In short: The base drayage rate is rarely where the money goes. Chassis days, pre-pulls, waiting time, overweight, port fees and per diem are. A complete drayage line in your quote names the base rate and fuel, says what's included, and lists the accessorials that may apply, with your rate for each.
Ask any US forwarder where a profitable import turned into a loss and the answer is usually the truck, not the ocean freight. The drayage base rate gets quoted; the extras that show up on the trucker's invoice three weeks later don't. This checklist is the set of lines a drayage section of a quote should cover, so the customer knows what can be added and you can bill it without an argument.
Quote the base rate from the terminal (or rail ramp) to the delivery ZIP code and back with the empty, and say whether fuel is included or charged as a percentage on top. If fuel floats weekly, say the quote uses this week's percentage. Name the equipment: 20', 40' or 40HC, and whether it's a live unload or a drop.
Chassis are usually billed per day, from pickup until the chassis goes back. State how many chassis days the base rate includes and your rate per extra day. A drop-and-pick delivery uses more chassis days than a live unload, so the two should never be quoted at the same price.
If the box has to come out of the terminal before last free day and wait in the trucker's yard because the consignee can't receive it yet, that's a pre-pull plus yard storage per day. Quote both as possible extras whenever the delivery date isn't fixed.
State the free time for a live unload (often a couple of hours) and the hourly rate after that. Warehouses that book appointments badly are the most common reason this line appears on the invoice.
Heavy containers can need a triaxle chassis or an overweight permit, and hazardous cargo needs a hazmat-endorsed driver. Ask for the gross weight and whether the cargo is hazardous in your first reply, and list each surcharge with its rate.
Some ports and terminals add fees that the trucker passes through, such as clean-truck or pier-pass style fees, chassis split fees when the chassis is at a different location, and terminal congestion surcharges. List the ones that apply at the terminal you're quoting.
Carrier per diem (or detention) starts when the free days for the container run out, and it keeps running while the box sits at the customer's dock. Say how many free days the carrier gives, the daily rate after that, and that the customer is responsible once the box is delivered.
Drayage LA/Long Beach terminal - Ontario CA 91761, 1 x 40HC, live unload, incl. fuel at this week's rate ............. USD 650.00 Includes: 2 chassis days, 2 hours free for live unload. Possible extras, only if they arise (rates per unit): Extra chassis day ............................ USD 45.00 / day Waiting time after 2 free hours .............. USD 95.00 / hour Pre-pull to yard ............................. USD 175.00 Yard storage ................................. USD 50.00 / day Chassis split ................................ USD 95.00 Overweight / triaxle chassis ................. USD 175.00 Hazmat ....................................... USD 150.00 Carrier per diem after free days ............. at carrier tariff (Example rates only.)
The point isn't the numbers, which vary by port and trucker. It's that every one of these lines is named before the job, so none of them turns into a dispute after it.
See what a complete US import quote includes for ISF, the customs bond, MPF and HMF, and ocean freight surcharges for the carrier side.
Laneworks drafts the whole quote from your own rate sheet, drayage by ZIP code included, and lists your possible extras exactly as you set them. Forward a real quote request to try@getlaneworks.com and a draft comes back in about two minutes, or see a US sample draft.
Forward a quote requestDrafting these by hand? See Freight quote software for US and Canadian forwarders.