An extra charge carriers or truckers add when a port is badly backed up and moves take longer than normal — dwell time, missed appointments and wasted trips all cost the trucker, and the surcharge passes some of that on. It’s a symptom of congestion, not a fixed line, and it’s one reason a low ocean rate into a congested port can end up costing more than a higher rate into a fluid one.
Full guidePort congestion and the true cost of a cheap ocean rate →