What each Class I railroad currently charges when cars sit: standard per-car per-day rates, free-time and credit rules, and links to the governing tariffs. Compiled from the railroads' published tariff documents, last verified August 24, 2026.
| Railroad | Standard demurrage (RR car) | Governing tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Union Pacific | $240 serving area · $145 at industry / private cars | UP 6004-C, Section 9 (Item 9605-F, eff. Feb 1, 2026) |
| BNSF | $150 per chargeable day | BNSF 6004 (rate per BNSF's 2021 public quick-reference guide and Jan 2022 change notice; current book requires a customer portal login) |
| CSX | $208 per car per day | CSXT 8100, Section 2.5 (eff. Oct 1, 2025) |
| Norfolk Southern | $210 per car per day | NS 6004-D, Item 1010 (eff. Jul 1, 2025) |
| CN | $205 per car per day ($245 greater Vancouver & Chicago) | CN Tariff 9000-AK (eff. Aug 1, 2026; free registration required to view) |
| CPKC | $150/day (balanced fleet) · $250/day (high demand) | CPKC Tariff 2, Items 10–16 (rev. 2025.3, eff. Nov 1, 2025) |
Rates are the published standard for railroad-supplied cars; hazmat, TIH/PIH, specialty equipment, and private-car storage differ (detailed below). BNSF's current book is login-gated — its figure is from the railroad's last public notices and should be confirmed in their customer portal. Tariffs change; the linked documents govern.
$240 serving area · $145 at industry / private cars per UP 6004-C, Section 9 (Item 9605-F, eff. Feb 1, 2026). Pure debit/credit system — no fixed free days. Debits accrue per day from the first midnight after the car enters the serving area; credits earned per arrival, per capacity, per billed release, and when UP misses a placement. Netted monthly; excess credits don't carry over.
Specialty rates: Refrigerated $390/$280 · hazmat $280/$170 · TIH $3,300/day (no credit offset).
$150 per chargeable day per BNSF 6004 (rate per BNSF's 2021 public quick-reference guide and Jan 2022 change notice; current book requires a customer portal login) (verify — confirm current rates in the BNSF customer portal before relying on them). 2 credit days for rail-controlled unloading, 2 for loading (after the 2022 change). Yard days accrue from the first 12:01 a.m. after constructive placement; day of actual placement is free. Private equipment gets no credit days. Sundays chargeable; BNSF holidays excluded.
Specialty rates: Loaded hazmat +$75 = $225/day · TIH/explosives $1,500 then $2,500/day.
$208 per car per day per CSXT 8100, Section 2.5 (eff. Oct 1, 2025). 1 credit to load, 1 to unload; loaded and empty tracked in separate monthly accounts, no carryover. Debits start at 00:01 the next scheduled service day after constructive or actual placement.
Specialty rates: Reefers & heavy-duty flats $350 · hazmat $300 · RSSM $2,000/day (no credits) · private car storage $115/day.
$210 per car per day per NS 6004-D, Item 1010 (eff. Jul 1, 2025). 1 credit per railroad car released loaded with forwarding instructions, 1 per car released from unloading. Private cars earn no credits. Extra credits when NS serves your track fewer than 5 days a week. Monthly netting, no carryover.
Specialty rates: Coil cars, centerbeams, reefers, HD flats $350 · hazmat +$100 · TIH $2,000/day · private car storage $110/day.
$205 per car per day ($245 greater Vancouver & Chicago) per CN Tariff 9000-AK (eff. Aug 1, 2026; free registration required to view). 1 credit (24 h) per car. Charges start 00:01 after actual placement — or, for constructive placement, the day after your next scheduled service window, a meaningful cushion. Weekends and holidays are chargeable.
Specialty rates: Private cars on CN track $100–$165/day by area · hazmat $240–$260 · TIH/PIH $3,000/day · high-demand CN boxcars/centerbeams $400.
$150/day (balanced fleet) · $250/day (high demand) per CPKC Tariff 2, Items 10–16 (rev. 2025.3, eff. Nov 1, 2025). Roughly 24 h free at each stage: charges start 24 h after constructive placement notice and again 24 h after actual placement. 1 credit per car for facilities doing their own switching; service-failure credits carry over month to month.
Specialty rates: Private cars on CPKC property $80–$165/day by location · hazmat $280 · TIH/PIH $2,800/day.
Dwell days × cars × rate adds up fast: ten cars held three chargeable days at $210 is $6,300 on one statement. The demurrage calculator turns your car count, dwell, and railroad into a monthly exposure figure — and if you're disputing a bill, the tariff PDFs linked above are the documents the railroad's demurrage desk works from.
A per-car, per-day charge railroads assess when cars sit beyond their allowed free time waiting on the customer — to be loaded, unloaded, or ordered in from constructive placement. It exists to keep cars cycling; on modern tariffs it runs $145–$250 per car per day, and far more for hazmat.
All six Class I railroads run debit/credit systems: each car-day beyond the trigger point is a debit, loading/unloading events earn credits, and the account nets out monthly. Details differ — UP has no fixed free days, BNSF gives 2 credit days, CN starts the clock at your next scheduled service window — which is why the same dwell can bill very differently by railroad.
Actual placement is the car spotted at your track. Constructive placement is the railroad declaring the car available (in their yard) when your track is full or you can't take it — and on every Class I, the demurrage clock runs on constructively placed cars even though they're not physically at your facility.
Cars you own or lease avoid car-hire but not sitting charges: railroads bill private-car storage or 'asset use' for private equipment dwelling on their track — currently $80–$165 per car per day depending on railroad and location. Private cars typically earn no credits.
Order cars in promptly from constructive placement, release with forwarding instructions the same day unloading finishes, and measure dwell per car so the monthly statement is never a surprise. Most disputes trace to unrecorded placement and release times — timestamped records are the whole game.
Rebulk timestamps every placement, release, and dwell day per car, and runs the demurrage clock live — so you order cars in before the debit, and dispute statements with records instead of memory.
