When a pre-pull is worth the extra cost
A pre-pull trades one cost for others. It can stop terminal demurrage, use an appointment that would otherwise be lost, or get a box out ahead of a holiday closure. In exchange, the importer usually pays a pre-pull fee, yard storage and chassis usage while the container waits, and the line's detention free time starts at gate-out. It makes sense when the demurrage at stake outweighs those charges, or when congestion makes waiting risky.
A gate-out that is not a delivery
After a pre-pull, the container shows a gate-out milestone even though nothing has been delivered. Anyone who reads gate-out as delivered will be misled, and the next carrier event may be the empty return, days later. Note the pre-pull and the planned delivery date on the shipment so the consignee and the rest of the team read the gap correctly. For the yard leg, the trucker's own records are the source.
Itemizing a pre-pull before approving it
Drayage companies itemize pre-pulls in different ways, so ask for the full set of charges before approving one. If the yard grounds the container instead of leaving it on a chassis, a lift charge may replace some chassis days. Compare the total against the demurrage the pre-pull avoids, using the terminal's schedule and the carrier's tariff, and remember that detention days count too.
- A pre-pull fee for the extra move
- Daily yard storage while the box waits
- Chassis usage while the container stays mounted
- Per diem or detention once free time ends
Example
The consignee's warehouse cannot receive EGSU4312683 until Monday, after the terminal's last free day, so the trucker pre-pulls it on Friday and keeps it in its yard over the weekend.
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Questions
What does Pre-Pull mean?
A pre-pull is a drayage move that takes a loaded import container out of the terminal before the consignee can receive it, usually to beat the last free day, and parks it in the trucker's yard until delivery.
Does a pre-pull stop demurrage?
Yes, terminal demurrage generally stops at gate-out. But the line's detention free time starts running, and yard storage and chassis charges begin, so the waiting days are not free.
Why would a trucker suggest a pre-pull?
Usually because the delivery appointment falls after the LFD, terminal appointments are scarce, or a closure is coming. The trucker expects yard storage to cost less than the demurrage it avoids.