Los Angeles / Long Beach: port delays, free time and demurrage
San Pedro Bay is the largest US container gateway, and its billing complexity matches its size: dual-terminal storage tariffs, appointment-gated retrieval and separate carrier per-diem all stack against the same delay.
Measured avg wait
149.4 h
Reporting period 2026-08
P90 wait
561.7 h
Worst-decile vessel in the period
Vessels waiting
1,027
of 1,172 observed
Est. daily burn
$4,066,920
Chargeable exposure created per day
Typical free time at Los Angeles / Long Beach
| Demurrage free time (import, at terminal) | 4 working days (San Pedro Bay terminals, typical) |
| Detention free time (equipment, off terminal) | 4–5 days on carrier equipment |
| How days are counted | Working days for terminal storage; most carrier per-diem tariffs count calendar days. |
| Congestion surcharge stacked per container | $175 during backlog periods |
Indicative ranges from published carrier tariffs and contracts we see at this gateway. Your own service contract governs — check it before counting days. How demurrage and detention are calculated.
What makes charges disputable here
- Terminal storage and carrier demurrage are separate invoices for the same delay — both need checking, and the days often overlap.
- Appointment systems can make a container "available" on paper before any truck slot exists; free time started against availability is a standard dispute ground.
- US FMC rules require the charge to serve a genuine incentive purpose — days when the box could not physically be retrieved are frequently reversible.
- Appointment-system scarcity plus chassis shortages make on-time retrieval impossible; per-diem runs regardless.
Billed demurrage or detention at Los Angeles / Long Beach?
We check every line against your contract, the local tariff and our own dwell record for that voyage, then file the claim. The audit is free and our fee is 20% of what we actually recover.