Northeast port runs: rate guide for Newark, Boston & Philly

Port drayage and Northeast OTR are two completely different businesses that share an address. The carriers who don't understand the difference get chewed up by chassis fees, demurrage pass-throughs, and appointment systems that turn a "1-hour pickup" into an 11-hour day. This is the rate guide for working freight out of Newark, Boston, and Philly in 2026 — what the moves pay, what the accessorials actually cost, and the math on whether drayage or OTR fits your operation.

Note: the drayage and OTR rate figures below reflect spring 2026 DAT and market data — we weren't able to re-pull current spot-rate figures for this refresh. Fee structures (chassis, demurrage, TWIC) are program rules, not market prices, and remain accurate. Check DAT Trendlines for today's Northeast rates before you quote off these ranges.

I've been booking the Northeast port complex for five years. The single most useful thing I can tell a carrier new to this geography: the rate is never the rate. The rate sheet says $325 a move; the day ends with $410 of accessorials and $90 of per-diem you didn't price in. Read on.

Which are the big three Northeast ports?

Port Newark / Elizabeth (PANYNJ). By far the largest. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it spans Port Newark and the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal across the Newark/Elizabeth waterfront. Container volume leads the U.S. East Coast — 8,897,531 TEU in 2025, the largest container port complex on the East Coast. Deep drayage carrier pool, sophisticated broker pool, normalized accessorial pricing.

Boston Conley Terminal. Operated by Massport. Smaller volume than NY/NJ — 245,000 TEU in 2025 — but predictable. Less truck supply means a small premium on rates leaving Boston relative to comparable distance from Newark.

PhilaPort (Packer Avenue Marine Terminal & Tioga). Moved 889,268 TEU in 2025, up 6% year over year, with strong reefer (perishable imports) and breakbulk (auto, steel) presence — 64% of PhilaPort's container imports are refrigerated, which is why the free-time clock for reefer boxes matters more here than at the other two ports. Drayage pool is meaningfully smaller than NY/NJ; rates are competitive but tighter on capacity during peak weeks.

How does drayage pay actually work?

A "drayage move" is typically a single container leg: terminal to consignee, or consignee back to terminal (return), or terminal to a customer's yard. Local drayage is within roughly 50 miles of the terminal.

The accessorial reality. A "$300 move" with a chassis day, a fuel surcharge, and a 4-hour wait at the terminal often clears $475 gross. Conversely, a "$300 move" where the container isn't ready, you pay a per-diem on the chassis, and you eat a half-day at the dock can net under $200. Pricing the move correctly means pricing the accessorials.

How does the chassis system work?

The chassis is the wheeled steel frame that carries an ocean container down the road. After the chassis pool decoupling that happened over the past decade, most U.S. marine terminals now use the IEP (Intermodal Equipment Provider) model, where independent companies (TRAC Intermodal, DCLI, FlexiVan, etc.) own and operate chassis pools.

To play, you need:

• UIIA registration (Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement) — one-time setup with IANA. Insurance requirements, agreement to terms.
• Active accounts with the IEP pools that operate at your target terminals.
• Daily-rate billing at $20–$50/day per chassis, with per-diem (overage) fees if you keep the chassis past your contracted period.

Most carriers pass chassis fees through to the BCO when contract terms allow. Watch the contract — some BCOs reimburse chassis at cost, some at a fixed daily allowance, some not at all.

What do demurrage and per diem actually cost you?

These two terms get conflated. They're different fees.

• Demurrage. Charged by the marine terminal when an import container sits beyond free time. At Maher Terminals (Port Newark/Elizabeth) — one terminal's published tariff, not a port-wide number — free time runs 4 Working Days for general cargo and 2 Working Days for refrigerated and special equipment. (A Working Day, per Maher's own tariff, is any calendar day — including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — that the terminal gate is open; the count does not skip weekends.) After free time expires, Maher's general-cargo tiers run $222/day (days 1–4), $291/day (days 5–9), $507/day (day 10+); temperature-controlled containers run $542/day (days 1–3) and $776/day (day 4+). PhilaPort runs the same free-time math on a heavier reefer book — 64% of its container imports are refrigerated — so that 2-day reefer clock matters more there than the headline number suggests.
• Per-diem. Charged by the IEP (chassis pool) when you keep a chassis beyond your contracted use period. $25–$75/day typical.

Who actually gets billed for demurrage is unsettled right now. The Feb 2024 FMC rule that governs demurrage and detention billing is still in force, but on 2025-09-23 the D.C. Circuit vacated the specific provision (46 C.F.R. § 541.4) that said who the invoice could be sent to. Until that gets replaced, don't assume it lands on the BCO by default — carriers get pulled into demurrage disputes constantly, and when the appointment system blocks you from picking up a container until day 6 while demurrage starts day 5, somebody is going to be unhappy either way. Document everything.

What paperwork do port runs need — TWIC and UIIA?

Three credentials run the door:

1. TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential). Required by TSA for unescorted secure-area access at all U.S. marine terminals. TSA now advises a minimum of 60 days for the application to clear, $124.00 application fee, valid 5 years.
2. UIIA registration. Required for chassis interchange. Set up with IANA (Intermodal Association of North America).
3. Terminal-specific access — separate badging at some terminals, automated gate systems with biometrics at others.

Without TWIC, you cannot enter a terminal. Without UIIA, you cannot pull a chassis. Both are non-optional if you're doing drayage seriously.

Why does the appointment system cost you a day?

NY/NJ terminals largely run on TIPS (Terminal Information Portal System). Boston and Philly use comparable booking platforms. Drivers book pickup or return appointments online; available windows depend on terminal capacity, container readiness, and chassis pool status.

The pattern that costs you a day: you book a 10 AM appointment. You arrive at 9:45. The container isn't yet "available" in the terminal yard because of vessel-discharge sequencing. You wait until 1 PM for it to be ready. By the time you hook the chassis, mount the container, and clear the gate, it's 2:30 PM — and your delivery customer's receiving dock closes at 4 PM. The container goes to your yard, and now you're paying per-diem on the chassis and possibly demurrage starts ticking.

The Sunday–Tuesday pattern: vessels discharge late in the week, BCOs want freight off the terminal by Wednesday, so the demand peak hits Sunday–Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday have shorter queues. Plan accordingly.

What do OTR loads out of the Northeast ports pay?

When you're not drayage but you're picking up a container at a port and running it long-distance, the rate structure flips to per-mile OTR.

OTR out of the Northeast ports has the structural advantage that the inbound containers create a steady supply of outbound loads — but the disadvantage that returning empty containers to the port is a different appointment dance, and over-the-road carriers often hand the empty back to a local drayman to handle.

Drayage or OTR: which earns more per day?

Honest call: drayage rewards local operators with chassis access and a tolerance for paperwork. OTR rewards sleeper-equipped carriers with wider geography and simpler operational rhythm. Both can clear $200,000+ gross per truck per year if run well.

Are Northeast port runs worth running?

The Northeast ports pay carriers who price the accessorials, not just the move. Chassis days, demurrage exposure, per-diem, TWIC delays, fuel surcharges — all of it has to be in your rate floor or it eats the margin you thought you booked.

If you're a port carrier weighing whether outside dispatch makes the math work, our desk handles drayage and Northeast OTR daily — including the chassis pool paperwork and the appointment-system back-and-forth. Sign on takes about 12 minutes, or call (928) 517-4993 and we'll work through the move-by-move economics with you.