"UP, in announcing an overhaul of its reservation network for West Coast terminals effective Aug. 6., said it will establish a new set of fines for truckers who do not show up or cancel without more than 24 hours’ notice. The new penalties come less than two weeks after UP told customers it would eliminate the two-tiered structure to enforce terminal demurrage and enforce a strict 24-hour window in all intermodal terminals starting September before charging storage fees.
Demurrage, a version of a storage fee, was a major sore spot with shippers testifying at a hearing of the Surface Transportation Board in May and an issue for smaller shippers without the flexibility to open distribution centers on the weekend."