Guides · Who charges what, and how to avoid it
Truck detention, demurrage and container detention: every clock has an owner.
Three different companies can charge you for waiting: the carrier, the shipping line and the terminal. Here is which clock belongs to whom, when it starts, when it stops and what to ask for in writing so that none of them surprises you.
Four charges for waiting: three different owners
Truck detention, demurrage, container detention and storage get used as if they were the same thing, and they are not. Three different companies charge them, each for what is theirs: the truck, the container or the space at the port. Knowing which is which tells you whom to ask and what had to be ready.
The carrier
Truck detention
The truck’s clock
It runs when the truck, the chassis or the driver waits longer than agreed to load or unload.
The shipping line
Demurrage and container detention
The container’s clock
They run when the container stays in the terminal, or outside it, beyond the free days.
The terminal
Storage
The clock on the space at the port
It runs on the space the cargo takes up at the port. Each terminal sets the terms.
Each charge by its name: who charges it and when it runs
| Charge | Who charges it and when it runs |
|---|---|
| Truck detention (estadía, sobrestadía del camión)Waiting time | Charged by the road carrier. A land carrier’s charge when the truck, the chassis or the driver is held beyond the time agreed for loading or unloading. The free time and the conditions are agreed in each quote. In ocean trade, “estadía” and “sobrestadía” refer to the days the vessel waits; here the word is used in its road transport sense.What is held up: the truck, the chassis or the driver, at the plant, the warehouse, the border crossing or the port. |
| Demurrage (demora) | Charged by the shipping line. A shipping line charge for the full container that stays inside the terminal beyond the free days. For imports it is counted from discharge from the vessel until the container leaves through the gate.What is held up: the full container, inside the terminal. |
| Container detention (detención) | Charged by the shipping line. A shipping line charge for the use of the container outside the terminal beyond the free days. For imports it is counted from when it leaves the port full until it is returned empty.What is held up: the container, outside the terminal and until it is returned empty. |
| Terminal storage (almacenaje portuario) | Charged by the port terminal. A terminal charge for occupying space in the port. Depending on the shipping line, it may be included in its demurrage tariff or billed separately. General concept: the conditions at each port are confirmed with the terminal.What is held up: the space the cargo takes up inside the terminal. |
Last reviewed: September 2026. General reference information, checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It is not legal, customs or commercial advice and does not replace the text of the regulations or the terms of each contract. The rules change: confirm your case with your GoTruck contact and with your customs broker before shipping. View the 5 sources
FHWA (US): Freight Professional Development Glossary; Maersk: What is demurrage and detention in shipping for buyers? (2023, updated in 2025); Federal Maritime Commission (FMC): Detention and Demurrage; Hapag-Lloyd: Detention and Demurrage Tariff Guide for the United States (May 2026); AAPA: Glossary of Maritime Terms (trade association source).
Watch the word “demoras”.In everyday Spanish it often names both of the shipping line’s charges, demurrage and container detention, which can add up. Always ask which of the two you are being charged and for which dates.
If the cargo is kept outside the port, in a yard or a warehouse, whoever operates it sets the terms: ask for them in writing before moving the container. What each place is: see the Glossary.
Where each clock starts: an import, step by step
An import container goes through five moments between the vessel and the return of the empty. At each one a clock starts or stops. The light part of each bar is free time; the solid part, time that is charged.
- 1. The vessel discharges the container at the terminalThe shipping line’s free days to pick it up start. If they run out and the container is still inside, demurrage runs. The space it takes up at the port is storage, which the terminal charges.
- 2. The truck picks up the container and leaves through the gateDemurrage stops, and the container no longer takes up space at the terminal. Container detention starts: the free days to keep the container outside the port and return it empty.
- 3. The truck arrives at your plant or warehouseUnloading begins, with the free time agreed with the carrier. If it runs out and the truck is still waiting, truck detention runs.
- 4. Unloading ends and the truck leavesTruck detention stops. Container detention keeps running: the container has not yet gone back to the shipping line.
- 5. The empty container is delivered where the shipping line indicatesContainer detention stops. Until that moment the period keeps running, even if the container is already empty.
Blue dot: a clock starts, with its free time. Green dot: a clock stops.
The truck can also be kept waiting at the port gate or at a border crossing. If the trip crosses borders, see how many in the Route planner and what slows them down in Transit times.
What free days and free time are: the time that is not charged
Each clock starts with a stretch at no charge. While it lasts, there is no charge; when it runs out, the charge begins. Who sets that stretch depends on who owns the equipment.
| Free time | What it covers and where it is written down |
|---|---|
| The shipping line’s free daysSet by the shipping line | A period at no cost that the shipping line gives the customer before it starts charging demurrage or detention. It varies by shipping line and by port.Where it is written down: in the shipping line’s terms for that shipment. Ask for them in writing before shipping. |
| The truck’s free timeSet by the carrier | Time at no charge to load or unload the truck before truck detention starts.Where it is written down: in the quote for the inland freight. |
Last reviewed: September 2026. General concept, with no periods: free days change by shipping line and by port, and the truck’s free time, by quote. Confirm the ones for your shipment before loading. View the 3 sources
Maersk: What is demurrage and detention in shipping for buyers? (2023, updated in 2025); Federal Maritime Commission (FMC): Detention and Demurrage; FHWA (US): Freight Professional Development Glossary.
At GoTruck.Free time and truck detention are agreed in each quote: it states how much time the freight includes to load and to unload, and what happens if it runs out.
How to avoid truck detention: keep the truck from waiting
Truck detention almost never starts on the road. It starts at a gate: the truck arrived and something was not ready.
- Dock and crew ready at the agreed time
Forklifts, crew and dock space have to be there before the truck. Follow it on the map with the tracking link to see where it is.
- Documents complete before the truck leaves
Legible, with data that matches from one document to the next. A missing document leaves the truck held at the port gate or at customs. The list is in Documents: DUCA-T, waybill.
- Port appointment confirmed
A slot with an assigned time for the truck to enter the terminal to pick up or deliver. At the Moín Container Terminal it is managed in TERMPoint, with appointment types for imports, exports and empties. For other ports, confirm with each terminal.
- Declared weight equal to the actual weight
An overweight truck does not continue its trip until the excess is corrected. Check the limits in Weights and dimensions by country and how much fits per equipment in the Load calculator.
- Empty return location, set before unloading
Until the empty is delivered where the shipping line indicates, the container detention period runs. Ask the shipping line or your freight forwarder for the location before the truck leaves your plant. If it is a terminal with appointments, such as the one at Moín, book the empty delivery appointment too.
- Give notice as soon as something changes
If the warehouse will not be able to receive at the agreed time, give notice before the truck leaves. Rescheduling in time avoids having a truck held at the gate.
What to ask for in writing in the quote: ask before you accept
Free time and waiting charges are contractual: the ones that count are the ones in writing. These are the questions worth having answered before the first trip.
Inland freight
To the carrier
- Free time: how much the freight includes to load and how much to unload.
- When it starts counting: the truck’s arrival, the appointment time or another moment.
- How truck detention is charged when the free time runs out: per hour, per fraction or per day.
- Waiting away from your plant: whether waiting at the port or at a border crossing counts as truck detention.
- Cargo that is not ready: what is charged if the truck arrives and there is no cargo to hand over (falso flete).
- Empty container: who returns it, where, and whether that leg is included.
Ocean freight
To the shipping line or your freight forwarder
- Free days: how many there are to pick up the container from the port and how many to return it empty.
- When they start counting and whether they include weekends and holidays.
- Storage: whether it is included in the demurrage tariff or the terminal bills it separately.
- Empty return: at which port or depot it is delivered.
- Who gets billed for demurrage and detention if the container runs late.
How those charges are split among seller, buyer and carrier depends on the contracts, not on the Incoterm alone. Who arranges each leg is in Incoterms 2020.
Related terms: each one moves a clock
They come up in the same conversation as truck detention and demurrage. To keep them apart:
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Free days (días libres)Free time | A period at no cost that the shipping line gives the customer before it starts charging demurrage or detention. It varies by shipping line and by port. |
| Empty return (retorno de vacío) | Return of the empty container to the port or depot the shipping line indicates. Until then the container detention period keeps running. In Moín there is a specific appointment for “entrega de vacío” (empty delivery). |
| Appointment (cita, ventana de cita)Truck appointment | A slot with an assigned time for the truck to enter the terminal to pick up or deliver. At the Moín Container Terminal it is managed in TERMPoint, with appointment types for imports, exports and empties. |
| Cut-off (corte documental y corte de carga)Documentation / cargo cut-off | The deadline set by the shipping line or the terminal for delivering documents (including the VGM) or the container before the vessel sails. If it is missed, the shipment may be rescheduled and incur additional costs. A trade definition: the times are set by each shipping line or terminal. |
| Falso flete (flete muerto) | A payment owed when transport was booked and not used. The dictionary of the Real Academia Española (RAE) defines it for vessels; in land transport it is used when the truck arrives and the cargo is not handed over. “Flete muerto” is a trade alias. |
Last reviewed: September 2026. General reference definitions, with no hours or periods: each shipping line, terminal or contract sets them. Confirm your case with your GoTruck contact. View the 5 sources (some in Spanish)
Maersk: What is demurrage and detention in shipping for buyers? (2023, updated in 2025); APM Terminals Moín: guía TERMPoint (alojada por Maersk); APM Terminals Moín; Portcast: Maritime Glossary, “Cut-off time”; IMO: Verification of the gross mass of packed containers (SOLAS).
The rest of the vocabulary, from tractor to customs seal, is in the Glossary.
You got a waiting charge: start here
What is truck detention?
It is the carrier’s charge when the truck, the chassis or the driver is kept waiting beyond the time agreed for loading, unloading or crossing. It is different from the shipping line’s demurrage and is charged by a different company. At GoTruck, the free time and the truck detention terms are agreed in each quote.
What is the difference between demurrage and detention?
Demurrage: the full container is still inside the terminal after the free days. Container detention: the container is outside the terminal, in the customer’s hands, and was not returned empty on time. The shipping line charges both, and they can add up.
Is port storage the same as demurrage?
No. Storage is a terminal charge for the space the cargo takes up at the port; demurrage is a shipping line charge for the full container that is still inside the terminal after the free days. Depending on the shipping line, storage may be included in its demurrage tariff or billed separately. The terms of each port are confirmed with the terminal.
What are free days?
They are the days at no charge that the shipping line grants to pick up the container from the port and to return it empty. They change by shipping line and by port. Ask for them in writing before shipping.
Why are demurrage and detention charged?
Because the container and the space at the port are limited resources. The charge is meant to get the equipment back into circulation and to keep cargo from sitting in storage at the terminal.
If the cargo is delayed, who pays demurrage and truck detention?
The shipping line bills its charges to its customer according to its tariff, and the carrier bills truck detention to whoever hired it. How they are split among seller, buyer and carrier depends on the contracts, not on the Incoterm alone. ICC recommends putting it in writing; at GoTruck, the truck detention terms are stated in each quote.
Last reviewed: September 2026. General reference information, checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It is not legal, customs or commercial advice and does not replace the text of the regulations or the terms of each contract. The rules change: confirm your case with your GoTruck contact and with your customs broker before shipping. View the 4 sources
Maersk: What is demurrage and detention in shipping for buyers? (2023, updated in 2025); Federal Maritime Commission (FMC): Detention and Demurrage; FHWA (US): Freight Professional Development Glossary; ICC: Incoterms® 2020 Checklist and Flowcharts.
Want the terms clear? Ask for them.
Tell us what you are moving, where it leaves from and where it is going. The quote states the free time to load and unload and the truck detention terms.