Terminal, the Port of Miami
POMTOC drayage
Drayage off POMTOC at PortMiami: the only terminal operator here not owned by a carrier, running since 1994. Straightforward to work, and usually a truck question rather than a slot question.
Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company is a terminal inside the Port of Miami, not a separate port. Same gates and the same last free day rules as the rest of Port of Miami.
The only terminal operator at the Port of Miami that is not owned by a carrier, running since 1994. About 75 acres of yard.
The one terminal here no shipping line owns
POMTOC has run at PortMiami since 1994 and is the port's only terminal operator not owned by a carrier. About 75 acres of yard, more than 6,000 feet of berth, 50 feet of water.
That independence has a practical effect worth knowing: it is not tied to one line's schedule, so it handles boxes from carriers that do not run their own terminal here. Which terminal your container sits at is decided by your booking rather than by you, and POMTOC is where a lot of them land.
What it is actually like to work
Straightforward, and we would rather say that than invent a problem. When we can pull the same day here it is usually a question of having a truck free rather than finding a slot, which is not true everywhere at this port.
Gates run 8 to 5, the same as the rest of PortMiami apart from Seaboard. On a site that tells you where the tunnel is closed to your load and which terminals run on appointments, a page that says this one is fine is worth taking at face value.
Checking it yourself
Schedules, hours and container status live on their own site: pomtoc.com. Charges and holds sit between you and the line or the terminal. We move the box.
Also at this port
What we do with the box from here
Equipment we pull from here
Where it goes
More in this section
Questions
Straight answers
Do you pull containers from POMTOC?
Yes, daily. 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, high cube, reefer with genset, flat rack, open top, overweight and bonded.
What happens if my last free day is tomorrow?
Tell us today. A pre-pull gets the container out of the terminal and onto the yard before per diem and demurrage start, and it is almost always cheaper than the charges it avoids.
Are your drivers TWIC-carrying?
Yes. Every driver working the terminals holds a valid TWIC, which is required to enter.
What is a pre-pull?
We collect the container from the terminal before you are ready for it and hold it on a yard. It stops demurrage running at terminal rates and it takes the pressure off your receiving schedule.
What is the difference between demurrage, per diem and detention?
Three different charges from different parties. Demurrage is the terminal charging you for cargo sitting inside the gate past free time. Per diem is the shipping line charging you for keeping their container out past free time. Detention is the trucker's time, charged when a driver waits at your dock beyond the free window. They can run at the same time, which is how a bill gets ugly fast.
What is a chassis split?
When the chassis you need is not at the same location as the container, so the truck makes an extra trip to collect it before it can even pick up. It costs a move and it is the single most common surprise line on a drayage invoice.
Is it a live unload or a drop and pick?
Either. Live means the driver waits while you unload, which starts detention once the free window is up. Drop and pick means we leave the container and collect it later, which usually costs less if you have the yard space.
Do your drivers carry a TWIC?
Yes. Every driver working the terminals holds a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential, which is required to get through the gate at all.