DEM/DET KNOWLEDGE HUB
Free Time: Free Days and the Start of DEM/DET Charges
Free Time describes the allowance for which a particular charge does not apply. A number of free days alone cannot identify the last free date. Read it together with the starting event, the day-count basis and the ending event.
Free Time and Free Days
Free Time describes a period governed by conditions. Free Days is a way of expressing that allowance as a day count. Identical numbers do not represent identical terms if they cover different charges or parts of the journey. Separate DEM/DET allowances must also be distinguished from a Combined allowance.
An allowance for one charge does not make the whole shipment free of charges. Facility costs or additional services may have different terms. Check whether the container, cargo, location or contract changes the allowance applicable to the shipment.
Find the starting event and included dates
Identify the event specified by the tariff and match it to an actual record. Check whether the event date is included, counting begins on the next date, or a particular time is specified. Inventing an unstated starting time can shift the result by a day.
Expiry of Free Time is connected to the start of charging, but the counting rules and treatment of the final date still matter. Do not assume that a fraction of a day is charged as a full day without checking the rule. Likewise, a pickup or return appointment is different from a completed movement record.
Read calendar and working days separately
Calendar days follow consecutive dates on the calendar. Working days follow the operating or working-day definition in the applicable source. They do not always mean Monday through Friday. Check how Saturdays, public holidays and facility closure dates are treated.
Free Time and the period after Free Time need not use the same day basis. Record the basis for each period separately, even within one charge item. The regional notice in the references demonstrates that such differences can exist; it is not a rule to apply to every carrier or shipment.
Fictional example: three days, different end dates
Fictional example: counting starts on Friday and includes that date. The allowance is three days, the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, and there are no public holidays. For this example, charging begins on the date after the last free date. These are invented conditions, not an actual tariff.
| Fictional basis | Dates counted as free | First chargeable date |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar days | Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Monday |
| Working days: weekends excluded | Friday, Monday, Tuesday | Wednesday |
The rows describe different fictional terms. Do not fit an actual lookup result to one row by assumption or calculate a shipment amount from this table. The illustration shows why a starting date and excluded dates are needed to turn an allowance into calendar dates.
A practical sequence for confirming the last free date
Keep the event records, applicable tariff version and confirmed counting rules together. This helps different teams interpret the same timeline consistently. Share the conditions behind a date, not only the date itself. Recheck holiday or operating-day information in official sources when required.
Free Time in an IndustryQuery result is reference information for the selected conditions. An absent value is not zero and should not be filled using another carrier’s allowance. Confirm shipment applicability in the linked official source before relying on it.
Identify the charge and the allowance that belongs to it.
Connect the official starting event to its actual date.
Check date inclusion, calendar or working days, and excluded dates.
Check the charging-period basis and ending event separately.
Ask the carrier about any unclear condition and retain the answer.