Scared Freight: The data behind the nightmares

What 4.6 million container records reveal about changing ETAs, terminal dwell, missing deadlines, and the unexpected horrors of international logistics.  

International freight has enough horror stories for an all-night movie marathon.  

An ETA changes overnight. A container sits at the terminal while free time runs out. An invoice arrives with charges nobody can explain.  

For Halloween, we matched six familiar freight scares with iconic horror films. Take the Scared Freight quiz to find yours.  

We also looked at the data behind those scares.  

We analyzed 4.6 million container visits, along with related operational records, to understand where shipments lose time, where important information goes missing, and where costs become harder to explain.  

Here's what we found.  

Nearly half of the containers arrived at least three days later than their first ETA.

46.2% of 2.6 million eligible container visits arrived at least three days later than the first vessel ETA recorded 14–60 days before arrival.

Nearly one in four arrived at least seven days earlier or later than that original estimate.

Some containers move to later sailings. Others change vessels at transshipment ports. Each change can affect receiving schedules, inventory plans, and drayage coordination.

Transshipment adds time to the journey.

33.9% of container visits involved a vessel change. The average time between incoming arrival and outgoing departure was 7.9 days. In 39.1% of observed transshipment events, the wait was eight days or longer.

That time isn't necessarily a delay. It's part of the journey that needs to be accounted for in the delivery plan.

Gnosis records the first, previous, and current vessel ETAs alongside transshipment events. Teams can see when arrival estimates change, identify affected containers, and update downstream plans.

Nearly one in four U.S. containers spent at least a week at the destination terminal.

24.8% of eligible U.S. containers remained at the destination terminal for seven days or longer after discharge.

Among containers with recorded availability and pickup events, only 16.5% left within 24 hours of becoming available.

Discharge, availability, and out-gate measure different stages:

• Discharge: The container is unloaded from the vessel.

• Availability: The container is ready for pickup.

• Out-gate: The container leaves the terminal.

For freight moving inland by rail, the journey continues.

Across 964,210 eligible rail-container visits, the average time from port discharge to inland ramp out-gate was 11.8 days. More than one in four took at least 14 days.

That includes waiting for rail transportation, moving inland, and waiting at the destination ramp.

Gnosis connects ocean, terminal, and rail milestones on the same container record. Teams can identify where a container is waiting, monitor its next movement, and coordinate pickup around its availability.

Nearly 29% of U.S. pickups had no published last free day.

Last free day (LFD) is the deadline after which demurrage charges may begin, subject to applicable terms.

28.9% of out-gated U.S. container visits lacked a carrier- or terminal-published LFD.

Gnosis had an estimated last free day for 97.3% of those containers, using available tariff and contract information.

The published date can also differ from the free time established in a customer's contract.

Pickup timing leaves little room for error.

Of the 2.66 million eligible U.S. container visits with a published last free day, 59.3% were picked up in their final three calendar days of free time. Another 6.5% left after the published deadline.

A late pickup doesn't necessarily mean demurrage was charged. Extensions, contracts, and other conditions determine the actual amount owed.

Gnosis combines container milestones with applicable tariff and contract terms to calculate potential demurrage exposure. Demurrage & Detention Alarms® feature flags approaching deadlines, helping teams prioritize pickups and investigate holds before free time expires.

Operators can see which containers need attention, how much time remains, and what charges may follow.

Nearly 9% of audited drayage invoices contained an above-contract charge.

We examined over 50K drayage invoices across a sample set of customers.

8.8% contained at least one charge above the contracted amount.

Across 8,592 charge lines, those differences totaled $1.44 million.

The analysis also found $2.09 million in charges below their contract-calculated amounts. These are detected discrepancies, not confirmed billing errors or realized savings.

Consider a chassis charge. The daily rate may match the contract, but the total also depends on the equipment-use period supported by the shipment record.

Checking the rate alone won't establish whether the invoice is correct.

Gnosis compares three records: the contracted terms, actual shipment milestones, and billed invoice charges. It calculates the expected amount for each eligible charge line and flags differences for review before approval.

Finance teams can investigate exceptions with the supporting rates and shipment events together.

Every freightmare leaves a data trail.

An ETA revision changes the delivery plan. A container waiting at the terminal approaches its free-time deadline. An invoice arrives with charges that need to be checked against the contract and shipment history.

The information needed to manage these events comes from carriers, terminals, railroads, customs systems, contracts, and invoices.

Gnosis connects those records and helps teams make operational decisions.

Teams can revise delivery plans, coordinate pickups, monitor financial exposure, and review charges using the underlying evidence.

Freight will always have surprises. Better information gives teams more control over what happens next.  

Want the less serious version?

We turned six familiar freight problems into horror movies.

Four questions. Six possible endings. One terrifying result.

Find your freightmare →

Happy Halloween from Gnosis Freight.

About the data

Source: Gnosis Freight, Scared Freight: Proprietary Data Discovery, October 11, 2026.

The primary analysis covers 4,637,684 deduplicated container visits discharged between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. Individual findings use different eligible populations.

Ocean ETAs: 2,616,190 container visits with an initial recorded vessel ETA 14–60 days before actual arrival. The analysis measures differences between that initial ETA and actual arrival, not comparative predictive accuracy.

Transshipment: 1,715,073 events with recorded incoming vessel arrival and outgoing departure.

Terminal dwell: 3,739,843 eligible U.S. container visits. Availability-to-pickup statistics use a separate eligible subset.

Last free day: 2,663,867 eligible U.S. container visits with published LFD and out-gate dates. Published LFD may differ from contractual free time.

Rail: 964,210 eligible rail-container visits with discharge, rail arrival, and inland out-gate events.

Invoice auditing: 50K eligible invoices across a subset of Gnosis customers, created October 2025–September 2026.

Results describe the analyzed populations, not industry-wide averages. Recent shipment journeys may be incomplete. Detected financial discrepancies do not necessarily represent billing errors or realized savings.