Question:
I'm trying to start a small trucking company where I'll haul containers from the Savannah port to areas locally in Georgia. My question is how do I determine the tariff rate to charge the companies? What should I take into consideration when charging them? Are there any sites on the internet that I could gather some information on tariff rates for hauling freight containres? Thank you for your time.

Answer:
Hopefully you'll more feed back in the O/O forum.


Answer:
Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement from the Intermodal Association of North America
Most rails require membership so they can keep track of your insurance. I would imagine the same applies to the ship ports.
Be safe."If men were angels...No government would be necessary."
51st Federalist Papers
"Nichols' Fourth Law says, "Avoid any action with an unacceptable outcome"

Answer:
Check your private messages.. I sent ya a little insite into the container business in Savannah.. You are in for some real challenges in the container shipping business..
Are you sure you want to do this? It's full of headaches plus a lot of pain in other parts of the body as well..(a bit further south..LOL)
Steamship lines run the show in Savannah.. They pretty much dictate the rates.. If you will do it for less than the max. that they will pay you could find yourself with a whole bunch of loads that you can't deliver..if your not careful..
Flat tire repairs are the worst.. Some steamship lines will give a P.O.#, some won't, some will want new only, others used tires only.., some want the old ones back for payment, some don't, some chassis are borrowed from other lines.. if somthing breaks.. it's a pain in the butt trying to figure out who is paying the bill.. (It is almost always blamed on the driver)!.. suprise.. suprise....
Oh and flat tires always happen when everyone has gone home.. so you wind up paying for it and then trying to get them to reinburse you..
Belive me the tire business is a HUGE expence, as well as a pain..
Per diem rates will haunt you.. Each container has only so many "free" days on it to make delivery.. You sign out a container you are responcible to get it back to the port before the free time expires.. If not you are charged each day it is late.. loose track of a box... you could wind up owing TENS of THOUSANDS of DOLLARS....
Federal laws were passed requiring container chassis owners to be responcible for the maintaince on the chassis with their name on it.. The steamship lines / port.. just typed up a waiver on the interchange agreement, saying you are accepting responcibility.. (Law is NO use.. it is too easily circumvented) You refuse to sign the interchange agreement NO PROB.. NO container.. Go Away.. until you are ready to sign.. It is back to business as usual..
Those chassis are terrible.. almost always overwieght.. you are constantly getting fines..light don't work, tires are bad, air leaks, bad brakes,
Still want to do containers.. you will be compeating with all the guys that are already established.. BTT, USI, Panthers, ect... Good luck.. your going to need it............................................
Answer:
Gonzo, when the "Roadability Regulation" is inacted steam lines and rails will have a track record based on their US DOT number of how their equipment fared. If the equipment owned by the rail or steam line has a high OOS rate the equipment will be banned from the road.
At least that's the intent of the regulation.
Only time will tell.
Be safe."If men were angels...No government would be necessary."
51st Federalist Papers
"Nichols' Fourth Law says, "Avoid any action with an unacceptable outcome"

Answer:
I'll try and get a copy of the "waiver" the port / steamship lines have you sign to pull containers out of the port in Savannah the next time I go down that way..
Unless someone else has easy access to the port.. I no longer have inside info.. My wife worked for a company down there for years.. (15 years) !
She opened my eyes to what goes on behind the scene in the container business!
Answer:
I been doing container for a year now as a O/O. I with container port group now. Around next week I will be going to BTT they rate are better. BTT pay more. I have friends that leas on with I seen there statement sheets They bring in from $2800 to $5000 a week.
Try to get a copy of the company rate sheet be for you leas on with them.
That why all the flat tires be long to them. Also . BTT is owned by Maersk ship line.

Answer:
Bridge Terminal Transport has major tractor restrictions, make sure you check that out or YOU pay for over weight fee and scale costs...I know!!
anything you haul for yourself , not leased to a company, for your own company bein 1 or 100 trucks should be a min. of a $250.00 charge OR $3.00 per mile, whichever is greater..

Answer:
BTT is also going through a court case with OOIDA..
http://ooida.com/legal_action/Bridge/btt_complaint.pdf
It's still going throught the courts..
Answer:

As long as your truck passes DOT inspections it can be lease on with them.
You need a truck with a siding fifth wheel.
That with most of the container companies.
Most of the companies pay the over weight ticket. The companies gave it back to the steamship line.
I will do the lease with BTT on the NOV 14.

Answer:
BTT pays decent rates and has decent equipment for their operations in Ontario and Quebec.

Answer:
Just a few things to look out for..In addition to the obvious, the $ per mile rates, detention charges if your drvr is detained longer than an hour at shipper/reciever, fuel surcharges, any special permits required you will want to charge to the shipper. I was around the container stuff but not directly involved with it, but alot of experience with over road frght. good luck

Answer:
In BC Canada the requirement to haul containers is you have indian decent and english is your second language plus the trucks you own are wrecks also you share your drivers license with the rest of your familly
We had one case here a guy hauling a CN intermodal container chassis with a can on it the wheels fell off and busted the h*ll out of the hub and brake drum. The rest of the chassis was barely holding together what a piece of junk. The driver pulling the container wasn't east indian he was a born Canadian driver and spoke english he said he hates hauling containers. He said every time he pulls one something breaks on the chassis. He wasn't surprised when the wheel studs busted off of the one he was pulling that day I seen him.
In the last few Richie Bros auctions the auction site in Surrey B.C. auctioned of probably close to 600 container chassis and probably 90% of them went for scrap. You look at the chassis the tires are bald the frame on the chassis is bent.
The container hauling is the most undercut hauling business the port wants the cans moved as cheap as they can.

Answer:
Gee thats in Ontario / Quebec CN runs some of the best equipment on the road , most chassis are brand new or min of 2 years old. The major CAN HAULERS require 2 FULL safties per year on the O/O tractors and the chassis get monthly inspections.