Pre-Pull
A pre-pull is the practice of picking up a container from a port or rail terminal before the last free day and holding it at a nearby yard or chassis lot, rather than leaving it at the terminal until the shipper is ready to receive it. It is used when dray availability, appointment windows, or receiving readiness make a just-in-time pickup risky. The container avoids demurrage at the terminal, but the shipper or drayage provider now pays a separate pre-pull charge to store and later deliver it.
Why it matters
A pre-pull trades one cost for another: it stops terminal demurrage from accumulating, but it adds a per-container pre-pull fee plus daily storage at the off-terminal yard. For importers dealing with chassis shortages or terminal congestion, a pre-pull can still be cheaper than demurrage, but only if the container moves onward quickly once pulled. Letting a pre-pulled container sit at the yard just shifts the clock without solving the underlying delay.
When to use it
Consider a pre-pull when the last free day is approaching and a dray appointment, chassis, or receiving slot at the terminal will not be available in time. It is most useful during peak import season or port congestion, when terminal appointments are scarce and the cost of a pre-pull is predictable compared to the escalating daily rate of demurrage. Confirm the yard storage rate before authorizing a pre-pull, since some yards charge more per day than the terminal demurrage they are meant to avoid.
How Warp thinks about it
Warp doesn't run port dray or pre-pull services directly, but its cross-dock network near major port markets gives importers a fast next stop once a pre-pulled container is delivered, so pallets can move onto Warp's regional truck network the same day instead of sitting at a yard. With 70+ cross-docks nationwide, Warp shortens the time a pre-pulled container spends waiting for its next leg.
What Warp does about it: the same cross-dock handoff that closes the gap on a straight port pickup also applies to a pre-pulled container. Once it lands at a Warp dock, it is unloaded, palletized, and put on the next outbound truck the same day, the same transload pattern used for containers coming straight off the terminal.
Frequently asked questions about pre-pull
What is pre-pull?
A pre-pull is the practice of picking up a container from a port or rail terminal before the last free day and holding it at a nearby yard or chassis lot, rather than leaving it at the terminal until the shipper is ready to receive it. It is used when dray availability, appointment windows, or receiving readiness make a just-in-time pickup risky. The container avoids demurrage at the terminal, but the shipper or drayage provider now pays a separate pre-pull charge to store and later deliver it.
Why does pre-pull matter in freight?
A pre-pull trades one cost for another: it stops terminal demurrage from accumulating, but it adds a per-container pre-pull fee plus daily storage at the off-terminal yard. For importers dealing with chassis shortages or terminal congestion, a pre-pull can still be cheaper than demurrage, but only if the container moves onward quickly once pulled. Letting a pre-pulled container sit at the yard just shifts the clock without solving the underlying delay.
When should you use pre-pull?
Consider a pre-pull when the last free day is approaching and a dray appointment, chassis, or receiving slot at the terminal will not be available in time. It is most useful during peak import season or port congestion, when terminal appointments are scarce and the cost of a pre-pull is predictable compared to the escalating daily rate of demurrage. Confirm the yard storage rate before authorizing a pre-pull, since some yards charge more per day than the terminal demurrage they are meant to avoid.
How does Warp handle pre-pull?
Warp doesn't run port dray or pre-pull services directly, but its cross-dock network near major port markets gives importers a fast next stop once a pre-pulled container is delivered, so pallets can move onto Warp's regional truck network the same day instead of sitting at a yard. With 70+ cross-docks nationwide, Warp shortens the time a pre-pulled container spends waiting for its next leg. What Warp does about it: the same cross-dock handoff that closes the gap on a straight port pickup also applies to a pre-pulled container. Once it lands at a Warp dock, it is unloaded, palletized, and put on the next outbound truck the same day, the same transload pattern used for containers coming straight off the terminal.