Terminal handling charge
Terminal-set tariff. The provider should be able to point at the published terminal tariff for the arrival date.
What it is calculated on
Per container.
What it appears as on real documents
Providers write the same charge many different ways. All of these mean this charge:
- terminal handling charge
- thc
- terminal handling
- destination terminal handling
- dthc
- othc
- origin terminal handling
- terminal handling charges destination
- port terminal handling
- wharfage
- port charges
- port service charge
What settles it when you question it
The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis. If the basis changed, that is the thing to ask about rather than the total.
Ask for:
- Original rate quotation
- Terminal invoice
- Applicable tariff or rate sheet
- Arrival notice
Before you book
This is often missing from a quotation entirely — not excluded, just not mentioned. A charge a quotation is silent about is the one that arrives as a surprise.
Ask: Confirm whether destination terminal handling is included, and which terminal tariff applies.
Check a terminal handling charge on your own invoice
Free, and no account needed to start.
Upload your quotation and final invoice. ChargeBasis pairs every charge on its normalised type rather than its wording, reports which part of the difference your documents actually explain, and names the document that would settle the rest.
Charges that travel with this one
- Destination chargesDestination-side handling. Frequently excluded from an origin-only quote — check the quote's inclusion scope b…
- CFS / deconsolidationLCL deconsolidation, usually per freight tonne. Compare the CFS-measured basis against the quoted basis.
- DrayagePort-to-door truck move. Waiting time and dry-run charges on top of drayage need a driver record.
- Final deliveryFinal leg. Accessorials such as liftgate or inside delivery should match what was actually requested.
If this charge is on an invoice you are questioning
- Charges that were never on the quoteSome charges legitimately cannot be quoted in advance and some should have been. How to tell which is which, using the q…
- Your freight invoice is higher than the quoteA practical method for reconciling a freight invoice against the quotation: which differences are contemplated by the qu…
- Can you refuse to pay a freight invoice?What withholding payment on a freight invoice actually does, why a lien over your cargo is the risk nobody mentions, and…
- How long you have to question a freight invoiceFreight trading conditions commonly carry short notice periods. Where to find the one that applies to you, what the cloc…
Common questions
- What is a terminal handling charge on a freight invoice?
- Terminal-set tariff. The provider should be able to point at the published terminal tariff for the arrival date.
- What is a terminal handling charge calculated on?
- Per container.
- What should I ask for if I question a terminal handling charge?
- Ask for original rate quotation, terminal invoice, applicable tariff or rate sheet, arrival notice. The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis.