Shipper FAQ
The money questions, answered in writing.
Rates, fees, clocks, and how working with us actually goes — the questions every importer asks, answered the way our dispatch desk answers them.
- UIIA interchange carrier
- TWIC-credentialed drivers
- EPA SmartWay partner
- Certificates of insurance on request
Rates & fees
- How is a drayage rate built?
- Linehaul plus fuel surcharge (indexed to the DOE diesel average), plus metered items the move actually uses: chassis days, terminal waiting beyond free windows, pre-pull or yard storage, and specialty adders like tri-axle, genset, or hazmat. Our quotes show each line so nothing appears for the first time on an invoice. The full breakdown is in our cost guide.
- What's the difference between demurrage and per diem?
- Demurrage is the terminal billing for a container still on terminal ground after free time. Per diem is the steamship line billing for its container out in the world past its free days. Different clock, different biller — and a pre-pull into our yard is the standard escape from the first one.
- Do you charge for a dry run?
- A truck dispatched to a move that can't happen bills as a dry run — but our whole operating model exists to prevent them. Availability, holds, and appointments are verified on the operating record before a driver rolls, so dry runs at Pig-Tainer are rare enough to be conversations, not line items.
- Are chassis included?
- Chassis bill per day from the interchange pools that supply the port, and appear as their own readable line — days, rate, and any split or flip with the reason stated. We manage the wheels inside the dispatch under our own UIIA interchange.
Operations
- Which terminals and ramps do you serve?
- All of them, daily: APM Elizabeth, Maher, PNCT, Port Liberty Bayonne, and Port Liberty New York (Howland Hook) on the marine side; ExpressRail Elizabeth, ExpressRail Newark, CSX Kearny, and NS Croxton on rail. Each has its own guide page on this site.
- Who books terminal appointments?
- We do — TERMPoint at APM, PortTruckPass at the Port Liberty gates, PNCT's systems. Dispatch holds the credentials, watches slot availability, and rebooks when terminals reshuffle. Your team never touches a terminal website.
- How do you handle empty returns?
- Against the steamship line's live acceptance, checked the day of the move — not yesterday's matrix. Empty acceptance at this port changes daily by line and equipment type, and returning against stale information is how second trips happen.
- Can you take a container my warehouse can't receive yet?
- Yes — that's the pre-pull play. We pull the box before its last free day, hold it in our secured yard on wheels or grounded, and deliver when your dock is ready. Yard days cost a fraction of demurrage days and never escalate.
- Do you handle overweight, reefer, hazmat, or in-bond freight?
- Yes — permitted tri-axle overweight moves under New Jersey's ocean-container permit, genset-equipped reefer, hazmat with endorsed drivers, and bonded moves to exam sites and bonded facilities. Each has its own service page with the details.
Working with us
- How fast do I get a quote?
- The instant estimate comes back from the quote builder immediately, and human-reviewed quotes come back within 20 minutes, 7am–7pm ET weekdays. Complex moves (overweight, hazmat, multi-stop) may take a phone call — which we make, not wait for.
- Are you insured? Can I get a COI?
- Yes. Certificates of insurance are available on request from dispatch — most customers have one on file before the first move. Compliance teams can also verify our operating authority and UIIA standing.
- What updates will I actually get?
- Milestones with context: availability, appointment, out-gate, delivery, empty return — each with what happens next. When something goes sideways, you hear it from us with the recovery plan attached, not from your customer.
- Do you support EDI or API connections?
- Yes — our operating platform is Conterminal, and structured status feeds are part of it. Tell us what your TMS expects and we'll wire the connection.
Ready when you are
Price the move before the email chain starts.
Human-reviewed quotes back within 20 minutes, 7am–7pm ET weekdays.