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Storage and demurrage

Storage and demurrage at CN Brampton and CPKC Vaughan.

If your import container is sitting at the ramp, up to three charges can build: railway storage, your ocean line's demurrage, and per diem once the box has left. The fix is usually the same: both releases in place, the container pulled before the last free day, and the empty back fast. Send dispatch the container number, the ramp and the last free day, and we tell you what is still missing.

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White truck hauling a shipping container at an intermodal terminal
The charges
Storage, demurrage, per diemBilled by the railway and your ocean line
The deadline
The last free dayThe railway and your line can each have their own
The ramps
CN Brampton and CPKC VaughanDelivered across the GTA and Ontario
The charges

Three charges, three clocks.

Storage is billed by the railway. Demurrage and detention are billed by the ocean line. Each one runs on its own clock, and more than one can run at the same time.

The railway

Storage at the ramp

The railway charges storage when an ocean container sits at its terminal after free time. Free time at the ramp is short and set by the railway's tariff, and the clock can keep running on weekends. Storage owing must be paid or guaranteed before the box can leave.

Your ocean line

Demurrage

Your ocean line charges demurrage while its container is still inside the terminal or ramp after the line's own free time. It is a separate bill from railway storage, so a box at the ramp can run up both.

Your ocean line

Per diem, or detention

Once the container leaves the ramp, the line charges detention, often called per diem, until the empty is returned. Leaving the ramp usually stops demurrage and starts per diem.

Free time and charges are set by the railway's tariff and by your ocean line, and your contract with the line can differ from the public tariff. Check the dates on your own notice. We do not set these charges, and this page does not quote them.

Free time

What the last free day means.

Free time is the period a container can sit, or be used, without extra charges. The last free day is the last day the container can leave before the next charge starts.

The railway and your ocean line can each have a different last free day. The railway's clock starts when the box is available for pickup at the ramp. The line's clock follows its own rules: some count working days only, some count every day.

Your ocean line can tell you its last free day. The railway may send its notice to only one party. If that is not you, ask your forwarder or customs broker to pass it on.

Check on your own notice
  • The railway's last free day
  • The ocean line's last free day
  • Whether weekends count
  • Where the empty goes back

Send us both dates when you have them. Plan to the earlier one: that is when the first charge starts.

Stuck at the ramp

What holds a container at the ramp.

Before an import container can leave CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, three things must be in place: customs release from CBSA, the ocean line's release, and any railway storage paid or guaranteed. After that, there must be no other hold on the box.

No customs releaseCBSA has not released the goods yet. Your customs broker requests the customs release. Setara Transport is a carrier and does not clear customs.
No freight releaseYour ocean line releases the container once its charges are paid and the bill of lading terms are met. It then gives a pickup number for the trucker.
Storage not paid or guaranteedRailway storage owing has to be paid or guaranteed before the container can be picked up.
A hold or a customs examA customs hold or exam, or a hold from the line, stops the box until the party that placed it lifts it. A customs exam can add railway charges on top of storage.
The wrong ramp on the paperworkThe customs paperwork has to show the ramp where the box actually is. If it does not, the goods cannot move until it is corrected.
Left too longIf a container sits too long, the railway can move it to an off-site yard. That adds cost and time.

A truck cannot clear a hold, and sending one too early can end in a dry run. Send us the container number as soon as you have it, and we tell you what is still missing while there is time to fix it.

Send this now

What to send dispatch right now.

The container number, the ramp and the last free day are enough to start. Anything you do not have yet can follow.

The container numberWith the size, 20, 40 or 45 foot, and how many if there is more than one.
The rampCN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan.
The last free dayThe railway's and your ocean line's, if you have both.
Where the releases standCustoms release from your customs broker, and the freight release and pickup number from your ocean line.
The delivery address and hoursWhere the box goes, when your dock receives, and whether you want a live unload or a drop.
The cargo weightTell us the cargo weight in each container on the quote. Dispatch adds the container's own weight and confirms the right chassis before booking.
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At your dock

Live unload or drop: what it does to per diem.

Per diem runs from the day the box leaves the ramp until the empty is returned. How you unload decides how long that is.

Live unload. The driver waits while you unload, then takes the empty straight back. Per diem usually stops sooner. Your dock has to be ready when the truck arrives, and waiting time past the free period is charged.

Drop. If you have the yard space, we leave the container on a chassis at your site and come back for the empty when you are done. You unload on your own time, but per diem keeps running until the empty is back with the line.

Tell us which at tender, because they cost differently and book differently.

The trade-off
  • Live unload: the empty goes back sooner
  • Live unload: the dock is ready on arrival
  • Drop: you unload on your own time
  • Drop: per diem runs until the empty is back
Before it lands

How to keep storage and demurrage down.

None of this is complicated. Most of it comes down to starting early.

1

Releases before arrival

Ask your customs broker and your ocean line to have both releases in place before the box reaches the ramp.

2

Both dates in writing

Get the railway's and the line's last free day, and plan to the earlier one.

3

Book the pickup early

Send us the container when the arrival notice comes in, not on the last free day. We book the pickup at the ramp: the CN Brampton gate appointment or the CPKC Vaughan pickup.

4

Return the empty fast

Unload promptly, or choose a live unload, so the empty goes back and per diem stops.

Booking

Get the container pulled.

1

Send the container

The container number, the ramp, the last free day and the delivery address.

2

Reach dispatch

Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 18:00 Eastern.

Call (416) 566-4459 Email [email protected]
Questions

Storage and demurrage questions.

Questions on chassis, detention, invoicing and claims are answered in the FAQ for brokers, forwarders and shippers.

What is the difference between storage and demurrage?
Storage is the railway's charge for an ocean container sitting at its ramp after free time. Demurrage is your ocean line's charge for its container still inside the terminal or ramp after the line's own free time. They are separate bills on separate clocks.
What is per diem on a container?
Per diem is the common name for the ocean line's detention charge. It starts when the container leaves the ramp and runs until the empty is returned.
Why is my container stuck at the rail ramp?
Usually something is missing: customs release from CBSA, the ocean line's release, or payment or guarantee of railway storage. A customs hold or exam, or a hold from the line, also stops it. Send us the container number and we tell you what is still missing.
Do you clear customs?
No. Setara Transport is a carrier and does not clear customs. Your customs broker requests the customs release.
How fast can you pull my container?
It depends on the releases, the ramp and the schedule that day, so we do not promise a time here. Call dispatch with the container number and the last free day, and we give you the earliest pickup we can offer. Then we book it at the ramp.
Who moves the container?
A load accepted by Setara Transport is not passed to another carrier without your written consent. We do not re-broker. If we cannot cover a load, we say so when it is tendered.
Keep going

More on imports at the ramps.

Arrival notice

What to do when your container reaches the ramp

Heavy and overweight containers

Heavy boxes on tri-axle chassis

Container drayage

CN Brampton and CPKC Vaughan

CN Brampton drayage

The CN ramp in Peel Region

CPKC Vaughan drayage

The CPKC ramp in York Region

FAQ

Chassis, detention, invoicing and claims

Get it off the ramp.

Setara Transport moves more than 100 containers a week through the CN Brampton and CPKC Vaughan intermodal ramps.