Dry Run

In trucking, a dry run happens when a driver arrives at a pickup or delivery location and cannot complete the assignment. The truck leaves empty-handed. The load is not tendered, the facility is closed, nobody is available to load or unload, the address is wrong, or some other problem prevents the shipment from being executed as planned. The carrier still incurred the cost of dispatching the truck, paying the driver, burning fuel, and tying up equipment for the trip, so they charge a dry run fee to the shipper or broker who booked the load.

Common Causes

The most frequent dry run scenarios include:

Shipper not ready: The carrier dispatches a truck for a 2:00 PM pickup. The driver arrives on time, but the warehouse has not finished palletizing the order. The load will not be ready until tomorrow. The driver cannot wait, and the carrier charges a dry run.

Wrong address or access issues: The booking lists a warehouse address, but the driver arrives to find a locked gate with no one answering the phone. Or the address is for the company’s corporate office, not the warehouse.

Appointment mismatch: The carrier shows up for a delivery, but the receiving facility says they have no appointment on file for that truck. Without a confirmed appointment, the facility refuses the delivery.

Equipment mismatch: The load requires a liftgate truck, but a standard dry van was dispatched. Or the load is a reefer shipment and a dry van arrives. The pickup cannot proceed with the wrong equipment.

Load cancellation without notice: The shipper cancels the load after the truck is already en route. If cancellation happens after the driver has departed the terminal or their previous stop, the carrier treats it as a dry run.

Dry Run Fees

Dry run charges vary by market, distance, and carrier. For local and regional trucking, dry run fees typically range from $150 to $400. For long-haul over-the-road trucks that traveled hundreds of miles to a pickup location, the fee can be $500 to $1,000 or more, reflecting the deadhead miles the driver covered. Drayage dry runs at port locations run $150 to $300 in most markets. Some carriers cap the dry run fee at a percentage of the originally quoted freight rate, while others have a flat-rate schedule.

Carriers include dry run provisions in their rate confirmations and broker-carrier agreements. The language typically specifies the conditions under which a dry run fee applies and the amount or calculation method. Shippers who frequently cause dry runs may find carriers refusing their loads or building a dry run risk premium into their base rates.

Preventing Dry Runs

Most dry runs are preventable with better communication and planning. Confirming that the load is physically ready before the truck is dispatched eliminates the single largest cause. Verifying appointment times, providing accurate addresses (including specific dock doors and gate codes), confirming equipment requirements at the time of booking, and having a live contact person available at the pickup or delivery location all reduce dry run risk.

Warehouse Management Systems and Transportation Management Systems can automate many of these checks. A WMS that flags when a load is not fully staged prevents premature carrier dispatch. A TMS that sends appointment confirmation emails with address details and contact numbers gives drivers the information they need to reach the right place at the right time.

Dry Runs in FBA Logistics

FBA sellers experience dry run situations when Amazon delivery appointments are missed or when a truck arrives at a fulfillment center outside the scheduled window and is turned away. Amazon’s inbound receiving operates on tight appointment schedules, and a truck that arrives on the wrong day or without a valid appointment will be refused entry. The seller or their prep partner then absorbs the dry run fee from the carrier plus the cost of rebooking transportation for a new appointment date. MeisterPrep coordinates outbound shipping schedules tightly with Amazon appointment windows to prevent dry runs, because each occurrence delays inventory check-in and adds unnecessary cost to the seller’s inbound supply chain.