Technical Resource

Inland Container Depots: How They Work

Almost every container purchase and every one-way lease is collected from, or returned to, a depot rather than a port. This is what happens in that yard, what it costs, and what to check before you agree a location.

Definition

A yard, not a port

An inland container depot is a yard away from the quay where containers are stored, inspected, repaired and handed over between parties. No vessel calls there. No customs boundary is crossed on site. Its function is simple and entirely economic: hold equipment close to where cargo actually starts or ends, so the box is not occupying expensive quay space while it waits for a truck.

That is why the depot, not the terminal, is where most commercial container movements actually happen. When you buy a container or take one on a one-way lease, the address on the release is almost always a depot.

Grey 20-foot shipping container standing in an inland depot yard

Depot vs Terminal

Two different clocks

Comparison

Port terminal

Inland depot

Operating clock

Port terminalWorks to a vessel schedule.

Inland depotWorks to a truck schedule.

What it bills

Port terminalCharges for quay time.

Inland depotCharges for yard time.

Free time

Port terminalFree time is short and demurrage escalates steeply, because the terminal needs the ground cleared for the next call.

Inland depotStorage is cheaper per day and far more flexible, and the depot is built to hold equipment rather than to turn it.

Access and use

Port terminalAccess is controlled and gate windows are rigid.

Inland depotThis is why sales and one-way leases are set here.

Gate Movements

Gate-out, gate-in, and the document between them

Gate-out (release)

The depot hands the unit to a nominated hauler against a release reference. Identity of the trucker, the reference and the container number must match or the gate refuses the move.

The hinge

The EIR

The Equipment Interchange Receipt records condition at each gate. It is what decides who pays for damage found later, which makes it the most consequential document in the chain.

Gate-in (return)

The depot inspects, records damage and accepts or refuses the unit. A refused return keeps the equipment on your account, with per diem still running.

Practical rule: photograph the unit at gate-out and at gate-in, including the door gear, the floor and all four corner castings. A signed EIR plus dated photographs settles almost every damage dispute before it becomes one.

Depot Charges

What the yard bills for

These are the line items to check before agreeing a pickup location. A cheap container at an expensive depot is not a cheap container.

Charge	What it covers
Lift on / lift off	Each handling movement by reach stacker or crane. Charged per lift, in both directions.
Gate fee	An administrative charge applied at each gate movement, independent of the lift.
Storage	Per container per day beyond free days. The rate usually steps up after a threshold.
Repair	Billed when inspection finds damage. Estimates should be itemised and approved before work starts.
Cleaning and fumigation	Applied when a unit needs treatment before reuse, typically after food, chemical or agricultural cargo.
Reefer plug-in	Power and monitoring for refrigerated units, charged per day and separately from storage.

Free Days, Storage and Per Diem

Three clocks that are often confused

Free days

The grace period before storage starts, counted from gate-in or from release depending on the contract. Check which, because the two differ by days.

Storage

Paid to the depot

What the depot charges to keep the box in its yard. Paid to the depot, or to whoever holds the depot account.

Per diem

Paid to the lessor

What a leasing counterparty charges for the use of the equipment itself. Paid to the lessor, not the depot.

On a lease, storage and per diem run in parallel and are settled separately. Treating them as one number is one of the most common sources of disputed invoices in container leasing.

Choosing a Depot

Distance is rarely the deciding factor

Does it actually hold the type and grade you need, today, not in theory.
What are the gate hours and the notice period for a release.
What does storage cost once free days expire, and at what point does the rate step up.
Will it accept the equipment back. A depot that cannot take the unit back turns a one-way move into an open-ended exposure.
Is the access road suitable for the delivery method you intend to use.

Why prices differ between two nearby depots: equipment accumulates where imports land and drains where exports load, so depot stock is structurally uneven. Repositioning exists to correct that imbalance and it is priced into the unit. Buying where the surplus sits and paying for the haul is frequently cheaper than buying locally.

MG-Atlantic Depots

Where we release and receive

MG-Atlantic releases and receives at partner depots across the United States, Europe and the main global port regions. These are the markets with a published commercial profile, indicative pricing and live availability.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Inland depots, answered

A yard away from the quay where containers are stored, inspected, repaired and handed over between parties. No vessel calls there and no customs boundary is crossed on site. Its purpose is to hold equipment close to where cargo actually starts or ends, so a box does not occupy expensive quay space while it waits for a truck.

A terminal works to a vessel schedule and charges for quay time; a depot works to a truck schedule and charges for yard time. Terminal free time is short and demurrage escalates quickly, while depot storage is cheaper per day and far more flexible. That is why most pickups and drop-offs on a sale or a one-way lease are set at a depot rather than at the terminal.

Lift on and lift off, a gate fee at each movement, storage per container per day beyond any free days, and repair when an inspection finds damage. Cleaning and fumigation are billed when a unit needs them before reuse, and reefers add plug-in and monitoring charges. A cheap container at an expensive depot is not a cheap container.

The Equipment Interchange Receipt records the condition of a unit at the moment it changes hands, at gate-out and again at gate-in. It is the document that decides who pays for damage found later. Photographs and a signed EIR at each gate are worth more than any clause in the contract, because they establish the facts the clause is applied to.

Free days are the grace period before storage starts. Storage is what the depot charges to keep the box in its yard. Per diem is different: it is what a leasing counterparty charges for the use of the equipment itself. On a lease the two run in parallel and are settled separately, which is one of the most common sources of disputed invoices.

Distance is rarely the deciding factor. What decides is whether the depot holds the type and grade you need, its gate hours and notice period, what it charges once free days expire, and whether it will accept the equipment back. A depot that cannot take the unit back turns a one-way move into an open-ended exposure.

Because equipment accumulates where imports land and drains where exports load, so depot stock is structurally uneven. Repositioning exists to correct that imbalance and it is priced into the unit. Buying where the surplus sits and paying for the haul is frequently cheaper than buying locally.

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