An empty container return at PortMiami has to go back to the location the ocean carrier designates, within the free time on your bill of lading, usually with an appointment. Miss any of those three and you start paying per diem — carrier detention on the equipment — which accrues daily until the box is physically accepted. Most avoidable drayage cost in South Florida comes from empty returns, not from the original pull.
Where empties actually go
The return location is set by the ocean carrier, not by you or your trucker, and it can change with little notice. Depending on the line and the equipment type, an empty may go back to the marine terminal that released it, to a different terminal, or to an off-dock depot in the Medley or Hialeah corridor. Reefer equipment and specialized boxes frequently have their own return points.
Because the instruction can change mid-week, confirm the return location on the day of the move rather than relying on what was true when the container was pulled. A truck that arrives at the wrong depot burns a turn and often a whole day.
Appointments and terminal capacity
Appointment systems govern most terminal transactions in South Florida, and empty returns compete for the same slots as import pulls and export deliveries. When a terminal restricts empty receiving for a particular line — usually because the depot is full or a vessel is not on berth to take the equipment back — you can end up holding a box you are ready to return.
That situation is exactly what per diem dispute processes exist for. Document the refused or unavailable appointment with timestamps and screenshots. Carriers will often waive per diem for days when return was demonstrably not possible, but only if you can evidence it.
Per diem, detention and demurrage — not the same thing
Demurrage is charged by the terminal for cargo sitting inside the gate past free time. Detention or per diem is charged by the ocean carrier for their equipment being outside the terminal past free time. An import container that is picked up on day three and returned empty on day fourteen may generate no demurrage and substantial per diem. Our full breakdown of demurrage and detention at PortMiami covers the mechanics and the clocks.
Street turns: the cheapest empty return is no return
A street turn reassigns your empty directly to an exporter who needs that same equipment type from that same carrier, skipping the depot entirely. The carrier has to approve it, and the match has to work geographically and on timing, but when it lands you eliminate two gate transactions and a round trip of drayage.
Street turns are underused in Miami because they require someone actively looking for the match. A drayage provider with both import and export volume is far more likely to find one. We cover the process in detail in our guide to street turns in Miami drayage.
Practical ways to cut empty-return cost
- Unload fast. Every day the box sits at your dock is a per diem day. If you cannot unload quickly, transload into a trailer or into warehouse storage and return the box.
- Book the return appointment early, ideally when you schedule the unload, not after it finishes.
- Ask for a street turn before you assume a depot return.
- Watch chassis costs separately. Per diem on the container and daily rental on the chassis are two clocks running at once.
- Reconcile every invoice. Duplicate and out-of-window per diem billing is common and is usually credited when challenged with gate records.
Transloading is the most reliable structural fix. Moving cargo out of the ocean box into domestic equipment at a facility near the port stops the per diem clock immediately and lets you deliver on your own schedule. See our PortMiami transloading guide for how the economics work.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides where an empty container is returned?
The ocean carrier does. The designated return location can be the originating marine terminal, a different terminal, or an off-dock depot, and it can change during the week — so confirm it on the day of the move.
What is per diem on a container?
Per diem, also called detention, is the daily charge an ocean carrier bills for its container being outside the terminal beyond the free time on the bill of lading. It is separate from terminal demurrage and from chassis rental.
Can per diem be waived if the terminal will not accept the empty?
Often yes. If you can document that return was refused or that no appointment was available on specific dates, carriers frequently credit those days. Keep timestamped records of every attempt.
Drayage that closes the loop
Go Freight runs asset-based container drayage out of 3300 NW 110 St, Miami, FL 33167, minutes from PortMiami and Port Everglades, with transload space to stop the per diem clock. Request a drayage quote or call (786) 445-0150.