Empty out at origin, full out at destination
An export usually begins with an empty gate-out, when a trucker collects an empty container from a depot or terminal to be loaded at the shipper's site. An import usually ends its port stay with a full gate-out, when the loaded box leaves the terminal or rail ramp for the consignee. Both are reported as gate-outs, so check whether the box was full or empty before reading anything into one. CargoScope's milestone emails cover an import's full outgate by truck and an export's empty outgate, for users who switch them on.
Charges that start or stop at the gate
Gate-out is where one set of charges usually hands over to another. Demurrage, for time inside the terminal, generally stops when the full container leaves. Detention or per diem, for time with the box outside, generally starts. Some carriers use combined free time that covers both, so read the tariff before assuming which clock is running. Both counts rely on the gate-out timestamp, so check it against the trucker's records.
- Demurrage usually stops at the full gate-out
- Detention or per diem usually starts counting from it
- Combined free time keeps one allowance across both
Checking where the box went out
Read the location on a gate-out before acting on it. A full gate-out at the port can be the start of a truck move to an off-dock rail yard rather than delivery, and moves between terminals create gate-out and gate-in pairs of their own. If a gate-out appears but the trucker has not collected the box, confirm the container number and the facility with the terminal.
Example
ONEU9051279 is discharged at Long Beach on Monday and gated out full on Thursday, when a drayage driver collects it for a warehouse in Ontario, California.
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Questions
What does Gate Out mean?
Gate out is the event recorded when a container leaves a terminal, depot or rail ramp through its gate. On an import it usually means the full container was picked up for delivery; on an export it often means an empty was released for loading.
What is the difference between gate out and delivered?
Gate out means the container left the facility. Delivered, when a carrier reports it, means the box reached the consignee's address on a carrier-arranged truck move. On merchant haulage the carrier often never records a delivery.
Why does a gate out appear at the start of my export?
That is usually the empty gate-out, when a trucker collected an empty container to be loaded at the shipper's site. The ocean journey starts with the later full gate-in at the terminal.