How Fast Repair Turnaround Cuts Per-Diem & Detention

For a drayage carrier, downtime isn't just a lost dispatch — it's a container that keeps accruing per-diem and detention while your truck sits. Repair turnaround is a P&L line, not just a maintenance one.

Why downtime costs double for drayage

When an over-the-road truck is down, you lose the revenue miles. When a drayage truck is down mid-move, you can also be eating per-diem on the container and detention on the chassis while the box waits. The repair bill is often the smallest number in that equation — the meter running on the equipment is the expensive part.

Where fleets lose time

• Waiting days for a diagnosis, then more days for parts
• Small faults ignored until they become roadside failures at the worst moment
• No PM rhythm, so trucks fail unpredictably instead of getting caught on a schedule
• A shop that doesn't understand the clock a port move is on

What actually moves the needle

Fast, honest diagnosis so the truck isn't sitting while someone guesses. A shop that keeps common wear parts moving. And most of all, a preventive-maintenance rhythm that catches brakes, tires, air leaks and aftertreatment faults on a lift instead of on I-5. Planned downtime is cheap; surprise downtime is what wrecks a week.

What we do

We work with local fleets and drayage carriers on quick-turn repair and scheduled PM, close to the Port of Tacoma. Straight diagnosis, honest timelines, and a service rhythm built around keeping your trucks — and your containers — moving.

Need fleet service? Long Road Repair handles it in-shop and mobile across the South Puget Sound. See our fleet service service or call and talk to a real tech.