In the transportation of import and export containers, one of the largest challenges we face together is per diem and allowable free time. Many of you negotiate varying days of free time with the steamship line. We do not have access to the various times that you negotiate. Unless instructed differently, we use the UIAA-posted allowable days as our guideline.

Here are three tips to help you manage per diem costs:

1. If you have negotiated free days with the steamship lines, please inform us upfront. That way, our customer service representatives can keep you posted based on negotiated free days.

2. Our systems sends automatic emails informing you of container status. If you are not receiving these emails, please let us know by emailing im@jetcodelivery.com. If you are receiving them, please review them to manage deadline. We can customize our per diem notices to reflect your negotiated free days.

3. Communication is key. Let’s say you have containers dropped at a warehouse. Some clients prefer to control communications with the warehouse. Others prefer Jetco communicates directly with the warehouse. It is a best practice to establish what you want up front in terms of third party communication.

We must always understand who is responsible for communication so that nothing slips through the cracks!