INTERMODAL
Every intermodal move has at least two billing legs: rail and drayage. Each carries its own invoices, accessorials, and documentation. We run both legs for IMCs and intermodal logistics providers, so a charge that belongs on one leg does not quietly disappear into the other. Billing, carrier invoice checks, accounts receivable (AR), and compliance all sit on one desk.
THE INTERMODAL BACK OFFICE
Intermodal billing sits at the intersection of rail tariffs and drayage accessorials. The rail leg has its own rate structure, fuel surcharges, and container charges. The drayage legs at origin and destination carry chassis fees, per diem, terminal charges, and delivery accessorials. An intermodal marketing company or broker has to reconcile all of these against a single customer rate.
We handle the full billing workflow across both legs: rail tariff verification, drayage carrier invoice audit, customer invoicing with all costs reconciled, per diem and chassis fee passthrough, and AR follow-up.
Volume is what makes intermodal billing unforgiving. A hundred containers a week means a hundred chances for a chassis split to go unbilled, a per diem clock to run past free time unnoticed, or a rail invoice to disagree with the tariff. Reconciling both legs against the customer rate on every move, while the move is current, is the difference between container-level margin you can trust and a quarterly surprise.
Invoice Accuracy
POD Chase
Reporting
The rail invoice and the drayage invoice often arrive at different times and are processed separately. When nobody reconciles both legs against the customer rate, margin discrepancies go unnoticed until they show up in the P&L.
Container per diem can accrue during the rail transit, at the ramp, and during drayage. Tracking which party is responsible for which days and passing through the correct charges requires matching timestamps across rail and dray records.
Drayage carriers charge chassis fees that vary by provider and location. On intermodal moves, the chassis charge on each dray leg needs to be captured and either included in the customer rate or billed as a passthrough.
Rail tracking, drayage POD, container events, and customer billing often live in different systems. When documents for a single shipment are scattered, the billing file is incomplete and the invoice gets delayed or disputed.
Intermodal adds per diem and storage on top of the linehaul. Both are covered in the accessorial charge reference and screened in carrier invoice audit.
We audit your rail carrier tariffs, drayage provider rate structures, ramp relationships, and the per diem and chassis fee schedules that apply to your lanes.
Your team learns the rail tariff structures, drayage accessorial schedules, and per diem rules specific to your ramps and lanes. Two to three weeks to full speed.
Rail and drayage invoice audit, customer invoicing with multi-leg reconciliation, per diem tracking, and AR follow-up on every shipment.
New ramps, new lanes, more containers. The billing operation absorbs the growth.
The result is a back office that handles the complexity your freight demands:
When the container side of intermodal runs under your own house bill, the ocean leg brings its own paperwork: MBL settlement, CFS charges, and per diem clocks. NVOCC back-office support covers that side of the desk.
We work inside the TMS platforms you already use for intermodal dispatch, container tracking, and billing, with no migration and no new software to learn.
Yes. We audit the rail carrier invoice against the tariff or contract and audit each drayage carrier invoice separately. Both legs are reconciled against the customer rate before the invoice goes out, so margin on each move is accurate.
Yes. We track container per diem from the steamship line across rail transit, ramp time, and drayage. The charges are matched to the correct leg and party, and passthroughs are billed to the customer with the supporting documentation.
Intermodal back-office support covers rail carrier invoice audit, drayage carrier invoice audit, customer invoicing with multi-leg cost reconciliation, per diem and chassis fee management, and AR follow-up.
Pricing is based on your monthly container count and the number of legs per move. A 20-minute call covers the details.
Yes. Profit Tools, CompCare, and other intermodal-specific platforms are all systems we work in daily. Rail tariff verification, drayage billing, and per diem tracking all happen inside your existing setup.
We track empty return deadlines and per diem exposure on every container. When a street turn opportunity exists, we coordinate the documentation so the billing reflects the actual container movement. Empty return confirmation is documented and matched to the per diem record to close out the charge.
Get Started
Most intermodal clients start with carrier invoice audit and per diem tracking across legs, then grow into full back-office management.
