Chassis Per-Diem Calculator
Track daily chassis usage charges from pool or leasing-company tariffs, with split billing tiers.
Set a tier's days to 0 to mean “all remaining days”.
US chassis pools commonly bill $20–$45/day with little or no free time — day one is often billable. Match the tiers to your pool (TRAC, DCLI, FlexiVan) or motor-carrier agreement.
With your numbers: 7 days − 1 free = 6 chargeable days = 4×$24 + 2×$30 = $156 per chassis.
Sources & references
- IANA — Intermodal chassis pool and interchange practices
- FMC Fact Finding 28 — chassis provisioning and billing
Demurrage, detention and storage tariffs are set by each carrier, terminal and contract and change frequently. The preloaded figures are editable industry-typical examples, not quotes — always verify against the current published tariff or your service contract before paying or disputing an invoice.
Disclaimer: This tool is for general informational and estimation purposes only and is not professional financial, tax, accounting or legal advice. All figures are estimates — verify with a qualified professional before making decisions. Read the full disclaimer.
In most US ports the chassis under an import container is rented separately — from pools like TRAC, DCLI or FlexiVan — and it bills by the calendar day from pickup until the chassis is returned or interchanged. Unlike container detention, chassis per diem usually has minimal free time (often just the first day, sometimes none), so a box that dwells a week at a warehouse quietly accrues a second invoice nobody budgeted.
About Chassis Per-Diem Calculator
Enter days on hire and your pool's daily tiers. The default — first day free, then $24 stepping to $38 — reflects common pool pricing where rates rise for long hires to push equipment back into circulation. Street-turning a chassis (re-using it for an export load instead of returning it) stops one clock and starts another, so track each leg separately. The classic billing failure is the chassis split: container returned, chassis still showing on hire because the interchange wasn't closed in the pool system. Always get the equipment interchange receipt when the chassis comes off hire and reconcile pool invoices against your own gate-out/gate-in dates — ghost days are the most commonly credited line item in drayage audits.
How to use Chassis Per-Diem Calculator
- 1Enter days on hire and how many chassiss are affected.
- 2Set your free days and edit the tariff tiers to match the published tariff or your contract — every figure is editable.
- 3Read the per-tier breakdown and the worked example showing exactly how the total is built, day by day.
- 4Change the inputs to compare scenarios (pick up now vs later) before the charges harden into an invoice.
Why use Chassis Per-Diem Calculator?
- ✓Per-tier breakdown mirrors how carrier and terminal billing systems itemise invoices
- ✓Every figure — free time, tier days, rates — is editable to match any published tariff
- ✓Instant what-if comparisons before charges harden into an invoice
- ✓Free and private — all math runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
How much does chassis rental cost per day?+
Pool rates at US ports generally run $20–$45 per day for a standard 40' chassis, with premium or tri-axle equipment higher. At 7 days on hire under the default tariff (1 free day, then $24/$30/$38 tiers) the calculator shows how a single import quietly adds $150+ of equipment cost.
Does chassis per diem have free time like container detention?+
Usually far less. Many pool agreements bill from day one or give a single free day; merchant haulage agreements negotiated by large BCOs sometimes secure 2–3. Never assume the container's detention free time applies to the chassis — they are separate contracts with separate clocks.
What is a chassis split and why does it cost extra?+
A split is when the container and chassis don't travel as one unit — e.g., the box comes off at the warehouse and the chassis returns separately, or a chassis must be fetched from a different depot than the container. Pools and draymen bill split fees ($50–$150) plus any extra days the chassis stays on hire, which is why closing interchanges promptly matters.
How do I stop being billed for a returned chassis?+
Get the interchange receipt (EIR) at return and check the pool's portal within a day or two to confirm the unit shows off-hire. If it still shows on hire, dispute immediately with the EIR — pools correct these routinely, but only when you have the receipt with the gate timestamp.
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<iframe src="https://tooljolt.com/tools/chassis-per-diem-calculator" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;max-width:680px" title="Chassis Per-Diem Calculator — ToolJolt" loading="lazy"></iframe>Related Logistics tools
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