pull fee, plus yard storage and chassis days while it waits, so it is worth it when those cost less than the demurrage you avoid.
Our data shows the pre-pull fee itself. We do not publish how often pre-pulls happen, because the charge code was introduced partway through our sample period.
How to avoid pre-pull
- Compare the pre-pull fee plus daily yard storage against the terminal's daily demurrage rate.
- Decide on a pre-pull before the last free day, not on it.
Questions
What is a pre-pull?
Pulling the container out of the terminal before its last free day and parking it at the trucker's yard. A pre-pull stops the demurrage clock. When delivery cannot happen before the last free day, the trucker pulls the container out of the terminal early and parks it at their yard, then delivers it later. You pay a pre-pull fee, plus yard storage and chassis days while it waits, so it is worth it when those cost less than the demurrage you avoid.
How much does pre-pull cost?
When it was charged, the median pre-pull bill was $160 per shipment. Half of all bills fell between $150 and $200, and 1 in 10 was over $400.
Free quote
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