Pre-Pull

What it means

Industry glossaries describe it as the trucker picking up the container but not delivering it the same day, list it among common drayage accessorials, and list storage as its own charge when a carrier has to hold a delivery.^[1]

The FMC describes demurrage as accruing when a container exceeds free time on a marine terminal, and detention as charged for extended use of intermodal equipment.^[2] So a pre-pull stops demurrage, because the box has left the terminal, but it does not stop container detention or chassis charges while the box sits loaded in a yard. When a pre-pull pays for itself is covered in chassis split, pre-pull and street turn fees.

How a pre-pull works

1. The container becomes available. In the FMC's Fact Finding 28, marine terminals described an available container as one that is discharged, has a yard location in an open area, is released from customs and other government holds, and has its freight and fees paid. The trucker also needs terminal access and a chassis.^[3] A box under a hold cannot be pre-pulled.
2. The pickup is booked. For an import pickup at the Port of New York and New Jersey, the guidebook lists a freight release, the container number and the bill of lading number, plus an appointment at terminals that use them, the driver's TWIC and SeaLink card, an RFID tag, and proof that the trucking company is registered under the UIIA.^[4]
3. The box goes to the trucker's yard. It waits there loaded until the delivery appointment. One published 2025 accessorial schedule lists the pre-pull, daily yard storage and daily chassis use as separate lines.^[5]
4. Delivery and empty return. The trucker delivers on the receiver's appointment, then returns the empty to the place the carrier names. The Port Authority's guidebook defines per diem as a fee the steamship line charges a trucker for late return of equipment.^[4]

Who is involved

• The consignee or customs broker issues the delivery order, the guidebook's term for the document that authorizes release of the cargo to the inland carrier.^[4]
• The ocean carrier and the [marine terminal operator](term:marine-terminal-operator) set free time and charge demurrage and detention under their tariffs or contracts.^[6]
• The drayage carrier makes the extra move, holds the box in its yard and bills the pre-pull and storage under its own rates.^[5]
• The chassis provider charges for chassis days under its terms with the trucker, which a pre-pull extends if the box stays mounted.^[7]

Example

An import is discharged at Port Newark and released, with its last free day on a Friday. The receiver's first open appointment is the following Tuesday. The trucker pulls the box Thursday on a terminal appointment and parks it in its yard, so demurrage stops. The box is delivered Tuesday and the empty returned Wednesday; the invoice shows the pre-pull, the yard days and the chassis days, and the carrier's equipment free time kept counting the whole time.

Pre-pull vs. related moves

• Pre-pull vs. live or drop delivery. In a normal delivery the box goes straight from the terminal to the receiver. A pre-pull puts a yard stop in between, which adds a move and storage days.
• Pre-pull vs. street turn. A street turn reuses an empty import container for an export load without taking it back to the terminal. It deals with the empty after unloading, not the loaded box before delivery.
• Pre-pull vs. warehouse storage. A yard holds the container. A warehouse that unloads it releases the container and the chassis; the trade-off is set out in short-term freight storage near Port Newark.
• When a pre-pull was not possible. If a box could not be pulled because it was not available, the FMC's interpretive rule says the Commission may consider whether demurrage practices tie free time to cargo availability, and that detention charged when empties cannot be returned is likely to be found unreasonable absent extenuating circumstances.^[8]

Frequently asked questions