A dry run fee is what a drayage carrier charges when a truck is dispatched to a terminal or a delivery address and returns empty through no fault of the driver. The trip happened, the fuel burned, the driver’s hours were consumed — but no container moved. In South Florida this typically bills in the range of a half to a full move rate, and it is one of the most disputed lines on a drayage invoice.
What causes a dry run
Container not available at the terminal
The box shows as available in the system but is not physically ready — still under a hold, buried in the stack, or already gated out on a duplicate. This is the most common cause.
Customs or line hold not released
A CBP exam, an unpaid steamship line invoice, or a missing delivery order stops release at the gate. The system data lagged the actual status.
No chassis available
The pool is empty or the assigned equipment is out of service, and no compliant chassis can be mounted. Related: chassis flips and chassis split fees.
Consignee cannot receive
Closed dock, no appointment on file, no forklift, no one on site. The truck arrives at a warehouse that cannot take the load.
Appointment problems
The terminal appointment was cancelled, never confirmed, or the gate closed early. Terminal-side cancellations after dispatch are a frequent trigger during congestion.
Dry run vs bobtail vs detention
These three get confused constantly because all three involve a truck that is not moving freight.
- Dry run — the trip was made and no container was picked up or delivered. Billed as a trip.
- Bobtail — the tractor moves without a chassis or container attached, usually a positioning move. See bobtail fees.
- Detention — the truck arrived and was held waiting beyond free time. The move eventually happened. See demurrage vs detention.
A dry run can turn into a detention claim if the driver waited at the gate for hours before being turned away. Ask for the timestamps.
How to avoid dry runs
- Verify availability at dispatch, not at booking. Terminal availability data goes stale in hours. Confirm the box is released, holds are cleared, and last free day is accurate immediately before the truck rolls.
- Clear all holds first. Customs, freight, line, and terminal holds each block release independently. One outstanding hold produces a dry run even if the other three are clear.
- Confirm the consignee is ready. Delivery appointment confirmed, dock open, equipment available, someone on site to sign.
- Use a carrier with owned chassis. Chassis unavailability is a leading cause and is almost entirely eliminated by a carrier running its own pool.
- Pre-pull containers with tight free time. A pre-pull takes the terminal’s timing risk off the delivery appointment.
Disputing a dry run charge
A legitimate dry run charge should come with evidence: the appointment confirmation, the gate transaction record or trouble ticket, GPS or ELD timestamps showing arrival and departure, and the specific reason for the refusal. If that documentation is missing, dispute it.
Fault matters too. If the carrier dispatched without confirming an obvious hold that was visible hours earlier, the charge is arguable. If the terminal cancelled the appointment after the truck was en route, the charge is generally valid — the cost is real and someone has to carry it. Treat dry runs the way you treat other accessorial charges: require documentation, then decide.
Dry runs at PortMiami and Port Everglades
Both gateways experience seasonal congestion — post-holiday import surges and pre-hurricane-season inventory builds are the reliable peaks — and congestion raises the odds that a container marked available is not actually workable. Carriers that dispatch from live terminal data and control their own chassis take far fewer dry runs than brokered capacity, which often books first and checks later.
Go Freight is an asset-based Miami 3PL founded in 2004, running 100+ owned trucks and its own chassis pool from a 104,000 sq ft bonded warehouse at 6901 NW 26 Ave. We verify container status before dispatch specifically because a dry run costs both of us.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a typical dry run fee?
Rates vary by carrier and lane, but a dry run is commonly billed between roughly half and the full rate of the intended move, since most of the trip cost was incurred. Ask your carrier to state the dry run rate in the rate agreement rather than discovering it on an invoice.
Do I have to pay a dry run fee if the terminal was at fault?
Usually yes. The carrier incurred real cost regardless of who caused the problem, and most drayage rate agreements place that cost with the shipper. Some steamship lines will reimburse dry runs caused by their own system errors, so it is worth pursuing the line with the trouble ticket in hand.
Is a dry run the same as detention?
No. A dry run means the truck came back empty and the move never happened. Detention means the truck arrived, waited past free time, and the move did happen. A single trip can generate both if the driver waited a long time before being turned away.
Fewer dry runs, fewer surprise line items
We verify container status before dispatch and run our own chassis. Request a drayage quote or call (786) 445-0150.