Drayage accessorial charges are the extra fees layered on top of the base container move — chassis rental, congestion, waiting time, pre-pull, and per-diem — and at PortMiami and Port Everglades they can quietly double the cost of a load. The fastest way to control them is to understand which fees are avoidable and to work with an asset-based carrier that owns its trucks and chassis. Go Freight runs its own drayage fleet across both South Florida ports, which removes several of the accessorials shippers pay when brokers sublease equipment.
What counts as a drayage accessorial?
The base drayage rate covers picking up a container at the terminal and delivering it to a nearby facility. Everything else is an accessorial. The charges you will see most often in Miami-Dade and Broward are chassis usage, terminal congestion, waiting or detention time at the delivery site, pre-pull and storage, and fuel surcharges tied to diesel indexes.
Chassis and chassis-split fees
A chassis is the wheeled frame that carries the container. When the chassis and container are stored in different areas of the terminal, the trucker is charged a chassis-split fee to retrieve both. We break this down in detail in our guide to chassis-split fees in Miami. Carriers that own chassis pools avoid daily rental accruals that can run $30–$45 per day.
Demurrage and detention
Demurrage is charged by the terminal when a loaded container sits past its free time; detention is charged by the carrier when equipment is held at your dock. These are the most expensive avoidable fees at both ports. See our current breakdown of demurrage and detention at PortMiami in 2026 for tier rates and free-time windows.
Why PortMiami and Port Everglades differ
PortMiami’s on-dock rail and dense terminal footprint mean congestion and pre-pull fees spike during peak vessel windows. Port Everglades offers more yard space but has tighter reefer free-time, so cold-chain importers face detention faster. Chassis availability at both ports has tightened through 2026, a trend we track in our overview of South Florida drayage demand.
Five ways to reduce accessorial spend
First, book a pre-pull only when free time is about to expire, not by default. Second, schedule terminal appointments early to avoid congestion surcharges. Third, use a carrier with its own chassis to eliminate daily rental. Fourth, unload trucks within the two-hour free window to avoid detention. Fifth, consolidate deliveries so a single driver covers multiple containers per trip. An asset-based partner can model these trade-offs before the box lands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average drayage accessorial cost in Miami?
It varies by load, but chassis, congestion, and per-diem commonly add $150–$500 to a base move. Reefers and overweight loads cost more.
Can accessorial charges be disputed?
Yes. Detention and demurrage billed in error — for example, when a terminal appointment was unavailable — can often be waived with documentation. A carrier that tracks appointment times on your behalf strengthens the dispute.
Does an asset-based carrier really lower fees?
Owning trucks and chassis removes broker markups and daily equipment rental, and gives you direct control over appointment timing, which is where most avoidable fees originate.
How free time works at each port
Free time is the grace period before demurrage begins. At PortMiami, standard dry containers typically receive a handful of working days before the first demurrage tier applies, and reefers receive noticeably less. Port Everglades follows a similar structure but adjusted its 2026 reefer free time downward, which means temperature-controlled importers have a narrower window to pull the box before charges accrue. Because free time is counted in working days — excluding weekends and holidays — a container discharged on a Friday before a holiday can burn most of its runway before anyone is back at the terminal. Planning the pull against the calendar, not just the discharge date, is one of the simplest ways to keep demurrage off the invoice.
Pre-pull versus wait
When free time is about to expire but your warehouse is not ready to receive the container, a pre-pull moves the box to the carrier’s yard so it stops accruing terminal demurrage. You then pay a lower yard storage rate and a second delivery leg. Pre-pull is worth it only when the demurrage you would otherwise owe exceeds the combined pre-pull, storage, and re-delivery cost — a calculation an asset-based carrier can run in minutes because it controls the yard.
Talk to a South Florida drayage team
Go Freight moves containers at PortMiami and Port Everglades with its own fleet, bonded warehouse, and customs support under one roof. Call (786) 445-0150 or email rates@go-freight.ai for a transparent drayage quote with accessorials spelled out up front.