The slot moved in an email chain. The truck arrived for the old one.

• The slot moved. The truck didn’t.

  The warehouse moves Tuesday’s 08:00 slot to Wednesday in a WhatsApp to one coordinator. Nobody tells the driver, who waits nine hours at the gate.

  Waiting charges, a second delivery, and detention still running.

  Delivery slotsShipment 8812, delivery

  Wed 14:00Dock closed Tuesday for a stock countWhatsApp, warehouse planner, Mon

  • ForwarderWed 14:00Up to date
  • Haulier’s bookingTue 08:00Not the latest
  • DriverTue 08:00Not the latest

  Sent the new slot to the haulier and the driver, and asked both to confirm.

  Notices a new slot wherever it’s said, updates the shipment, and tells the haulier and the driver until both confirm.

  Your team decides: Whether to accept the new slot.

• The cut-off moved a day earlier. The trucker kept the old plan.

  The line’s agent emails that the gate-in and VGM cut-offs for a Nhava Sheva sailing are a day earlier. The forwarder sees it; the trucker and the factory don’t, and the box misses the gate.

  A container shut out and rolled a week, a second trip, and an L/C date at risk.

  Cut-offsBooking 4471 3820, Nhava Sheva

  Please note revised cut-offs for this sailing: CY and VGM now Wednesday 18:00, a day earlier than published.

  New cut-off

  Wed 18:00

  Trucker

  Gate-in planned Thu 10:00

  Factory

  Stuffing Thu morning

  Told the trucker, the CHA and the factory, and asked for gate-in by Wednesday noon.

  Reads each advisory against the bookings it touches, and tells every company still working to the old time.

  Your team decides: Gate in late, expedite, or roll.

• Twelve boxes were rolled. Everyone downstream kept the old ETA.

  The line rolls 12 of 40 containers to next week’s vessel. The importer’s CHA, the warehouse slots and the exporter’s letter of credit all still run on the old dates.

  A lost week, missed slots, and an L/C that expires before the goods ship.

  Ships that arrived late were 6.8 days late on average in August 2026.Sea-Intelligence, Global Liner Performance, Sep 2026

  RolloversPO 3307, 12 of 40 containers

  Line’s rollover notice, Tue: moved to next week’s vessel.

  • Sails14 Nov21 Nov+7 days
  • Arrives, Rotterdam8 Dec15 Dec+7 days
  • Warehouse slot10 Dec17 Dec+7 days
  • L/C, latest shipment19 NovShips after it

  Asked the buyer to amend the L/C, and drafted new slots for the warehouse.

  Updates each container’s dates from the line’s notice, finds every promise built on the old ones, and drafts the updates.

  Your team decides: Accept, re-book, or fly it.

• “14 days free,” said on a call. The booking says seven.

  After a call with the line, the forwarder tells the importer there are 14 free days; the booking confirmation says 7. Customs holds the box for four days, and the bill arrives weeks later.

  Demurrage and detention by the day, then a dispute over who pays.

  Nine of the largest carriers charged about $8.9 billion in demurrage and detention in US trades between 2020 and 2022.US Federal Maritime Commission, 2024

  Free timeContainer MSKU 482 1093

  Free time is 7 days, not 14

  1. Forwarder call, 2 Nov“You have 14 days free.”
  2. Booking confirmation, 3 NovFree time at destination: 7 days.
  3. CHA, 11 NovCustoms hold, about four days.

  Demurrage startsThu 14 Nov, in 2 days

  Warned the importer and the CHA, and kept the call note for a waiver request.

  Keeps one free-time clock per container, from the document that set it, and warns the importer before charges start.

  Your team decides: Pay, return early, or ask for a waiver.

• The invoice was corrected. The other documents weren’t.

  The shipper emails a corrected invoice to the forwarder only. The CHA keeps the old packing list, and the draft bill of lading picks up the old weight.

  Amendments after sailing, a customs query, and payment held under the L/C.

  An estimated 65% to 80% of documents presented under letters of credit are refused the first time.ICC Banking Commission, 2022

  DocumentsShipment 8840, export documents

  Item	Invoice v2	Packing list	Draft B/L
  Cartons	1,180	1,200 (doesn’t match)	1,200 (doesn’t match)
  Gross weight	8,290 kg	8,420 kg (doesn’t match)	8,420 kg (doesn’t match)
  HS code	6204.42	6204.42	6204.42

  Sent invoice v2 to the CHA and the line, and asked for a corrected draft before the SI cut-off.

  Compares the invoice, packing list, shipping instructions and draft bill of lading, and names the stale copy and who sent the newer one.

  Your team decides: Which figure is right.

• “Included,” said on WhatsApp. Billed anyway.

  The forwarder’s sales rep tells the importer that waiting time and CFS labour are included. The trucker and the CFS bill both, and accounts holds the invoice because it doesn’t match the quote.

  Payments held for weeks, and margin lost on whatever gets written off.

  ChargesInvoice 2214, shipment 8851

  Item	Agreed	Invoiced	Check
  Ocean freight	$1,850	$1,850	Matches
  Waiting, 3 hours	Included	$90	Not agreed
  CFS labour	Included	₹6,400	Not agreed

  Sent the sales rep’s message to accounts, and drafted the query to the forwarder.

  Checks each invoice line against the quote, the messages and what actually happened, before anyone pays or disputes it.

  Your team decides: Absorb it, pass it on, or push back.

Sample data. Names, documents and figures in the examples are illustrative.