By Los Angeles Customs Broker · Import & Customs Guides
Every importer moving cargo through the Port of Los Angeles eventually meets demurrage: the daily charge the terminal bills once your container sits past its allotted free time. It adds up fast, and the frustrating part is that most of it is avoidable.
What Demurrage Actually Is
When your container is discharged from the vessel, the terminal gives you a few days of free time to pick it up. Miss that window and demurrage starts accruing per container, per day. On a bad week at a congested terminal, that can mean hundreds of dollars a day per box. Separately, the carrier charges per-diem once you hold their equipment too long, so a stuck container can bleed money on two fronts.
The Three Things That Cause Most Demurrage
- Late or inaccurate filing. If your entry is not ready when the vessel is worked, your container cannot be released and the clock keeps running. Filing your ISF and entry ahead of arrival is the single biggest lever.
- Drayage booked too late. Terminal appointments in LA are tight. If you wait until the container is available to arrange trucking, you have already lost days. Book drayage before the box lands.
- Holds and exams. A CBP or partner-agency hold freezes your cargo. Clean documents and correct classification prevent many of them, and fast handling shortens the rest.
How We Keep Your Container Moving
We track your vessel, file ahead of arrival, monitor the terminal for availability, and have drayage lined up so your container moves during free time whenever possible. When a hold does happen, we work it immediately. That combination is how importers keep their demurrage bill near zero.