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.

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.

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. Deep drayage carrier pool, sophisticated broker pool, normalized accessorial pricing.

Boston Conley Terminal. Operated by Massport. Smaller volume than NY/NJ — roughly an order of magnitude smaller in TEUs — 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). Has grown container volume notably over the past several years, with strong reefer (perishable imports) and breakbulk (auto, steel) presence. Drayage pool is meaningfully smaller than NY/NJ; rates are competitive but tighter on capacity during peak weeks.

Drayage rate structure — what you actually get paid

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.

The chassis system, in plain English

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.

Demurrage and per-diem — the margin killers

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

• Demurrage. Charged by the marine terminal (or shipping line) when an import container sits at the terminal beyond free time. Free time is typically 4–7 calendar days after vessel discharge. After that, tiered per-day fees of $150–$400+ apply, with steeper escalation after 10–14 days.
• Per-diem. Charged by the IEP (chassis pool) when you keep a chassis beyond your contracted use period. $25–$75/day typical.

The carrier rarely pays demurrage directly — it's billed to the BCO. But carriers get pulled into demurrage disputes constantly. When the appointment system blocks you from picking up a container until day 6, and demurrage starts day 5, somebody is going to be unhappy. Document everything.

TWIC, UIIA, and the paperwork wall

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. 4–6 week application timeline through TSA, $125 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.

The appointment system — and why it costs 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.

OTR rates leaving the Northeast ports

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.

The drayage vs. OTR daily-revenue comparison

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.

The bottom line

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 (800) 555-0199 and we'll work through the move-by-move economics with you.