Yard Storage Fee
What Is a Yard Storage Fee?
A yard storage fee is a time-based charge for keeping a container or cargo in a yard after the free period included in the service. It can apply at a port terminal, an off-dock container yard, or a trucking yard where a container waits before delivery.
The fee pays for space and the provider’s handling while the container or cargo waits. It is separate from transport. A port terminal, storage-yard operator, ocean carrier, forwarder, or drayage company may bill it, depending on who controls the yard and how the service was arranged.
At a port terminal, storage on a full import container is commonly billed as demurrage after the carrier’s free time ends. Off-dock and trucking yards may use “yard storage,” “storage fee,” or “daily storage” for a similar time charge. The invoice label matters less than the rate, the free period, and the date the clock starts.
The party that requested the holding service normally pays. If a pre-pull fee moved the container to a trucking yard early, that move and the storage days that follow may appear as separate charges.
The main difference is scope: yard storage can apply at any yard where the container waits, while demurrage is the terminal storage charge for a full import container left at the port after free time.
How Yard Storage Is Charged
Yard storage is normally billed by time and is often quoted per container per day. LCL cargo may be quoted per CBM per day instead. Some providers use one flat daily rate, while others raise the rate after a set number of days. There is no single national or global rate.
| Yard | Common provider | Usual starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Port terminal yard | Terminal or ocean carrier | A full import container remains after free time; this is commonly shown as demurrage. |
| Off-dock container yard | Yard operator or forwarder | The container is grounded at the off-dock facility, often after terminal free time ends. |
| Trucking or holding yard | Drayage or trucking company | The container reaches the yard; storage starts after the free period stated in the quote. |
Free time can differ by port, terminal, carrier, yard, and contract. Weekends and holidays may be included in the count or excluded. Ask when the clock starts, when it stops, and whether both the first and last day are charged.
How a Yard Storage Fee Differs from Other Charges
Yard storage is one charge among several that can apply while a container is moving through a port and waiting for delivery. The table below shows where the boundaries normally sit.
| Charge | What it pays for | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Yard storage fee | Time and space in a yard after included free time. | May apply at a port, off-dock, or trucking yard. |
| Demurrage | A full import container remaining in a port terminal past free time. | One specific terminal storage charge, usually billed by the ocean carrier. |
| Detention | Carrier equipment kept outside the terminal beyond the allowed return time. | Follows the container after pickup and can continue at a warehouse, factory, or yard. |
| Pre-pull fee | An early drayage move from a terminal to a holding yard. | Pays for the truck move, not for the storage days that follow it. |
| Terminal handling charge | Routine container handling through a port terminal. | Separate from any time-based yard storage charge. |
One shipment can involve several of these charges at the same time. Read the invoice by time period and location, not only by the label on each line.
How to Control Yard Storage Fees
- Lock down the free time. Confirm the free days, the rate after free time, the start and stop events, and whether weekends or holidays count.
- Prepare the cargo to leave on time. Complete customs clearance and delivery-order steps before arrival where possible, then book pickup and delivery before free time ends.
- Compare the alternatives in writing. A pre-pull and off-dock storage may cost less than terminal demurrage, but the extra truck move and daily storage still need to be included.
- Ask for a line-item quote. Separate terminal charges, yard storage, chassis use, and the final delivery move so the storage clock is easier to manage.
Keep the Container Moving
Send us the port, terminal, container size, and delivery schedule. We will separate yard storage from the other destination charges and show the free-time deadline before pickup.
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