RailPulse sets common data framework for demurrage, storage charge disputes

Starting Oct. 1, rail-car location and time data submitted by subscribers and generated through the RailPulse platform will serve as the definitive record for demurrage and storage charge disputes between subscribers and RailPulse member railroads.

Demurrage and storage charges, which are assessed when rail cars remain at facilities beyond agreed time limits, have long been points of friction between railroads and shippers; multiple and occasionally conflicting sources of information have historically made resolving disputes difficult, RailPulse officials said in a press release.

Through the new RailPulse framework, participating parties will work from a single shared dataset of arrival, departure and dwell events captured by certified telemetry devices installed on subscriber rail cars. While charges will continue to be billed under each railroad's existing process, the RailPulse data will give shippers more precise information as they bring demurrage and storage disputes to railroads, said RailPulse officials.

"The new standardized framework is another step in the vision for RailPulse as delivering a better overall customer experience," said Mike McClellan, RailPulse founder and senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Norfolk Southern Railway. "Having standardized data that shippers and railroads alike agree on resolves a long-standing friction point."

The development underscores the role of shared, neutral data infrastructure in addressing operational challenges, said RailPulse officials. 

Formed in 2020 by a group of rail-industry stakeholders, the RailPulse coalition comprises Bunge, CPKC, CSX, GATX Corp., Genesee & Wyoming Inc., The Greenbrier Cos., Norfolk Southern Corp., Railroad Development Corp., TrinityRail, TTX Co., Union Pacific Railroad and Watco.