Demurrage charges add up fast. Every day a railcar sits waiting to be unloaded is money out of your pocket. It’s one of the most common pain points we hear from customers, and it’s something we’ve worked hard to solve.
Why Dwell Time Gets Out of Control
Most of the time, it comes down to a few things: poor visibility into what’s on the tracks, slow coordination between rail and truck, and outdated systems that can’t keep up. When you’re relying on spreadsheets and phone calls to figure out what’s arrived and what’s ready to move, you’re already behind.
There’s also a planning problem. If you don’t know what’s coming until it’s already there, you can’t have trucks lined up and ready. So, the car sits. Then there’s the truck side. Drivers show up, wait in line, deal with paperwork, and all that time adds up. Meanwhile, the railcar isn’t getting unloaded, and the clock keeps running.
The terminals that struggle with dwell time usually have the same issues: no real-time data, no way for customers to self-serve, and no proactive communication about what’s coming down the line. It’s a reactive approach, and reactive always costs more.
Twin Eagle’s Solution
We’ve built our operations around getting railcars unloaded and released as fast as possible. Here’s how:
Real-time visibility. Our FracTrack portal shows you exactly what’s at the terminal and what’s ready to move, 24/7, from any device.
Daily forward forecasting. We work with our customers daily to forecast what’s coming so you can plan trucks and resources ahead of time, not at the last minute.
Internal daily operations planning. Every day our team reviews what’s on site, what’s inbound, and what’s scheduled to move. We’re not waiting for things to pile up. We’re planning staffing, equipment, and priorities so that when railcars arrive, we’re already ahead of it.
Self-service tools. Our customer portal lets you check inventory, track cars, and plan logistics on your own schedule. Drivers can check in through our Epsilon app or use our terminal kiosks. No lines, no paperwork, no waiting.
Fast turnaround. Experienced crews, good equipment, and streamlined processes. When a car shows up, we’re ready.
The Result
When you combine real-time visibility, forward planning, self-service tools, and efficient terminal operations, the whole system moves faster. Railcars get unloaded and released sooner. Trucks aren’t sitting around waiting. Product flows through the terminal and into your supply chain without unnecessary delays.
For our customers, that means fewer demurrage charges and more predictable costs. It means being able to plan with confidence instead of constantly reacting to surprises. And it means knowing that when product hits our terminal, it’s going to move, not sit.
We’ve seen customers significantly reduce their dwell time just by having access to better information and the tools to act on it. That’s what this comes down to: giving you visibility and control so you can run a tighter operation.
If demurrage has been eating into your margins, let’s talk. We’ve helped a lot of customers turn this around, and we can do the same for you.
Reach out to our team to learn more. Contact us here.