Peak season at the Port of Oakland: a drayage playbook
Last free day math, chassis splits, appointment windows, and the three mistakes that turn a $600 dray into a $2,400 invoice.
A $600 Oakland dray turns into a $2,400 invoice through three line items: demurrage after the last free day, per diem on a late empty, and a dry run or chassis split from a missed appointment. At TraPac Oakland, import free time is 4 days for general cargo and 2 for reefer. Book against that clock, not the delivery date.
Peak season makes all three more likely. Vessels bunch up, appointment slots fill days ahead and chassis get scarce at the gate. Below is how each fee starts, who bills it, and what our Port of Oakland drayage desk does to keep the box inside free time.
What is the last free day at the Port of Oakland?
The last free day is the final day you can pull a loaded import out of the terminal before storage charges begin. It is set by the terminal schedule and your ocean line, not by the delivery date on your purchase order.
Take TraPac, one of the Oakland container terminals. Its terminal schedule (Rev. 13, effective July 15, 2026) starts import free time at 3:00 a.m. after the container is discharged and ends it at 2:59 a.m. on the last free day. Days when the terminal is closed are not counted.
- 4 days
- FREE TIME, GENERAL CARGO (TRAPAC)
- 2 days
- FREE TIME, REEFER AND OVERSIZE
- 48 h
- WE BOOK AHEAD OF LFD
Two details catch importers out. The clock runs from discharge, so a box sitting behind a customs or freight hold is still using up free days. And reefer boxes get half the time, so a produce or frozen import has to be booked before the vessel berths. Other Oakland terminals publish their own schedules, so check the one your vessel calls at.
Demurrage, per diem and detention: who bills what?
Three fees get mixed up on the same invoice, and each one runs on its own clock.
THREE FEES, THREE CLOCKS
- Demurrage: charged while the loaded container stays in the terminal after the last free day. The terminal bills the ocean line, and the line bills you under its own tariff.
- Per diem: charged by the ocean line for each day its container stays outside the terminal after the free days for returning the empty.
- Detention: the name many lines use for per diem. Check which term your line's tariff uses, because free days and rates are listed separately.
The terminal's own wharf demurrage is the smaller piece: TraPac charges the line $79.94 to $239.82 a day for a 40' dry container, rising with days past free time. What lands on your desk is the ocean line's demurrage, set in its tariff.
Federal rules also set deadlines on these bills. Under the FMC's demurrage and detention billing rule, the billing party has to issue the invoice within 30 days of the day the charge was last incurred, or you do not have to pay it.
What are the three mistakes that turn $600 into $2,400?
Here is one 40' import priced at $600 port to door. The daily rates below are examples to show the math. Your line's tariff and your quote set the real numbers.
Mistake 1: booking on the delivery date, not the last free day. The box sits four days past free time while the warehouse clears space. At an example $250 a day of line demurrage, that adds $1,000.
Mistake 2: holding the empty. The container waits at the dock for a weekend unload and goes back four days late. At an example $150 a day of per diem, that adds $600.
Mistake 3: no appointment, no chassis. The driver arrives without a pickup slot and has to come back, then collects the chassis and the container at different yards. A dry run and a chassis split at an example $100 each add $200.
Total: $600 + $1,000 + $600 + $200 = $2,400. None of the extra $1,800 is freight. All of it is timing.
Why do split chassis cost more than you think?
A chassis split happens when the chassis and the container sit at different locations, so the driver makes an extra stop for one before collecting the other. In peak season that extra stop can push the pickup past its appointment window, which brings back mistake 3.
Our dispatch matches the chassis to the weight of the box at booking: a pool chassis for a standard 40' under 44,000 lb, a tri-axle for overweight boxes. Send the gross weight with the container number so the right equipment shows up the first time.
THE CHEAPEST DRAY IS THE ONE BOOKED TWO DAYS BEFORE THE BOX IS AVAILABLE.
When should you pre-pull a container?
Pre-pull when the last free day comes before your dock can take the box. We pull the container to a secured yard before free time ends and deliver it when your dock is ready. Yard storage is quoted per day up front, so you can set it against the line's demurrage before you decide.
What does an Oakland dray quote include?
A quote you can compare names every line item, not just the move. Ours covers last free day tracking, pickup and empty return appointments, the chassis, live tracking from gate out to empty return, and the interchange and signed POD on one invoice. Fees charged by the terminal or the line are passed through at cost.
Expect the terminal's own fees as well. TraPac Oakland charges a $50 Extended Gate Fee on every loaded import container through its gates, and the importer pays it. For freight that continues past the port, see all our freight services.
BEFORE YOUR NEXT IMPORT
- Send the container number and ETA to dispatch as soon as you have them
- Confirm your receiving hours for the week the ship lands
- Ask for a quote with and without chassis split and pre-pull
Port of Oakland drayage FAQ
How many free days does the Port of Oakland give on imports?
It depends on the terminal and the ocean line. At TraPac Oakland, import free time is 4 days for general cargo and 2 days for reefer, tank and out-of-gauge cargo, under its terminal schedule effective July 15, 2026.
When does the free time clock start?
At TraPac Oakland, at 3:00 a.m. after the container is discharged from the vessel. It does not wait for your delivery appointment or for a hold to clear.
Is per diem the same as demurrage?
No. Demurrage runs while the loaded container is still in the terminal. Per diem runs while the line's container is outside the terminal after its free days for returning the empty.
What do you need to book an Oakland container?
The container number, the terminal, the delivery address and the date you need it. If there is a hold, send the release as soon as you have it.