Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator
Compare pre-pulling a container to a dray yard versus letting demurrage accrue at the terminal.
A pre-pull moves the box off-terminal before the last free day — you pay the dray and cheap yard storage instead of top-tier demurrage. The math usually wins by day two.
Sources & references
- Drayage SOPs — pre-pull and yard storage practices
- Carrier detention tariffs (free time interaction)
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.
The pre-pull is the demurrage hack every drayage operator offers and many importers never use: pull the container off the terminal before the last free day, park it in the trucker's yard at $20–$40/day, and redeliver when your warehouse can actually receive it. You trade top-tier demurrage (often $200–$350/day) for a pre-pull fee plus cheap yard storage.
About Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator
This calculator runs both routes side by side: pre-pull fee + yard days + redelivery dray, versus the demurrage your tariff tier would bill for the same days. With the defaults (4 unreceivable days, $250/day demurrage tier), pre-pulling saves money from roughly the second day — and the gap widens as tariff tiers escalate. Two cautions keep the math honest: the detention clock usually keeps running once the box gates out (the yard days count against equipment free time — fine if your detention free days cover them, costly if not), and yard chassis usage may bill separately. Ask the dray for the all-in pre-pull quote including chassis, and check your detention free time before committing.
How to use Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator
- 1Set each input — pre-pull fee, yard storage per day, redelivery dray, days until you can receive — using your own figures.
- 2The estimate recomputes instantly as you type; no submit button, no waiting.
- 3Review the line-item breakdown to see how each component contributes to the total.
- 4Click “Copy quote” to paste the itemised result into an email, quote or audit note.
Why use Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator?
- ✓Itemised line-by-line breakdown, not just a single opaque total
- ✓Copy-ready output for emails, quotes and audit notes
- ✓Recomputes live as you type — compare scenarios in seconds
- ✓Free and private — nothing you enter leaves your browser
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a container pre-pull?+
Your drayage carrier pulls the container from the terminal before the last free day and stores it at their yard, delivering to your door later. You pay a pre-pull fee (commonly $100–$200), daily yard storage, and the redelivery leg — in exchange for stopping the terminal's demurrage clock entirely.
Does a pre-pull stop detention too?+
No — usually the opposite: gating out starts the detention/per-diem clock on the equipment. The play works when your detention free days (often 4–7) cover the yard time. Pre-pulling on demurrage day one and sitting eight days in the yard can just swap one charge for another; run both clocks before deciding.
When does pre-pulling NOT make sense?+
Short waits (one day of bottom-tier demurrage may cost less than fee + dray), tight detention free time, hazmat or reefer cargo the yard can't hold, and terminals whose appointment scarcity makes the pull itself unreliable. The calculator's break-even shifts with your actual tier — recompute per shipment, not per policy.
Is yard storage at the dray's facility safe for cargo?+
Reputable dray yards are fenced, camera'd and gated — but they're parking lots, not bonded warehouses. The container stays sealed; verify the yard's insurance covers stored loaded units and note seal numbers at pull and redelivery. For high-value cargo, ask about segregated parking; for temperature cargo, confirm genset support exists.
Embed Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator on your website
Want Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculatoron your own site? Paste this snippet into any HTML page — it's free, with no API key or sign-up. The tool loads in an iframe and keeps working exactly as it does here.
<iframe src="https://tooljolt.com/tools/pre-pull-savings-calculator" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;max-width:680px" title="Container Pre-Pull Savings Calculator — ToolJolt" loading="lazy"></iframe>Related Logistics tools
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