Inland rail hub fee benchmark
Import container fees at the Chicago rail hub
What ocean containers railed to the Chicago rail hub were charged beyond freight: 712 shipments from 10-19 importers, July 2024 to June 2026.
What importers pay most often at Chicago
- Chassis extra days: 41.5% of trucked shipments, against 37.5% across all ports.
- Chassis split: 39.0% of trucked shipments, against 29.0% across all ports.
- Storage: 7.3% of shipments, against 9.5% across all ports.
Chicago against the other ports
Share of shipments that paid demurrage, per diem, storage or chassis extra days
Gray rule: all ports, 34.8%.
Every fee at Chicago
| Fee | How often | All ports | Median bill | Middle half | 1 in 10 pay over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port, carrier and customs fees Share of all ocean container shipments. | |||||
| Demurrage | 2.6% | 2.4% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Per diem (detention) | 5.5% | 3.7% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Storage | 7.3% | 9.5% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Customs exam | under 0.7% | 0.5% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Port congestion surcharge | under 0.7% | 1.1% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Wharfage | under 0.7% | 9.0% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Trucking (drayage) fees Share of shipments whose final trucking the forwarder arranged. | |||||
| Chassis rental | 90.0% | 79.2% | $150 | $135–$165 | $165 |
| Chassis split | 39.0% | 29.0% | $120 | $100–$150 | $250 |
| Chassis extra days | 41.5% | 37.5% | $135 | $90–$200 | $270 |
| Pre-pull | see note | — | $160 | $150–$200 | $400 |
| Driver waiting time | 2.6% | 5.6% | too few bills at this port | ||
| Overweight | 4.4% | 4.1% | too few bills at this port | ||
Questions
How often do import containers at Chicago pay delay fees?
44.9% of ocean container shipments at the Chicago rail hub paid at least one delay fee (demurrage, per diem, storage or chassis extra days), against 34.8% across all ports in our data.
How common is demurrage at Chicago?
2.6% of shipments at the Chicago rail hub were charged demurrage, against 2.4% across all ports.
How much extra does importing through Chicago cost?
Across every shipment, including those that paid nothing extra, accessorial charges averaged $191 per shipment at the Chicago rail hub, against $174 across all ports.
Free quote
Importing through Chicago?
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